Hard West Reviews
With a little bit more cohesion and fewer drastic system changes over the course of the campaigns, Hard West could have been amazing. Instead, it's merely quite good.
If you're hankering for a million ways to die in the west, I'd say this is worth a look.
There are a few missteps, like a lackluster tutorial stage and no real explanation of certain mechanics (I had to watch a YouTube video before I learned how to "Subdue" enemies), but the game is fun to play even if you fail a mission or two while learning. The graphics and music are solid, but nothing that will blow your mind.
Dysentery is the least of your concerns.
Getting into a fight in Hard West feels more like a subtle, silent standoff, waiting for your enemy to slip up… it definitely nails a kind of silent, nail biting tension that I think is definitely missing in most games
X-COM was a really great game, and Hard West is flattered by the resemblance. But when it comes down to it, there is nowhere near as much genius in it as there is in Firaxis' predecessor. As a tactical shooter it's fine, if simple, and the fairly gentle system requirements and low price point bring it back to the table a little. Lacking in obvious flair and with sub-games that often do little to add anything to the game besides unnecessary management, the gunfights still manage to keep Hard West from being a failure.
As much as the comparisons to XCOM don't tell the whole story of Hard West, it's probably fair to say that if you enjoy that brand of cautious run and gun, turn-based action, you'll probably be able to forgive Hard West its sins.
Hard West is a great example of a turn-based tactical strategy game that blends both the Old West and the supernatural together seamlessly. Though it's fairly derivative of games that we've already played, the intriguing way that the narrative plays itself out makes it worth a look, even for veterans.
Depending on the tactical depth you want to approach, the title can take dozens of hours to complete, so you do get a lot of content for what you pay. In the end, Hard West is a solid tactics game set in the wild west.
Hard West is a strategy game that enjoys exploring its Wild West theme. There are strategy elements both in the RPG story segments, as well as the turn-based combat, which keeps the player invested. Unfortunately, too much time is spent outside of the gun-fights, and the RPG elements quickly get repetitive, meaning they end up being more filler than fun.
The game is solid. It's not going to be legendary in any aspect, and has a few problems such as broken abilities, but is enjoyable all-around and nice to play. Effort was put in and it pays off in the form of actually feeling like its own unique title instead of just another rip-off even if the occasional flashback to fighting aliens happens.
Hard West is a good but limited game, and at its current price, it offers a solid set of mechanics for those who are twiddling their turn-based tactics thumbs while they wait for the sequel to XCOM to arrive next year.
It's hard to deny the charm and wonderful atmosphere which so warmly embraces this unique subgenre title. There are some good moments in Hard West, but the overworld struggles with lifeless text-based action and the gunfights lean more toward frustrating than tension-filled.
All things considered, for the price Hard West is a surprisingly competent tactical turn-based shooter than gets more right than it gets wrong...
It may not excel in anything, but the combination of atmosphere, tactical combat and character customization were enough to help with overlooking the unimpressive, muddy visuals, the unfairness which, at times, made me feel helpless and its limited save system.
Hard West shows us how well XCOM would do in the Wild West, but it also knows how to stamp a stamp of its own with some mechanics such as luck and special abilities, and a powerful plot weight with decisions of negligible effects. All seasoned with gore, death, arcane rites, devil worship, and other paraphernalia that we did not expect to see in this setting but that in the end it looks good. It can fall into repeatability due to an AI with a lot of resources, and the management parts end up getting in the way, but it is still a highly recommended game if you like strategy and English is not a problem.
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