Developer: WolfEye Studios
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Release Date: 31st March 2022
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Howdy, partner! You’ve likely heard tales from the wild west countless times, but have you ever heard the tale of the Weird West? Don’t worry, I will be keeping this review free from story spoilers, but will instead tell you exactly why Weird West is a game you should most definitely play – and then play again!
So, what’s Weird West?
Weird West is the first game from WolfEye Studios, which may not be a name you recognise. It’s a team composed, in part, by key figures from Arkane Studios, where they worked on franchises like Dishonored and Prey. Being no strangers to incredible world-building and immersive sim experiences, they were right at home when creating Weird West – even if the isometric camera angle is entirely new.
So to answer the question, Weird West is an isometric immersive sim. It’s essentially a sandbox where you are in control of the fate of the characters – and the world. Everything you do affects the world and actively changes things around you. If you go on a rampage and kill everyone in a town, for instance, that place will become Abandoned, which allows for other… things to take the place of the former townsfolk.
A shared world
I won’t go into any story beats, but I’ll say this; there’s something super mysterious going on, which results in you playing through the “journey” of five completely unique characters, one by one, while a larger plot unfolds. Every character exists in the same world at the same time, too, so once you get into the second journey and beyond, you’re able to recruit former playable characters to your posse, which is pretty neat. This also allows you to carry equipment from a previous hero to a newer one, as you can simply raid their inventory once they join you.
Previously discovered locations are also still discovered, and things you’ve previously done will all be remembered. If someone’s dead, they’re dead. If a place has been destroyed, it remains as such. Even within this, however, each character – due to their wildly different backgrounds – offers unique gameplay opportunities and allows for different, random events to occur in the world.
Your first journey, for instance, puts you in the shoes of a bounty hunter. She’s able to do all the things – both lawful and unlawful – that you would expect from a bounty hunter, whereas a character you control later on can turn into a werewolf at will. Due to the nature of the sandbox, and the variation in these characters, your journey will likely involve things like epic shoot-outs (not just a high noon), supernatural powers, tearing enemies asunder, blowing things up, robbing stores, killing zombies, fleeing from bears, digging up graves… all the good stuff.
You’re the king/queen of the sandbox – and it’s glorious.
Life in the Weird West
Weird West is an immersive sim, but it also has fairly deep RPG mechanics. You don’t quite level up, but you do unlock both Abilities and Perks; the former is specific to each character, and gives access to both character-specific abilities, like becoming invisible or making things burst into flames, and the latter (Perks) are playthrough-spanning unlocks that carry across all five journeys. Perks include things like more overall health, cheaper store prices, higher dynamite damage, things like that. Despite playing quite thoroughly over about 30 hours, I never fully maxed out Abilities nor Perks, so there’s quite a lot to uncover here.
Beyond that, you also have to worry about your equipment. As you can see in the screenshot below, you’re able to equip five different types of weapons, including ranged, silenced, and melee, as well as a piece of armour and two amulets. The amulets provide various bonuses, while equipment makes you stronger and more resilient.
Weapons and armour can also be upgraded, and you’ve got a few ways to approach this. If you’re the lawful type, you’ll need to gather various types of materials, either by mining, hunting or looting enemies and/or the environment. These materials can then be used to upgrade things yourself. You could also simply wait for better equipment to present itself to you, if you’re the more patient type.
If you’re willing to bend the law a little (it’s only illegal if you’re caught, right?), you could either take someone out and steal their stuff, or you could pass the time until nightfall, sneak into a store, and rob them blind. Sometimes that epic revolver is simply too expensive, after all. Should you decide to take the more lawless path, just make sure you stay away from prying eyes – unless you want to end up in a firefight, or risk your reputation, the latter of which will directly influence how the world reacts to you.
Pro tip: If you want to steal some goodies from a crate that’s within eyesight of someone, just pick up the crate, move it to a dark corner, and loot away. Thank me later.
Anything goes
Perhaps the absolutely coolest thing about Weird West is how everything plays together. I’ve called it a sandbox a few times, but I should probably provide a few more examples of what that means, exactly. The most basic example of this is how you can approach a situation however you want. You can go guns blazing or complete stealth – or even do the entire game without killing if you want. Even something as simple as deciding whether you approach a situation during the day or the night can change things considerably.
Now, let’s look at some of the more intricate things you can do. Is the explosive barrel too far away from enemies to make a proper impact? Simply kick it over to them and watch it go boom. Want an even bigger explosion? Kick, throw or carry over an oil barrel first, cover the area (and maybe even the enemies) in oil, and then enjoy the show. Just make sure you’re not covered in oil too, just in case.
You can also turn your arrows into elemental arrows, for instance. Simply by being close to fire or poison from pretty much any source, your arrows will turn into that element, which makes them way more lethal. One of the characters is also able to create a small tornado, so now imagine combining that tornado with either an element, or maybe some of those explosive barrels, or both, and then send it in the direction of some enemies. Once everything’s airborne, take your shot and watch the fireworks.
Honestly, I was completely sold on this sandbox about two minutes into my playthrough. The very first thing I ever picked up in this game was a lantern, but when I completely failed to put it down, but instead dropped it on the floor, half my house caught fire – and even the chickens outside died and got turned into edible barbeque chicken, which healed me.
The developer set out to make a game where any time you wonder “Is that possible?”, the answer should be “Yes” – and in a lot of ways, they’ve succeeded in just that. It’s really satisfying to play as a result and after your first playthrough, the possibilities encourage you to do it all again, but in a different way – just to see what happens next.
The Weird West awaits
Weird West is an absolute blast to play. While I wish it had a few more random event types and locations, there’s just so much great stuff here that you’re bound to have fun for dozens of hours. I’ve played it for 30 hours so far myself, but as I’m not yet finished with the ever-alluring platinum trophy, my time in the Weird West isn’t over just yet. This is an easy recommendation and one of my favourite games of 2022 so far.
WolfEye Studios have also confirmed both free and paid additional content coming to Weird West in the future, so the sandbox will only get bigger and more interesting from here. Best saddle up, partner!
-K.A. Pedersen
