Evil West — A New IP… But where is it Going?

Cowboys and Monsters in 2022

My computer is weak! I can’t run good games anymore, and each day that passes it becomes more and more obvious to me that I need to get a stronger PC. But I don’t have any money, so what do I do? Not something that my readers should be concerned with, because I somehow managed to get a high-end game to work on a slow-ass PC (mine, that is), and it’s called Evil West.

Evil West is a new IP which seems somewhat out-of-place in today’s market of sequels, prequels, and basically just any kind of adaptation. Nowadays there are just a ton of oddities that don’t seem to belong anywhere, and this game seems like a mixture of all kinds of themes. Those include cowboys, vampires, anachronistic technology, and a ton of manhood, among other semi-related themes.

It’s actually a decent game, and I enjoyed the gameplay up to a certain point. But much like most video games today, Evil West doesn’t do anything special or out of the ordinary to keep me engaged while I play. Not only that, but the game makes great effort at getting the player invested in its story, which doesn’t really seem distinct since it’s the same old plot as every other game. The gameplay was enjoyable for a while, and although I haven’t even collected all of the weapons yet, I’m already planning to drop it. And until I play the next game, this is what it’s like…

This game is about vampires… I think?

So, the moment I start the game, there’s already an attempt at trying to get me invested in the story, explaining a lot of the background and giving away a lot of exposition. It was something about cowboys in the 19th century, which isn’t too different from all those John Wayne movies, because cowboys come from the 19th century (or the 1800s, as some people would prefer). But this game makes it a tad more interesting by adding elements of anachronistic technology. Anyways, the game requires me to perform some kind of task (can’t really recall what that was), and I run around while trying to learn through the game’s tutorial, which explains how combat works while reminding the player about the plot’s importance.

Frankly, the gameplay was fun, as every move the player makes is important for keeping them alive. More so, it requires the player to pay attention to the surroundings, since that’s also part of the combat. However, even though the developers succeeded in making a distinct combat system where every move counts, and although it’s so spectacular I want to keep killing vampires in the game, it just feels like something that’s already been done before.

There’s also an issue with the lore. I had no idea what the hell happened during it, which is unusual given the game really wants the player to be invested in the story. On the first level, the story starts out with one of the characters that’s already retiring, and the protagonist, Jesse Rentier, being a progeny with daddy issues. The story doesn’t make it clear at first what exactly is going on. Eventually, the player realizes that the good guys are hunting vampires (not the most original idea), but then the story jumps straight into events from years prior, despite the fact it was talking about vampires just a moment ago. Anyways, the story is all over the place with this one and the themes are not entirely original, so there’s no sparkle either. All the while I’m wondering: Where are the women? Because, so far, I’ve seen only men. What is this? Lord of the Rings?

So yes, even though I only came across one female character, the lore in this game tries too hard. Though let me remind everyone that the gameplay was decent. I just wish it could have made more of an impact. Maybe then I wouldn’t have to drop the games so early. But it’s not just the quality of the game; I’m becoming too old for video games in general.

Have you been to the Evil West?

Much like the story in the game, I tried too hard, but with this subtitle and not an entire game’s story. Nevertheless, be sure to tell me what you think of the game… if you played it that is… and also if you haven’t. I mean, who cares who played what. So long as you have an opinion, that’s what matters.

In Conclusion…

Evil West is a decent game, but not one that people will remember in the forthcoming future… unless it gets a superior sequel or something.

If anything, I think Evil West should serve as an example of how new IPs look in today’s video game culture. I’m all for new IPs, but I also want them to be interesting.