West of Dead (Xbox One) Review
Release Date: June 18, 2020
Publisher/Developer: Raw Fury
Platform: Xbox One (reviewed), PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Steam
Price: $19.99
William Mason didn’t expect this at death. Instead of a bright light or a descent into nothingness, he finds himself in Purgatory, Wyoming. He remembers nothing but a figure cloaked in black, and the desire for revenge. What follows is enveloped in the scent of blood and gunsmoke.
West of Dead is a unique combination of third person cover action, twin-stick shooter, and a roguelike. It feels like a Dead Cells game set in a 3D environment as you battle the denizens of the underworld in randomly generated environments. Successfully taking down enemies as you hide behind cover, you discover passages to new arenas that branch as you learn permanent abilities that allow you to go further every time. Mason reminds me of Dead Cells’ hero as well, as he has a flaming skull head and an insatiable desire to blow stuff up. He’s perfectly voiced by Ron Perlman. It sounds like a criticism to say it sounds like Perlman “phoned it in,” but I intend the exact opposite. The lack of caring in the voice and monotone emotions sound like he’s telling a tale to someone ten years later that he’s told a thousand times over a glass of whisky. It is the perfect way to tell the story, complete with a twangy western soundtrack that dynamically rocks out when finding new enemies.
The game suffers from the same issues you find in most roguelikes. Randomization means your first run may be insanely difficult if you’re stuck with wimpy weapons and hit a room chock full of difficult enemies. You always have to go into games like this giving them a few chances, and realizing you WILL see that first level a LOT. There are a couple collectibles you get as you play, though I can’t figure out at the beginning what exactly causes each to spawn, I seem to get a certain amount after taking out enemies. Officially finding the exit to a level lands you in a rest area where you can put these collectibles towards permanent upgrades. Once you start unlocking these permanent upgrades and getting the groove of the game down, it gets a lot easier to see new levels. And while Ron Perlman’s voice acting is great, that same randomization means I would occasionally hear the same quip two times in a row.
Those are traditional rougelike issues that fans of the genre are used to, however there are a few issues that I hope get fixed as time goes on. It’s a twin-stick shooter, so that leaves no stick to manage the camera. Also, there is a bit of aim assist, but from what I can tell it likes to home in on what it determines is the biggest threat. I might walk into a room and have an enemy sniping me from across the room, so I back out. Melee enemies follow me into the next room. I try to shoot them, but the crosshairs are stuck on the gunner still in the other room. I have to back way down the hallway before I’m allowed to freely aim at the monster in my face.
Right now, these issues can be overlooked thanks to the slick presentation. The black, white, and red cel shading looks great, and once you get combat down you’ll be sliding across cover to duck down then rally back with your own volley of bullets. Your weapons are all ballistic in nature, but each type of weapon is unique, from scattershots to automatic weapons of death. Even if you’re seeing that first level a lot, the randomization of the levels and what you find in them guarantees different experiences each time.
Pros:
-Ron Perlman’s excellent and well-fitting dialogue
-Art style, music and presentation are very well done
-Variety of weapons keeps roguelike levels interesting
Cons:
-Would appreciate some camera control
-Auto-aim sometimes will not allow you to shoot where you want
-Having to “turn on” lights in a room to hit an enemy who can already shoot at you
Special thanks to Raw Fury for providing a code for review!