West of Dead Reviews
West of Dead isn't going to win any originality contests, but it knows how to draw with the best of them and it's quick enough to hit you with six rounds of stylistic fun. Beneath the obvious comparisons, there's a game that plays out like a passionate high noon homage to the best of film, games and comic books.
West of Dead shakes up the roguelite formula with its fantastic cover system, but it's more than that. With the addition of Ron Pearlman voicing William Mason, a stylistic cel-shaded art style and a captivating story to uncover, West of Dead is a winning combination that will have you as happy as a pup with two tails.
Thanks to a moody atmosphere and precise mechanics, West of Dead perfectly wraps the tense feeling of cover shooting around a solid roguelike core.
If you pumped hours upon hours into Enter the Gungeon then chances are you'll find a similar grab in West of Dead, but be fair warned that there isn't as much polish here. If it helps, it is launching day one on Xbox Game Pass so if you have that you can try it as soon as it launches.
A run-of-the-mill procedural twin-stick roguelike that has a unique aesthetic and premise, but little else. Without more content, more variety, and more exciting unlockables, West of Dead is dead in the water. Or will remain in gaming purgatory. Either way, I have very little faith in West of Dead's future.
West of Dead offers a spectacular roguelike fused with isometric twin stick shooter with a pretty good and addictive gunplay that will make us play again and again. It has some graphic flaws that need to be polished, as well as a dubious system of dialogues that become boring, but that does not prevent us from enjoying its good intentions.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A fine balancing act of challenge and intrigue, with stabiliser wheels courtesy of Ron Perlman's voice.
West of Dead is a nice combination of roguelike ideas and twin stick shooter genre inside a weird west tale with some nice visuals narrated by the always great Ron Perlman.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Challenging yet rewarding, with some unique atmosphere and voice acting thrown into the mix.
West of Dead is a refreshing take on multiple genres. It's a great cover-based twin-stick shooter. It's a different kind of roguelite. And it's just a solid all-around action game that's a joy to play. It's highly challenging, and it rewards smart play, so what you ultimately get is a satisfying experience that's fun and invites you to put the time into learning its intricacies.
If you have Xbox Game Pass, it's worth checking out. Otherwise, rogue-lite fans should find something that they'll enjoy here.
West of Dead is constantly at odds with itself and, while that doesn’t make it a bad game, it does make it harder to love.
West of Dead is a great rogue-like bringing a really gloomy atmosphere that matches this cowboy’s journey through purgatory perfectly.
It's a shame. Put into a different, more traditional action game structure, West of Dead would be a satisfying RPG flavoured shooter with a truly inspired combination of gameplay mechanics. What's here offers plenty of great, timing driven moments, but when saddled with conventions of the genre it has chosen to adopt, it quickly becomes an exercise in frustration and simply doesn't hold up to the scrutiny.
For as trite as the roguelike genre might be at this point, West of Dead tries its best to take a different approach, whether it’s through its incredibly stylish presentation, or the way that it injects dual-stick shooting into the mix.
West of Dead has plenty of great gunplay and a fascinating setting, but be prepared to die over and over and put up with an unrelentingly unfriendly continue system.
West of Dead offers a satisfying blend of tactics and rogue-like gameplay that I didn’t expect. Levels offer plenty of options for how you want to approach a situation, the gunplay is fast and precise, and the execution of creating a wild west style shoot out is perfect. The game is dripping with personality and Ron Perlman delivers each word with purpose and meaning. Every aspect of gameplay and aesthetic is tailored to telling the story of Mason in a way that feels natural and unique. It’s a blast to play over and over again despite issues with the geometry interfering with aiming and dodging not quite feeling as useful as it ought to.
Upstream Arcade’s West of Dead is an impressive roguelike. With a solid twin-stick shooting system, West of Dead has a more than serviceable gameplay loop. However, the game is truly anchored by it’s incredible visuals and art design. Add on top of this an excellent voice performance and unique sense of worldbuilding, and you’ve got a roguelike formidable in any standoff.
West of Dead is full of style and brooding atmosphere, but the clunky controls and a lack of polish overshadow a few of its original ideas.