Blood West
- February 9, 2022
- Hyperstrange
- 20h median play time
Blood West is a fantastic stealth FPS with some light immersive sim elements. The world feels incredibly bleak, yet super atmospheric, definitely worth the pickup!
Get on Steam"Blood West" is a horror-themed, action-adventure game set in a Western environment. Play as a bounty hunter with supernatural abilities, facing off against undead creatures and solving puzzles. With a blend of gunplay, melee combat, and stealth, players must navigate a creepy frontier town while uncovering its dark secrets.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Engaging and rewarding gameplay loop that encourages exploration and resource management.
- Unique blend of stealth and action mechanics, allowing for various playstyles.
- Atmospheric setting with great sound design and interesting enemy designs.
- Punishing death mechanics that can lead to frustration, especially for new players.
- Some bosses feel underwhelming and do not match the difficulty of regular enemies.
- Inventory management can be tedious and cumbersome, detracting from the overall experience.
- gameplay1,255 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Blood West" is a blend of stealth mechanics, exploration, and combat, set in a dark fantasy version of the Wild West. While many players appreciate the atmospheric design and satisfying gunplay, criticisms arise regarding clunky mechanics, repetitive gameplay, and a lack of depth in enemy AI and variety. The game encourages a methodical approach, rewarding careful planning and exploration, but some find the overall experience hindered by frustrating design choices and a steep learning curve.
“The gameplay of Blood West is a well-crafted blend of exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving.”
“Its blend of strategic gameplay, atmospheric storytelling, and haunting visuals creates a memorable journey through a dark and twisted version of the wild west.”
“The gunplay is satisfying, the gameplay loop is engaging, and the art style is striking.”
“The gameplay is too clunky for me, the enemy detection system is bugged.”
“Blood West wants to be a stealth game, but its stealth system doesn't reflect any of the refinements developers have made over the years in stealth mechanics.”
“The gameplay loop is quickly repetitive and boring.”
- story679 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story in "Blood West" is generally considered basic and somewhat underwhelming, often serving as a backdrop for gameplay rather than a focal point. While it features intriguing elements like environmental storytelling and a dark fantasy setting, many players find the narrative to be repetitive, primarily consisting of fetch quests that lack depth and variety. The voice acting and atmospheric elements are praised, but the overall plot is seen as lacking in complexity and engagement, particularly towards the end.
“The storyline is compelling, steeped in dark lore and rich in eerie atmosphere.”
“The game’s narrative unfolds through environmental storytelling, cryptic messages, and encounters with haunting NPCs, creating an immersive and unsettling experience.”
“Its blend of strategic gameplay, atmospheric storytelling, and haunting visuals creates a memorable journey through a dark and twisted version of the wild west.”
“You have a quest, you go to the location, get what you need and then go back to the NPC quest giver... and it is like that for the whole game.”
“The final confrontation is the lowest point of the game, unfortunately, which is a shame because the story was decent up until then.”
“The story really, really sucks and there's not too much to do except said shooting in these beautiful locations.”
- graphics630 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Blood West" are characterized by a retro, low-poly aesthetic reminiscent of 90s and early 2000s games, which some players find charming and fitting for its dark western horror theme. While opinions vary, many appreciate the unique art style and atmospheric visuals, despite some noting that the graphics may appear outdated or simplistic. Overall, the visuals effectively contribute to the game's immersive experience, blending well with its gameplay mechanics and setting.
“The graphics and the art style, the gun design and the monster design are top notch.”
“The retro visuals create a bleak yet vibrant overall atmosphere, while many charming elements of the art will keep your eyes busy, namely the weapons and enemies.”
“The graphics are charmingly retro, will remind you of the PS1 era, and while it may look like an FPS from the past, it does not play like one.”
“The graphics are disgusting.”
“The game is so dark that I set gamma to a fairly high level, and even then I'm supposed to melt my eyes in order to search for collectibles among this dirty mess which pretty much defines the whole game visuals.”
“The graphics seem primitive on the first look but it delivers the alien, barren, bizarre, and unknown feeling right on the spot.”
- atmosphere442 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and eerie qualities, effectively blending horror elements with a unique wild west aesthetic. Players appreciate the game's strong visual design, sound effects, and music, which contribute to a tense and foreboding environment that enhances gameplay. While some reviewers note that the atmosphere carries the game, making it enjoyable despite potential gameplay flaws, the overall consensus is that the atmospheric experience is a standout feature that captivates players.
