Coming off the heels of the phenomenal Postal Brain Damaged (one of my personal favorites of 2022) Hyperstrange decided to go in the opposite direction with the next game they made, with Blood West being more of an immersive sim. While its a bit under cooked in some ways I still had a fun time.
As the name suggests, the overall look of Blood West is a mixture of both the wild west and horror, with all the enemies being deformed in one way or another (even allies aren't immune considering you play as a zombie). In this department BW absolutely nails it with flying colors, as each locale is teeming with atmosphere that makes exploring feel that much more rewarding. Another strength of Blood West is just how engaging the loop can be, with every area being filled with nooks and crannies that reward all play styles (though I'd argue stealth is preferred but I'll talk about that later). Melee weapons in particular feel so much fun to use, with the ability to HEADSHOT with them making combat a joy with excellent sound design and visceral. Guns are also a valid option but since the game doesn't auto reload the risk of being caught without a full clip is something that can and will happen which increases tension. A perk system exists which gets the job done but more interesting is the trinket system, with 3 slots being available. While the game has way too many (and lots of them are very specific) I still loved being able to tinker my build that much further, with some options being really fucking broken (stack stealth on stealth).
If I had to say what Blood West falters at the most it would easily be its balancing and bosses. While I appreciate just how many options Blood West offers, its all a bit pointless when stealth trumps so many options. With the right perks you can absolutely BREEZE through the first act and most of the second/third because of just how busted the systems are (and how bad the AI can be). Couple that with just how brittle you are in the beginning and its very easy to build into stealth. I think Hyperscape knew this because Act 3 tries (emphasis on TRIES) to balance it out by introducing much tankier enemies and more open areas that aren't that stealth friendly. A valiant effort but a bit ruined since most enemies have the awareness of a fish and won't react to gunshots, allowing you to clear multiple areas with the loudest of weapons and they just won't come after you (except if you don't kill them in one shot which isn't even that common). On the subject of bosses I don't hate the idea in theory but the execution fucking sucks, as they all are just massive bullet sponges that all boil down to shoot the area that does the most damage. The final boss in particular essentially forces a switch to a more gun oriented build because of how fucking tanky it is, while also spawning even tankier enemies because why not. It all just feels counter-intuitive considering the generally low health pools of most enemies. On a minor issue the lack of some quality of life improvements is bizarre, with inventory management in particular being pretty clunky and slow.
With a bit of polish and some balancing fixes I can see a Blood West sequel being a phenomenal followup and one of the best in the Immersive Sim genre. For now it's simply a good time with some messy design choices here and there.
7.5/10
As the name suggests, the overall look of Blood West is a mixture of both the wild west and horror, with all the enemies being deformed in one way or another (even allies aren't immune considering you play as a zombie). In this department BW absolutely nails it with flying colors, as each locale is teeming with atmosphere that makes exploring feel that much more rewarding. Another strength of Blood West is just how engaging the loop can be, with every area being filled with nooks and crannies that reward all play styles (though I'd argue stealth is preferred but I'll talk about that later). Melee weapons in particular feel so much fun to use, with the ability to HEADSHOT with them making combat a joy with excellent sound design and visceral. Guns are also a valid option but since the game doesn't auto reload the risk of being caught without a full clip is something that can and will happen which increases tension. A perk system exists which gets the job done but more interesting is the trinket system, with 3 slots being available. While the game has way too many (and lots of them are very specific) I still loved being able to tinker my build that much further, with some options being really fucking broken (stack stealth on stealth).
If I had to say what Blood West falters at the most it would easily be its balancing and bosses. While I appreciate just how many options Blood West offers, its all a bit pointless when stealth trumps so many options. With the right perks you can absolutely BREEZE through the first act and most of the second/third because of just how busted the systems are (and how bad the AI can be). Couple that with just how brittle you are in the beginning and its very easy to build into stealth. I think Hyperscape knew this because Act 3 tries (emphasis on TRIES) to balance it out by introducing much tankier enemies and more open areas that aren't that stealth friendly. A valiant effort but a bit ruined since most enemies have the awareness of a fish and won't react to gunshots, allowing you to clear multiple areas with the loudest of weapons and they just won't come after you (except if you don't kill them in one shot which isn't even that common). On the subject of bosses I don't hate the idea in theory but the execution fucking sucks, as they all are just massive bullet sponges that all boil down to shoot the area that does the most damage. The final boss in particular essentially forces a switch to a more gun oriented build because of how fucking tanky it is, while also spawning even tankier enemies because why not. It all just feels counter-intuitive considering the generally low health pools of most enemies. On a minor issue the lack of some quality of life improvements is bizarre, with inventory management in particular being pretty clunky and slow.
With a bit of polish and some balancing fixes I can see a Blood West sequel being a phenomenal followup and one of the best in the Immersive Sim genre. For now it's simply a good time with some messy design choices here and there.
7.5/10