Hard West 2 Review: Not your usual Western-style X-COM clone

Both in the cinema and in the video game, the Western often manages to attract the attention of the general public, especially for the legendary works that have written its history. Impossible in this regard not to bring up the “Dollar Trilogy“by Sergio Leone or, to stay on the gaming theme, the Red Dead Redemption dyad (have you read our review of Red Dead Redemption 2?).

In both worlds the stories of tough men are told, ready to do anything to survive one more day but in Hard West 2, the children’s game of Ice Cold Games, to the more classic themes we must add an army of demons led by the devil in person. In what proved to be a difficult but also satisfying experience, we were called to explore the farthest corners of the Wild West in search of our soul and now we can finally reveal how it went.

For a handful of souls

Hard West 2 is what we might call an X-COM-like. An isometric turn-based strategy that will put you in command of characters with unique abilities against increasingly powerful enemies. Firaxis Games game lovers (by the way, here is our review of X-COM 2) in other words they will not struggle to appreciate this adventure, which – while maintaining the peculiar characteristics of the genre – offers a really interesting mix of gameplay mechanics.

Our journey begins in a dark fantasy world in the company of Gin Carter and his posse made up of three other outcasts ready to storm a train full of riches. The group of outlaws conquer the wagons of the vehicle but suddenly something strange emerges from the depths of the earth: insectoid legs come out of the train due to Mammonthe Devil, who is ready to collect the spirit of the individuals under our command.

The protagonist of the story decides to challenge the emperor of the underworld to poker but, needless to say, he can do nothing against him and his tricks. In short, the game is lost and the price to pay is high: Jin Carter and his soul lose, while a member of the quartet disappears completely.

Between monsters, undead, demons and the Old West, the combination of Western and Dark Fantasy has proved effective to say the least, thanks also to the excellent supporting actors and a certain emphasis on what is a pleasant narrative sector. The plot events in this regard are presented with cutscenes based on images in sequence, with the game offering long texts designed to describe sensations, scenarios and events in detail, in an adventure that will be able to entertain you for 15- 20 hours.

Side activities and allies

Hard West 2 is characterized by greater freedom of movement than other similar productions and its predecessor. The gang of gunslingers will move freely around the map thanks to an overhead view, so as to venture into the mysterious and dark lands of this Far West corrupted by chaos. During the exploration, limited and never dispersed, we will come across mysteries, secondary missions and dungeons full of dangers and, consequently, clashes

The side tasks were not particularly complex: in most cases we had to search and deliver an object or perform an action with a partner. Basically, they turned out to be anything but exciting and unable to remove the shadow of repetitiveness. In addition, Hard West 2 makes available numerous key choices to make in the middle of the dialogues, which certainly provide a touch of variety to the journey of the criminals: in some situations you can solve everything with diplomacy and in others with a good and classic dose of lead … but in both cases there will be consequences. Given the presence of a basic relationship management system, some decisions taken will improve relations with the members of the brigade, so as to allow you to perform exclusive actions or unlock devastating skills.

During the adventure, our party will host new characters, all with unique characteristics and talents. Flynn, for example, it is closely linked to the occult and can replace itself with friends or opponents by creating a dark portal. In the first case he will be able to save a member of the posse from a difficult situation, while in the second he can bring an enemy into line of fire, so as to maximize the effectiveness of the offensive.

Lazarus instead he is a reverend who has the power to nullify the status effects inflicted by opponents and essentially serves as a useful support character, while Old Man Bill he is a legendary gunslinger who, after coming back to life, will decide to join our team from the very beginning: his ability allows him to hit the ugly thugs around him, with a slow but lethal discharge of lead. Trying the various combinations of active members can be useful for creating ad hoc strategies. Using the respective talents of the protagonists to mow down enemies without restraint is not the best way to use them, as it will take careful planning to triumph in battle.

In Hard West 2 it is not possible to know in advance the opponents who will stand in front of each other at the beginning of each fight, consequently the strategy must be remodeled in the middle of the action, a characteristic that certainly increases in a somewhat artificial way the difficulty, in an already difficult basic experience, where three hits are enough to see one of the villains at the center of the story pass to a better life. In short, well thought out plans are important, as are the inevitable and healthy doses of luck (on the other hand this applies to all RNG-based games).

Speaking of luck, in Hard West 2 it is a real feature of the gameplay and will accumulate during the fight, only to be exhausted when the creatures have been killed. Whenever a character is hit, or fails to hit an enemy, she will gain some Luck to spend to increase the chance that his attacks will hit. Certainly it is a gimmick that increases the stratification of the battles and that manages, albeit partially, to oppose the high level of challenge of the game.

We also point out the possibility of equipping our men with better, consumable weapons (such as sticks of dynamite or bandages to cure status effects) and “Trinkets“, special items that will grant bonus effects to posse members. That’s not all, because Hard West 2 has a fantastic skill upgrade system that fits perfectly with the setting and genre: the”Deck of Torment“.

Both in the exploratory phases and through the fulfillment of secondary objectives in the fights, you can win poker cards all to be collected in a special menu. At this point we will be able to assign up to five to each character who, depending on the combination of cards, will have access to improvements in skills and statistics. We greatly appreciated this upgrade system, above all because on the scenographic front it fits perfectly with the tones of the production.

The Bravado, the rebound and the bad guy

The latest effort by Ice Cold Games boasts new mechanics for the genre, starting with Bravadowhich will allow you to reload action points every time an opponent takes their last breath.

In a nutshell, following the death of an enemy it will be possible to continue to move the one who sent him to the cemetery, so as to give life to devastating combinations with party members. This is a really great addition, as well as a lot of fun, which sometimes opens up to some real gunfighting. Another strategic factor within the production is the presence of rebound shots. In the maps there will be objects that can bounce our bullets, allowing us to hit our opponents even if they are sheltered or distant. Obviously, this mechanic cannot be abused, as the elements of the scenarios break if “used” too many times. The chances of hitting a bad thug, however, increase by resorting to Fortune, your lifesaver in the most hectic situations. While these new additions may seem like simplifications, they actually allow users to “breathe” in an action that is often difficult and punitive. It is then impossible not to bring up the ride, which at certain predetermined times allows us to move and shoot opponents. riding our horse trusty.

Once Upon a Time in the West

As for the technical aspect, Hard West 2 does not particularly stand out compared to other similar productions but it does boast one solid visual presentation. The frame rate proved to be granitic in every type of game situation, while the length of the uploads sometimes seemed excessive and therefore capable of breaking the rhythm of the experience a little, especially in the most difficult phases and with an easy game over. We can only say praise for the backdrops and the texture sector, which has been cared for down to the smallest detail. The settings are well built but do not suffer the slightest damage from the explosion of dynamite sticks and the occurrence of other events of this type.

From an artistic point of view, however, the insiders were able to fully represent a gloomy and dark version of the Old West, perfectly blending the cinematic references to dark fantasy hues. For the sound, however, typically western sounds were preferred, to the delight of the ears of the fans. During our review we did not run into any errors or bugs, demonstrating the excellent work done by the developers on the polishing front. We also report the presence of an option for move game actions up to X4 speeda gem that will certainly please the fans of the genre.