West of Dead Reviews
West of Dead does most things right as far as roguelites go. The random nature of almost every element of every run can cause some large difficulty spikes, but the overall difficulty evens out in the end. The premise works fine even if it means having to hear it countless times over multiple runs, and while the measured combat feels fresh for a Western, the zoomed-out camera angle doesn't help you appreciate it. Overall, West of Dead is a solid roguelike for those who aren't burned out on the genre yet.
While West of Dead makes only a fleeting pass at innovation, it is still enjoyable for a time and does a great job of nailing a sense of personality that will resonate with fans of the good ol' Western. It's only avid rogue-like players, though, that will find much here to keep themselves invested. The repetition in the core gameplay quickly saps it of its charm, in turn requiring a concerted effort to see this title through to the bitter end.
West of Dead has a great premise and manages to deliver a fun combat that certainly has its layers. As any good roguelike, you must master the mechanics of the game and go through a good number of runs before you can expect any success. However, there is a feeling of lack of polish thanks to some poor game design choices that prevents the experience from being truly memorable.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Overall, the game itself is smooth enough to play but not unique or different enough to keep me engaged compared to other games in the genre.
West of Dead adds enough new elements to an overdone genre to keep things interesting and the visual design is truly stunning. If it had more to offer in terms of exploration and map size along with some more enemies to shoot, this would be even better.
Overall I'd still encourage people to get West of Dead. It would be one of the most enjoyable roguelike games I have played in a long time, and if those little niggly issues are ironed out then I think a lot of people are going to enjoy the challenge and story of this really cool game.
While there are many roguelike shooters on the Switch (and quite a few of them are absolutely terrific) none of them plays quite like West of Dead...
West of Dead is a game that conceivably had a lot of potential. However, on PlayStation 4 at least, the game is far too broken in vital areas to ever let players discover whether there was any substance to back up its undeniable style.
While the game’s style is like a Homeric epic seen through the panel of a comic book, the soundtrack of melancholic twanging guitar complicates the theme to something new and unexpected, a kind of undead western. It’s slickly compelling stuff, if repetitive after a few hours and, invariably, punitive.
With all bugs fixed, West of Dead could be a frustratingly motivating game for fans of the genre and procedurally generated games.
Review in German | Read full review
A furiously stylish roguelike gothic western that blends genres with deft and aplomb, West of Dead is a resoundingly enjoyable offering that makes picking yourself up and dusting yourself off after every death a ravenously compelling proposition.
Overall, West of Dead is a really neat Twin-Stick Shooter style and I look forward to hopefully seeing more of it in the future.
West of Dead on Xbox One is a beautiful and entertaining western shooter that you'll probably enjoy playing it if you are into roguelikes. The game doesn't waste its potentials when it comes to gameplay mechanics, however, unbalanced and unrewarding level design are major issues that the game suffers from.
West of Dead reminds me of Dark Souls a little bit in that it made me feel like I was leveling up my own ability to play the game, rather than just leveling up a stat and then all of a sudden being able to stomp. I haven’t really played many roguelike games, but if this is what they can be like, then sign me up. I loved the fact that every level was procedurally generated and thus different every time I entered it. This is especially good because you will (likely) die a lot, and when you die you have to go back to the beginning. You get to keep any upgrades you’ve unlocked, like the health potion, but any guns, buffs, and items you had must be re-collected throughout the levels. The point: after dying a lot, it’s nice to start back at the beginning and basically be playing a whole new game again. I would highly recommend this game to anyone, even if you’re not a fan of the genre. I honestly wouldn’t have counted myself among the fans of the genre and probably wouldn’t have gone out of my way to pick this one up. BUT, I would have missed out on a truly amazing game that is worth a purchase and worth a play. So no matter who you are, consider giving this one a go. It comes out on the Switch on August 5th, don’t let it pass you by. Raw Fury knows what they’re doing when they publish a game, after all.
Though there's fun to be had with West of Dead, cruel difficulty spikes, bugs, and unruly aiming prevent the game from achieving greatness.
West of Dead is a difficult but deeply satisfying twin-stick shooter with a unique cover-based twist and a strong performance from Ron Perlman.
West of Dead isn’t without its standoff moments of frustration, but a squint of the eye and a sweat-bead zero-flinch will see you standing tall post-Purgatory call out.
West of Dead provides an adequate challenge set across an intriguing premise.
It’s just a shame that the game is undeniably clunky. The PC port is pretty poor in terms of controls, and there really isn’t any reason why it should be. With some improvements here and there, West of Dead could become a really good entry to the roguelite genre. I still had enough fun to recommend it, just be prepared for some janky controls and mechanics here and there.
West of Dead is a really enjoyable game that hooks you with its combat. While the idea of starting all over again can be a brutal punishment, particularly when you’ve found yourself nicely upgraded and powerful, the game is fun enough for it to not detract from your enjoyment too much.