“The game is blessed with decent voice acting and atmosphere that easily immerse you into its world.”
“Blood West is an atmospheric first-person shooter that masterfully blends horror elements with the rugged charm of the wild west.”
“The atmosphere it creates can take hold of you in a way that is hard to express just in words; it's well worth trying out and experiencing yourself.”
“The atmosphere is creepy, but the lack of real tension or fear might leave some horror fans wanting more.”
“The gameplay loop is rock solid, the atmosphere is moody and dark, the monster designs are excellent, the campy voice acting is 100% reminiscent of Blood.”
“This game was built to have an extremely strong atmosphere and it shows like walking into a military camp and hearing the sounds of enemies walking around, breathing, playing with their gun to hearing the sound of the swamps with every step in the water, hearing enemies slowly swim through it to the sounds of a horde of flesh-eating mosquitoes buzzing around the living corpse of a future foe.”
- music196 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric qualities and ability to enhance the dark fantasy old west setting. While some players enjoy the haunting soundtrack and sound design, others find the music limited and repetitive, noting that it often fades into the background or lacks variety. Overall, the sound design is generally well-regarded, contributing significantly to the game's immersive experience, despite some criticisms of the soundtrack's depth and presence.
“The sound design is equally impressive, with a haunting soundtrack that perfectly complements the game’s dark tone.”
“The music is really good, and even if the graphics aren't realistic at all, have a really nice charm to swallow you into the atmosphere of the game.”
“The atmosphere, the music, the constant threat of death.”
“Sadly the in-game music is a bit barren - what's there is okay, but it's not much of it to begin with, and no ambient background tracks to speak of...”
“Only cons I really have about the game as a whole are: the soundtrack, which is underwhelming, as most of the time you'll hear scary ambient background noise, which is good, but it's not really music and can get old after a couple of hours.”
“Oh, and had to kill the music in act 1, haven't heard if act 2 is any better... but holy heck... the short looping music track in act 1 is annoying!”
- grinding118 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly due to the need to farm for experience and resources in order to progress. The inventory management and weapon swapping are also cited as cumbersome, contributing to a sense of frustration as players navigate respawning enemies and limited resources. While some appreciate the challenge and exploration elements, the overall sentiment leans towards grinding being a significant drawback that detracts from the enjoyment of the game.
“It helps that the inventory system isn't too tedious to tackle.”
“You will put so much effort into beating the game and grinding for experience, gold, mythic weapons, and utilities only to have the game's story say, 'lol, your efforts didn't matter in the end.'”
“By the end of the game, re-clearing areas of some of the bullet sponge enemies is very tedious and the curses are completely ineffective.”
“The game is held back by poorly implemented souls-like mechanics that make the game boring, frustrating, and tedious rather than tense, challenging, and fun.”
- optimization86 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, particularly in terms of lag and frame drops, especially in later acts. While some users noted improvements following recent patches, others still found the optimization lacking, citing unresponsive controls and inadequate graphic settings. Overall, while there are glimpses of potential, many players feel that the game requires further optimization to enhance the overall experience.
“In terms of performance, runs great, optimization is very good.”
“A recent patch has added a slew of fixes, including multiple backup saves, a prompt on save deletion, and somehow massive performance increases up to +30fps and +70% performance overall, which is basically something you never hear of these days...a finely optimized game?”
“Performance issues are essentially non-existent now (using the same setup as before), and the overall feel and vibe of the game is the same, if not better.”
“Optimization is a joke.”
“Really want to like this game but the optimization is sadly absolutely terrible; the system requirements are not accurate at all.”
“However, the optimization for this game is horrible.”
- replayability62 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
Replayability in the game varies significantly among players, with some praising its branching paths, exploration, and character build variety, which enhance replay value. However, many reviewers note limitations, such as the absence of a New Game+ mode and a tendency for gameplay to feel repetitive after the initial playthrough. Overall, while there are elements that encourage replay, the consensus suggests that replayability is somewhat constrained, with many players feeling that the experience does not significantly change upon subsequent playthroughs.
“With its branching paths and open-ended exploration, Blood West offers considerable replay value.”
“A great mix of stealth and shooting, with several possible playstyles depending on what gear you find, adding replayability value.”
