Hard West Review

“X-COM MEETS THE WILD WEST!” enthused every Hard West preview ever, and who am I to be any different? Hard West certainly does resemble Firaxis’ award-winning tactical shooter in its isometric battlefields and small-team combat scenarios, as well as its basic combat mechanic – two action points which can be used for movement or shooting – but that’s really about it.

The tale of Hard West is like a western if it was written by Johnny Cash, Nick Cave and Quentin Tarantino. Or should that be tales, because the main campaign is confusingly split into a series of different stories that can be played in a loosely-curated sequence, with prequels and sequels unlocking as you progress. Most of the time they’re stories of betrayal and fallen heroes, who surrender everything to the forces of evil and then get their just rewards.

Aside from the action scenes, pretty much all of these mini-campaigns features a map screen as well,

with their own mechanical subsystems that represent trying to raise money for a caper or managing a team of workers on an expedition into the mountains. I can honestly say it’s the first game I’ve ever played that has tasked me with learning hydraulic mining before shooting some gunslingers in the head with satanic bullets.

That said, the different non-combat sections usually feel a little weak sauce, and the characterisation of the heroes and their companions and enemies is barely there at all. It’s a little hard to really have an emotional reaction to a hero murdering someone he loves when that loved one hasn’t had a single line of dialogue at all. Sure, these NPCs are all characters you’ve got used to in the combat screens, but even then they don’t really have anything to say. A little more world-building (many of the towns you visit are called ‘Town’) and a touch more character development would have gone a really, really long way to make Hard West stay with you. 

It's old, and it's the west.

And that’s probably the biggest problem. Campaigns are all short and, once complete, all bonus stuff and power ups are lost before the next chapter. The map screens don’t add anything near as much to the game as X-COM’s world map, base building and R&D systems did. Ultimately, I found myself never really giving it a second thought in between play sessions.

The combat itself is okay, and there is the right number of weapons and skills to keep you interested without overloading. Real-world weapon statistics are eschewed in favour of volcano pistols and sawn-off cobras. Handguns can be fanned for loads of inaccurate shots, and cover is a big deal if you want to survive. Skills are awarded at set times during a campaign in the form of playing cards, which can be combined into poker hands for each character for further benefits. Battles take place over multiple levels of elevation, so you can have a rootin’ tootin’ gunslinger up on the balcony sniping at desperadoes while your up close and personal shotgun-waving preacher man creeps through the streets to put holes in the enemy boss man. Or something like that.

Graphically, well, you get what you pay for. There’s little in the way of animation beyond walking and shooting (there’s no player melee), and sprites are uninspired. Level design is fine if unspectacular, and after the fiftieth small town shoot-out it can feel a little thin.

Occasionally, Hard West does something unexpected and novel. For instance, there’s an option for critical injuries to occur in battle – things like gushing wounds or cracked skulls. Here’s the thing – if you leave these injuries untreated for long enough, they become permanent, but change into (mostly) beneficial things. So your weird lame leg makes your dodging unpredictable so you’re harder to hit. Critical wounds can often be fixed on the map screen as well for a fistful of dollars. 

Where would we be without the faithful map screen, eh?

One thing that got me down was the lack of save points during a map, and the sometimes laborious stealthy intros, which might mean playing through the same moves, practically footstep for footstep, as some kind of weird punishment for dying right before the end of the level. This isn’t helped by the fact that outside of combat, none of the enemies ever move. Not a muscle. It’s strange. At the end of the day, a save feature might have made the game a bit easier, but it would've removed some of the frustration for me.

X-COM was a really great game, and Hard West is flattered by the resemblance. But when it comes down to it, there is nowhere near as much genius in it as there is in Firaxis’ predecessor. As a tactical shooter it’s fine, if simple, and the fairly gentle system requirements and low price point bring it back to the table a little. Lacking in obvious flair and with sub-games that often do little to add anything to the game besides unnecessary management, the gunfights still manage to keep Hard West from being a failure.