Gaming covers all manner of weird and wonderful horror topics, from zombies to gigantic demi-gods of the cosmic beyond, and My Little Pony! But vampires haven't got much love in recent years, with Soul Reaver being one of the most vital games with the theme of nocturnal bloodsuckers (I’m not counting 2007’s Vampire Rain – holy hell, no!). And gothic horror has been too comfortable in the shoes of Cthulhu-themed ventures, usually with old creepy mansions, or castles. But Evil West is setting to shake things up, with a fantastic and disturbing take on the old west, infested with not only vampires but other gruesome monsters and a dark story set on the end of days at the hands of a sinister vampire child.
Does this latest action-packed western-themed adventure from the same studio that brought us the Shadow Warrior reboot fire on all cylinders? Or should it be left out for the vultures?
What is Evil West? 
Evil West combines Westerns, Gothic Horror, and immense, over-the-top action. Brought to us by Flying Wild Hog, Evil West is set within a dark and twisted version of the old Frontier, bathed in darkness and blood, and festering with all manner of disgusting beasts and ghouls. But standing against the armies of darkness, is The Rentier Institute, a government-funded organisation dealing with the fiercely supernatural, with brute force, vast knowledge, and advanced weaponry and gear that will burn, blast, and tear any monster apart.
Players take on the role of Jessie Rentier, a top-tier killer of the monster hunting institute, and the son of its founding father. Everything appears to be going swimmingly well for Jessie, with the kill of a high ranking, and highly powerful vampire lord under his belt. But soon after this glorious victory comes a devastating attack on the institute, leaving most dead and the HQ burned to the ground. Jessie is one of the last remaining agents alive, and it’s only a matter of time before the forces of evil consume the old west and expand their bloodlust across the Earth.
With whatever few resources at his disposal, along with a few remaining members of the institute left alive, Jessie will embark on a tirade of blood, fire, and explosions to hunt down and kill those responsible for the destruction of his family’s legacy.
Old West, meets Gothic Horror 
So, I will come right out and say that Evil West’s story is not the highlight of the game and sits comfortably behind that of the immense gameplay loop. This won’t win any awards, but that’s not the point, and there are some neat dynamics, cool characters and above all the world-building is freaking phenomenal.
Jessie’s venture through the dark old west can be summed up with, go here, kill bad guys, collect items, and move forward, with some dramatic story beats thrown in. There are some thematic elements and character developments to tide over the string of death and carnage, but these do feel like story beats thrown in to avoid the plot feeling like a cardboard cut-out. And for what’s it worth, they’re fine and serve up some interesting bits of conflict to complicate matters for our blood-soaked cowboy.
The cast of characters is superb, with some good chemistry, a good selection of backstories and distinct looks that they’re quite memorable in their own way (plus the voice actors do a bang-up job). Nothing Shakespearean, but Evil West has some good storytelling beats and character moments which made me chuckle, and root for them overall. Plus, they’re that typical 2008 Xbox 360 era of rough, tough, and badass which is cool to see again.
But what Evil West excels at is its presentation, and holy Hell there is some beautiful stuff in here. While this is not the greatest-looking game technically, the art style and design just thrive and conquer the screen. Visually breathtaking with jaw-dropping landscapes, immense gothic vibes and striking use of colour making it seem Nicholas Ralf Winding took the helm of cinematography. And the cutscenes are really darn beautiful!
At most points in the game, I would just soak up the dark western vibes and really be amazed and surprised why we don’t get more games like this nowadays. Yet there were some things which did feel a little dated such as some interior areas feeling a little empty in Jessie’s base of operations, or some NPC would feel very static. Yet compared to the rest of the world, these issues meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. And the performance was overall good and stable.
When Clint Eastwood meets the Doom Slayer 
While playing Evil West I got strong vibes of classic games such as Gears of War, DOOM Eternal and Red Dead Revolver (Not Redemption). That splendid combination of old meets new, simple yet highly rewarding and enthralling gameplay, mixed with the weird, the evil and the beautiful.
Evil West has a simple, yet refined and super engaging gameplay loop, where you venture through various western-inspired hellholes, killing monsters, finding secret loot, and usually hunting some item of incredible power. It’s a good solid structure that breaks up intense combat, with rewarding exploration and while there aren’t many puzzles to break everything up, there is a good deal of loot hunting to do.
What thrilled me the most with Evil West was the amount of variety it offered in level design, enemy types and the tools to dispatch foes with. The old West is filled with danger and darkness, and at every turn is something new and utterly terrifying to deal with. As you slay creatures of the night and take out their most important resources, you will become ever more powerful, and become the ultimate hunter, ready to take on the lord of darkness.
Evil West’s world is darkly beautiful and immensely varied, taking players across rotten swamplands, underground demonic temples, snow-covered mining towns and ghost towns which have more than just ghostly visitors. The number of places you’ll go to for killing ghouls and treasure hunting is exceptional, and I loved the presentation and rich, intense atmosphere these creepy, lavish frontier locations brought.
