WEST OF DEAD
WEST OF DEAD Passing through the pearly saloon doors
Ron Perlman voicing the inner monologue of our dead, flaming-skulled western hero William Mason isn’t the only thing reminiscent of Hellboy in West Of Dead. Heavy use of solid blacks and bold slabs of colour create a comic-book look that draws on Hellboy creator Mike Mignola’s style. Visually, West Of Dead is one of the most striking roguelikes we’ve played, and one of the slickest.
The game’s set in 1888, when Mason finds himself without memory in Purgatory, a maze of halls that shape themselves around the cultures and beliefs of those who pass through. Presumably in life Mason was something of a cowboy, as every time he dies he wakes in the same location: a bar. After each failed run in the procedurally generated labyrinth, you can talk to the quiet bartender to receive advice and additional bits of lore.
THINK FAST
Controlling the action in a twin-stick fashion, after you’ve aimed you can fire either of your dualwielded weapons with p and i. Some guns, like rifles, have considerable range and require you to hold and release, your accuracy increasing over time; others, like revolvers, fire continuously until they’re out of bullets. Each gun feels different to handle, and later weapons offer debuffs that can, for instance, freeze or bleed an enemy. Ammo is endless but you do have to factor in a reload time for your guns, which speeds up considerably if you’re hiding behind cover (though after too many enemy shots your defences will crumble and leave you vulnerable).
You’re constantly pushed to keep moving, especially when you come up against stronger enemies, and you’ll need to use all of the guns and abilities you find during your run to come out on top. You can switch on hanging lanterns to stun nearby enemies and provide temporary respite, but you always need to be forming new, quick plans.
As you progress deeper into the darkness, between floors you can top up your health from the bartender and trade sin dropped by enemies with a witch to unlock permanent new possible drops or upgrade your health canteen. Like the way you can increase your stats on a per-run basis, it’s a system straight out of Dead Cells, but the fast-paced, twin-stick, coverbased shooting feels very fresh for a roguelike, and its slickness and tone could make it one of our favourites.