After being pushed pack from its original January 11 release date, players will finally be able to get their hands on Weird West next week when it launches on March 31st. Developed by WolfEye Studios and published by Devolver Digital, the top-down isometric action RPG was delayed after its closed beta made the developers think the game wasn't quite ready and need a few extra tweaks before it hit the shelves. First announced in 2019 by Former Dishonored developer Raphael Colantonio, Weird West garnered interest from fans of Colantonio's previous work and players who were drawn to the game's Western influences.
But Weird West isn't just a cowboy RPG. Players may be in for a bit of a surprise if they pick up the game without a little prior knowledge of what they will be in for, so there are a few things they might want to know before they get started. From its darker tone and creepy settings to its interesting collection of characters that include pig-human hybrids, players should strap in for a very bizarre ride indeed.
Weird West Genre
Players may not know that this game from WolfEye Studios and the co-creator of Dishonored shares the name of the genre it's inspired by. Weird West (or Weird Western) tales encompass a whole manner of strange stories that combine typical Western tropes (think saloons, horse-riding heroes, and grumpy gunslingers) with more fantastical and/or supernatural elements. The Weird West genre can include aspects from science fiction, horror, and fantasy, mixing traditional cowboy characters with ghosts, ghouls, and demons.
In addition to the blending of genres, Weird West mixes several mechanics together, with action, RPG, and immersive sim features seen. Players control a collection of characters as they contend with life on the American frontier, as well as a host of supernatural elements. There will be monsters, pigmen, sirens, werewolves, stumbling corpses, and plenty of bodies to bury as gamers play through the narrative as five bounty hunters. Each playable character has their own motivations, abilities, and tales of woe, and their stories intertwine more and more as the narrative of Weird West progresses. While there is a set plot for players to unravel, decisions in dialogue and the actions they take will also have a role in how Weird West plays out.
Getting To Grips With The Game
Weird West presents a unique version of a world that players may think they know, adding magic, monsters, and unexpected mayhem to the Wild West. As an RPG, Weird West lets players level up their five characters and expand their abilities as they work through the healthy array of different quests and mysteries to solve. Exploration is very much the name of the game, and Weird West is full of frontier towns, underground caves, hidden oases, and mining outposts to discover. Players can even fast travel to areas of the map they've yet to unlock, helping gamers get around the world of Weird West with ease.
The game is full of interactive elements that make combat dynamic and flexible. Players can choose to shoot enemies with some good old-fashioned gunplay, or they can switch it up by targeting a box of ammo to cause an explosion or setting fire to areas of the environment to take out foes. However, players need to think about how they play carefully, as their actions are permanent and cannot be reversed if they respawn. Not only that, but NPCs will remember a player's actions, meaning that decisions have irreversible consequences. This extends to the player and the companions that might aid them on their various quests, as Weird West's permadeath feature means if someone dies, there's no bringing them back.
As players explore more of the game, quests will open up for them to pursue alongside the main narrative. Exploration is rewarded, but gamers should beware, as there are dangers literally lurking around every corner and potential ambushes along the shadowy roads. Thanks to Weird West's delay the fluid gameplay should be even slicker, and players should have plenty of reasons to jump into this dark, dangerous, and decidedly weird world.
Weird West is set to launch on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on March 31st, 2022.