And the only things to match the variety of levels are the monsters and those weapons you be using to send them back to Heck! Evil West gives an impressive amount of choice for firearms and blunt instruments of death, with every gun and gadget having a sense of purpose, and an immense impact when used at the right moment. The focus is on melee front and centre, with players being able to pummel enemies, uppercut them into the air and leap forward with a mighty ground smash. Firearms are typically situational, usually offering support for ranged enemies or providing a good old kick when Jessie is in overwhelm.
But they’re always a great saving grace, and fun to use. With the rifle helping take out ranged enemies, the revolver is a quick-drawn weapon that only whittles down enemy health but can buy time and be useful against certain kamikaze-type enemies! The flamethrower is good for crowd control and the double-barrel shotgun (while on a cooldown), can be the best finishing move to come about in recent gaming memory. There’s a good sense of tactics with the firearms, making them more meaningful to use than simply unloading a load of bullets into an enemy.
Jessie’s arsenal offers a wide range of tactics for defence and offence, but the show-stealing is an electrified Gauntlet that allows you to pull enemies in, make huge leaps across the arena, and electrocute enemies causing stun damage and making it easier to deliver the ultimate beat down. Again, a lot of fun from the sheer brutality on offer, but incredibly strategic and intelligent as well.
My personal favourite tool for any combat situation was a crucifix that admitted an immense light that would stun enemies in place and effected against those tougher bosses.
The point of Evil West’s vast arsenal is about the combination and using the right tool for the right moment. And the immense amount of choice will certainly get you through the more intense situation and make you feel like an absolute powerhouse when tearing enemies apart.
And the enemies (wow!), these are some of the coolest I’ve seen in recent video game memory, with all sorts of vampires, ghouls, leech dudes, and other crazy gothic monsters to take on. I love the variety and designs of all the beasts, giving an amazing scope of weird, creepy and nasty beasts that really made you feel the world was truly dangerous. But each enemy brings something new to the fight, and the enemy combinations are just perfect, making each and every fight engaging and refreshing from start to finish. And the bosses are also epic, being challenging yet entertaining to overcome.
I would say my only minor gripes were with the use of the same mini-boss a couple of times over (not as bad as Halo 5), and the human enemies feeling a little cheap in their rapid attacks with firearms. Thankfully with the popup shield ability you get, later on, this is not really much of a problem, and there’s only a handful of times they appear. Plus, Evil West does offer a lot of positional audio and visual cues to let you know when there’s trouble brewing.
Wild, Wild, Evil West 
Combat arenas are quite simple in layout, and lack any altering terrains, or interesting dynamics for the most part, but the point here for Evil West is to allow a playground where you can make the most out of the weapons. Where in DOOM Eternal traversal was a key component in attack and the arenas reflected that, Evil West pushes players to combine, and utilise weapons and gives the right kind of playground to conduct the mayhem and destruction in all its immense glory.
I made the Gears comparison because a lot of that was simple arenas, but the weapons were the driving force in combat, and not to mention they handled well and had a purpose. The same goes for Evil West, as weapon handling is smooth and weighty and everything has a purpose while being immensely fun to use. Even the crossbow which I didn’t use as much until I upgraded the hell out of it to be a beast.
The brutality and sense of reward when finishing a tough fight, were some of the bests I experienced, since Elden Ring or DOOM Eternal.
But character progression is also refined, with plenty of new abilities to learn and weapon upgrades to acquire through purchase, making Jessie even more deadly. I found all the abilities to have merit and give Jessie a certain edge in combat with a neat twist to a firearm, or a physical attribute.
The main means of obtaining upgrades is through “Bucks” which are scattered throughout the world, and by earning XP, and thus Skill points. I did feel the progression was a tat bit slow in general, meaning to get to a high enough level you might have to go back and play certain levels again. But thankfully as you may have gathered, the levels are generally a lot of fun, even on a second or third trip around. Plus, you get to play them with all the awesome gear you’ve acquired.
Combat just feels satisfying, meaty and rewarding, with plenty of enemy variety to keep all encounters engaging.
Overall?Evil West is a visceral beast, of explosive carnage, gripping combat, and tactical slaying in a beautifully gothic version of the world west. I absolutely love this and would highly recommend it to anyone who just wants to play a great, engaging and no-nonsense action game, with a cool world to explore, awesomely brutal combat and just feels immensely rewarding when playing. I think the best summary is the recent trailer featuring Danny Trejo, and the general theme was that Evil West was just a pure-of-heart video game, with no micro-transactions, live service nonsense or expansion pack madness. And it is absolutely and so much more, with Evil West being to me one of the most pleasing, and fun-filled gaming experiences in quite some time.
++ Immense dark Western world, filled with cool monsters and lore
++ Immense, brutal and absolutely fun combat
++ Huge variety of gear, and weapons, expanding combat and tactics
+ Looks and sounds amazing
+ Good, simple, and wholesome gaming fun
- Some minor graphical oddities
- Progression didn’t feel evenly paced without replaying some levels
An Xbox Series S/X review code of Evil West was provided by the publishers for the purpose of this review.
