Blood West Review | Gun-slinging Goodness (PC)

Blood West is an interesting fusion of the horror genre meeting the Southern Gothic aesthetic. Using aspects of zombies, eldritch horrors, and simple survival mechanics it grows on you with every spirit token. Throughout your journey into these dead lands of dust of decay, you’ll be tethered to the unending cycle of cursed undeath. In doing so, you must face the horrors and plights of a culture foreign to your own, yet somehow familiar. You are the ace in the hole of the shaman, but beyond that, you are a revenant, a spirit cursed to roam the lands of the living.

So will you walk the path of the gunslinger, the hunter, or the warrior? Every archetype, every item has its place in this strange puzzle, and it’s up to you to piece together your chosen arsenal. However, in being exempt from death, you should avoid it at all costs. Every time you fall, a new flaw arises if you are unable to pass the ferryman his coin. So use stealth, strategy, and daring will to overcome your enemies, and enter the world of Blood West! After all, if the charming world and lore don’t get you kicked into gear, then maybe the unique weapon and upgrade systems will.

Blood West is available on Steam for 24.99 today!

A Story Of Survival

Blood West is jam-packed with lore and a story that tells of a world plagued by occultic powers. Bound through the forces of dark magic, your character is a slave of undeath to fix this cruel place. Though you may not escape its clutches, you can fight back with a series of weapons and abilities at your disposal. Mixing one part magic and one part history, the world you get creates a scene where you truly can make a difference. Often the firearms and weapons you’re given in a game are bad at defending against these evil threats. However, in Blood West, you truly have the power to make a difference through the tools you bring to the battlefield.

More than anything, Blood West does a good job of giving the narrative of a world bent by evil forces. The monsters resemble humans and the stories told are that of sadness and misfortune. Despite this, there is a systematic awareness that these same drifts of sadness created the scenes we are now seeing. And in that’s you are left with an overwhelming sense of dread for the world that presented to you. Unfortunately, the best you can do is put down the monsters that have been created because of the folly of others. Keeping that in mind at its most basic root you are an undead cowboy trying to save the land you come from by killing the monsters that lurk.

A Mix Of Survival and Horror Gameplay

A lot is going on behind the surface of Blood West that makes this game especially fun. For one it has a lot of survival aspects such as noise meters, inventory management, and stealth-based movement. Additionally, you have horror mechanics that stem from fear, monsters, and unexpected abilities. Beyond this, you have a level of rogue-like excitement through the ability to constantly gain curses through dying. This means you aren’t simply restarting from the level you died at but getting progressively more damaging debuffs as you go.

The Trader, Jim.

In this, you are presented with a fair amount of challenge as the player. By no extension of the word is Blood West an easy game. However, it is a satisfying one as the puzzles and rewards for them prove to be worthwhile. When you kill something powerful you stand a good chance of gaining something good for it. This creates a level of player respect that a lot of roguelikes and horror games don’t have for their audience. it’s something that can’t be stressed enough as Blood West goes above and beyond the mark of challenging reward. 

Simplistic and Driving Graphics

While playing through Blood West, it’s clear not a lot of emphasis was put on stunning graphics that’d wow the player. Instead, they go the perfectly valid route of focusing on making what they have told the story better. In doing so, this creates an atmosphere that fits the Wild West and Southern Gothic vibe. Of course, throughout this experience of different art styles, you’ll see a touch of handmade charm. From the design of skulls to the making of weapons and NPCs. It’s clear that those who designed this game knew they had a space to work with, and did so to its maximum effect.

The color and lighting are impacted greatly by the setting that they rest in. As a horror game set in the Wild West, you should be prepared for a lot of darkness set along greys and browns. Everything is decaying and breaking apart but through it, the evidence of life remains. All the places you traverse through will feel somewhat twisted from their true self, and this is widely by design. You’re walking in a dead world, and you alone are the force to lay it to rest once and for all.

Acid Spitters

Decent Audio Quality

Blood West has a good-quality set of special effects and soundboarding on most of the characters. It could be said that a lot of them follow tropes that are a little drawn out. Otherwise, you’ll be treated to the stereotypical spaghetti Western aesthetic. The gun mechanics and monster sounds are akin to anything else you may find in a horror game. In that regard, there’s nothing groundbreaking about this game’s sound. It follows the story well and goes the safest route possible when doing so. 

Music in Blood West is probably the best part of the sound itself. Having a constant blend of Southern Gothic guitar music mixed with cowboy vibes. It’s very clear that when designing this game they wanted the music to work with the suspenseful nature of the game. Offering moments of horror along with moments of hope with each item and monster you encounter. To maximize the experience with this musical number though, the developers have taken time to match the music to the solemn atmosphere around it. Therefore it’s more relatable to titles that are in the dystopian genre in that regard where the music helps the ambience heavily.

Blood West was played on PC via a key given to us by Evolve PR, thank you!