Strange Scaffold has developed bizarre gaming experiences with even more eccentric titles, such as An Airport For Aliens Currently Run By Dogs or Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator. El Paso, Elsewhere, rather, is the newly announced indie game from Strange Scaffold and looks to be familiar to fans of early action-shooter games.
El Paso, Elsewhere's announcement trailer spins supernatural occurrences and creatures into fairly recognizable gameplay mechanics in a neo-noir atmosphere. The game's unassuming and stoic protagonist mirrors that of several action-shooters and may perhaps introduce a new video game action hero with El Paso, Elsewhere. Strange Scaffold states that the game revolves around the player battling "werewolves and vampires in a reality-shifting motel."
El Paso, Elsewhere's announcement trailer montages surreal environments and a gun-totting protagonist who narrates briefly about his whereabouts and the situation throughout. Strange Scaffold notes that the game is a "love letter" and homages to classic third-person shooters. El Paso, Elsewhere's visual aesthetic is most similar to the original Max Payne with a polygonal style that represents classic PlayStation and PlayStation 2 titles. With action-shooter combat reminiscent of Max Payne as its centerpiece gameplay, fans can expect a lot of gunfire, explosions, and death in El Paso, Elsewhere.
The character can be seen firing handguns and shotguns upon demonic creatures in what appears to be slow-motion bullet-time. As such, players are capable of leaping mid-air or sliding along surfaces while firing dual pistols in slow-motion. Many third-person shooters other than Max Payne have also ascertained a slow-motion gunplay system, such as the nearly identical mechanics implemented when using Tequila Time in John Woo's Stranglehold or Focus in Enter the Matrix.
However, instead of a gritty detective noir, El Paso, Elsewhere looks to be tackling a narrative more comparable to Constantine or Doom. Not much is detailed in terms of El Paso, Elsewhere's neo-noir story besides the narrative's cryptic mentions of a particular woman. The mystery around the game's story therefore seemingly centers on the unidentified protagonist's purpose in the paranormal motel with a "villain you loved" perhaps being the narrative's climax.
Unlike Max Payne being a detective, it is uncertain whether El Paso, Elsewhere's protagonist is indeed involved in law enforcement. The announcement trailer does not reveal a launch date, but it does invite fans to Wishlist the game on Steam. El Paso, Elsewhere's Steam store page also lists the game's release window as 2022. Until then, players may look forward to lobbing holy flame molotovs, diving through destructible objects, and firing guns with classic bullet-time physics.
El Paso, Elsewhere is currently slated for release in 2022.