“Pros: good story, great scenery, fluid combat, excellent portrayal of darker themes, monsters are numerous, and are scary and fun to fight; most importantly, this game has serious replay value; you will play through it once, and again, and again... and again!”
“What you're getting up-front is a roughly 15-hour single-player experience with very limited replayability.”
“As far as I know, there isn't a new game+, which is unfortunate because a lot of this game's replay value is going back through the game to complete achievements, build a new character, and find unique items you may have missed the first time.”
“Depth in gameplay is there, but without any replayability through modes like new game+ or expanded difficulty settings, this just doesn't matter.”
- humor50 mentions
- 96 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding the character banter and voice acting unintentionally hilarious, while others criticize it as flat and unfunny. The game's blend of dark themes with comedic elements, particularly through quirky characters like the totem man, adds a unique charm, though the execution can sometimes detract from the overall experience. Overall, while some appreciate the humor as a highlight, others feel it falls short, leading to a polarized reception.
“I just love it, the story is solid, humor is great, the portrayal of cryptids and scary creatures in new fun ways.”
“Failing to surprise your enemies reveals how poorly equipped at combat you really are -- often resulting in a hilarious cat and mouse chase where you try to shake off enemies while taking pot shots and finding cover.”
“All in all, I would heavily recommend Blood West to practically everyone - I love the vibe of the game, the art style, the boomer shooter inspirations, and just having a really great and solid western/horror game with a great sense of humor.”
“If he's supposed to be funny, then well done, don't listen to me.”
- stability38 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 79 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with users reporting various bugs, glitches, and unbalanced gameplay, particularly with weapon mechanics. While some players experienced significant issues, others noted that the game runs well overall, especially after recent updates, and is relatively stable for an early access title. Despite the occasional rough spot, many find the experience enjoyable and rewarding, suggesting that ongoing development may address these concerns.
“In terms of performance, it runs great; optimization is very good.”
“It's also very stable and relatively bug-free for an early access title.”
“It is fleshed out and not buggy.”
“I had a considerable amount of glitches while running through this map (although I did play through it in the 4 days or so that it was updated). Several enemies did not spawn until they were within 15 meters of me, the end boss of this area got stuck in a tree and I couldn't shoot or damage it in any way. Some enemies appeared seemingly out of nowhere even in cleared areas, and although this isn't a bad glitch, at one point the game allowed me to infinitely shoot flame short ammo out of my revolver for some reason.”
“Bad visuals and audio, buggy... very buggy.”
“Still a little buggy and the throwing mechanics feel a bit off, but otherwise a solid game.”
- monetization18 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for its clunky aiming and combat mechanics, which detract from the overall experience. Players express frustration with the effectiveness of weapons and the balance of damage, suggesting that improvements in these areas could enhance gameplay and make in-game purchases more appealing. While some players find a sense of progression through perks and ammunition, the general sentiment indicates that the current system feels unrefined and could benefit from adjustments to weapon utility and combat fluidity.
“The pistol aim down sights (ADS) feels awful.”
“The amount of wobbling with ADS is, in my opinion, completely overkill, considering how much nearly every enemy's head moves around just from them running at you.”
“That being said, the ADS is a little clunky and can make combat more difficult than it needs to be.”
- character development4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is largely criticized for being minimal, with protagonists showing little growth throughout the story. This lack of depth, combined with outdated mechanics, detracts from the overall credibility of the experience.
“And that's about it for the protagonist's character development; nothing else is done with it for the rest of the game, really.”
“It's just a pity that character development and somewhat outdated mechanics occasionally disrupt the credibility of the entire experience.”
Critic Reviews
Blood West Review – The Wild West Just Got Weirder
Blood West is an excellent game for fans of stealth games. It makes use of classic design ideas from games as wide ranging as the seminal Thief titles, to more modern ones like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. in order to shape its mechanics and general gameplay loop. The progression system encourages exploration, which is made all the better thanks to excellent level design.
80%Blood West Review — Manifest Death-stiny
Blood West is a spine-chilling, grim, and bloody take on the American West, with stealth-focussed combat and non-linear gameplay that shines through the muck of spilled blood and zombie guts. Monsters, curses, and death await you in this brutal quest to save the bleak frontier.
90%Blood West Review
Blood West is a fantastic stealth FPS with some light immersive sim elements. The world feels incredibly bleak, yet super atmospheric, definitely worth the pickup!
85%
