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West of Dead

Thanks to a moody atmosphere and precise mechanics, West of Dead perfectly wraps the tense feeling of cover shooting around a solid roguelike core.
West of Dead Game Cover
74%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
stability, grinding
76% User Score Based on 479 reviews
Critic Score 73%Based on 23 reviews

Platforms

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West of Dead Game Cover

About

West of Dead is a single player tactical shooter game. It was developed by Upstream Arcade and was released on June 18, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"West of Dead" is a cover-based twin-stick shooter set in a roguelike, moody Western setting. In Purgatory, Wyoming, 1888, you play as a dead man seeking answers while navigating a chaotic world formed by the memories of souls. With County's distinctive voice from "Ghost of Tsushima" as the protagonist, the game offers a satisfying experience that challenges players and rewards smart play.

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76%
Audience ScoreBased on 479 reviews
gameplay79 positive mentions
stability41 negative mentions
  • Engaging gameplay with a unique cover system that encourages strategic play.
  • Stunning art style and atmosphere, reminiscent of Mike Mignola's work.
  • Ron Perlman's voice acting adds depth and character to the protagonist.
  • Numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating experiences.
  • Controls can feel clunky and unresponsive, particularly with the auto-aim feature.
  • Repetitive gameplay and lack of meaningful progression can lead to a sense of monotony.
  • gameplay
    174 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "West of Dead" is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its fun and engaging mechanics, particularly the cover-based shooting and roguelike elements. However, issues such as clunky controls, frustrating auto-lock mechanics, and bugs detract from the overall experience, leading to a sense of inconsistency in enjoyment. While the game offers a unique atmosphere and solid core mechanics, it struggles with repetitiveness and technical flaws that can hinder gameplay satisfaction.

    • “The gameplay is simple, easy to master, and fun.”
    • “Extremely fun roguelite with great gameplay and nice aesthetics.”
    • “The core gameplay is enjoyable.”
    • “However, the most important element of a game is the gameplay itself, and in this case, it's not good.”
    • “The gameplay is actually poor, clunky, and awkward (super hard to aim at anybody as there is no target).”
    • “Despite having an initially interesting style of gameplay, West of Dead sadly suffers from a multitude of poorly thought through and badly implemented ideas, leading to an experience that's more frustrating than anything else.”
  • graphics
    127 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of "West of Dead" are widely praised for their unique and appealing art style, reminiscent of Mike Mignola's comic work, which effectively complements the game's dark, western aesthetic. While many players appreciate the visuals and atmospheric design, some have noted that the dim lighting can hinder gameplay clarity, leading to confusion during combat. Overall, the game's graphics are considered a standout feature, enhancing the overall experience despite some technical issues.

    • “The art style and graphics are really nice, although at times it gets too dark.”
    • “Wonderful art style, the vibe is just right.”
    • “The graphics are awesome and one of a kind; the Mignola style makes it unique, and for my taste, excellent.”
    • “The game feels unfinished and more like a proof of concept for the Mignola art style than an actual product (its devs are now working on a Hellboy game).”
    • “And for a game now two years old, I'm a bit dismayed by some of the glitches still present (graphics warping out of proportion, sound cutting out in certain cutscenes).”
    • “However, if the aesthetics do not appeal to you, I'd think twice before getting it at full price.”
  • story
    93 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is generally described as intriguing and engaging, with a compelling atmosphere enhanced by Ron Perlman's voice acting. However, many players find the narrative somewhat convoluted and lacking in depth, often feeling disjointed or incomplete, which can detract from the overall experience. While the storytelling is appreciated for its unique style and thematic elements, it is often overshadowed by gameplay mechanics and bugs, leading to mixed feelings about its execution.

    • “The story is engaging and you get the whole thing defeating the bosses.”
    • “The story and visuals are pretty unique with colorful characters, and the way the darkness is utilized makes many areas feel that much more foreboding and grim.”
    • “The game's story is also interesting to keep up with, even though it's nothing revolutionary - Ron Perlman's voice acting makes it very pleasant to listen to.”
    • “The story is terrible, if you'd even call it that.”
    • “The story makes no sense and is entirely forgettable.”
    • “The storytelling is minimalistic, but Ron Perlman's voice acting gives it weight and impact.”
  • music
    78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its evocative and fitting soundtrack, which enhances the overall atmosphere and complements the gameplay. Many players appreciate the unique guitar riffs and the thematic consistency with the game's western aesthetic, although some have noted issues with repetitive tracks and occasional bugs affecting sound playback. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's immersive experience.

    • “The music really plays a phenomenal role in this game and sets a great mood for the 'wild west' grunge that the game imbues so well.”
    • “The music is beautiful and dynamic, understated but diverse and flavorful.”
    • “Great gameplay with an incredible soundtrack, what more could you want :)”
    • “Having to traverse through the levels can get boring at times, and the soundtrack doesn't do much to remedy that.”
    • “There was literally no music playing when I was fighting the wendigo.”
    • “The developers are very stingy with both the soundtrack and the narration for some odd reason, and any sound at all beyond combat can be sparse enough to make the world feel quite empty at times.”
  • stability
    43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous players reporting significant bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, such as unresponsive controls, enemies behaving erratically, and game-breaking issues. While some users find the game enjoyable despite these problems, many express frustration over the lack of fixes for persistent issues, leading to a generally negative perception of its stability. Overall, the game is described as a "buggy mess" that can detract from the overall experience.

    • “Runs great on Steam Deck.”
    • “After almost 10 hours of gameplay, I've only encountered one bug where my character got stuck walking slowly. I can't relate to the reviews claiming this game is buggy.”
    • “Great atmosphere, but the gameplay makes the game unplayable and full of glitches and bugs.”
    • “Can you tolerate a cover-based shooting system that is fundamentally buggy, often simply does not work, and will never be patched?”
    • “Very buggy, can't even enjoy the game.”
  • atmosphere
    33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique and captivating qualities, often described as beautiful yet haunting, with a strong narrative and impressive voice acting, particularly from Ron Perlman. While the art style and sound design contribute significantly to the immersive experience, many players note that gameplay issues, such as clunky controls and bugs, detract from the overall enjoyment. Despite these flaws, the game's atmosphere remains a standout feature, making it a compelling choice for fans of the genre.

    • “The atmosphere is absolutely beautiful yet haunting, with a really unique story as its backbone that includes many downright cool-looking characters, sometimes giant bosses, and visually striking yet simple maps.”
    • “I also didn't expect to care about the story aspect too much, but Ron Perlman's voiceover does incredible work in world-building and atmosphere, and the story actually has quite a bit of intrigue.”
    • “Thanks to a moody atmosphere and precise mechanics, West of Dead perfectly wraps the tense feeling of cover shooting around a solid roguelike core.”
    • “I had fun with it but I mostly recommend it for atmosphere and style; gameplay is not nearly on the level of top roguelikes like ETG, Dead Cells, etc. Also, the Crow DLC is a waste, don't buy it.”
    • “This game right here has one of the most brutal atmospheres you've ever seen.”
    • “West of Dead is full of style and brooding atmosphere, but the clunky controls and a lack of polish overshadow a few of its original ideas.”
  • grinding
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and unengaging, with players noting that the repetitive nature of traversing between arenas and the lack of meaningful progression quickly becomes a chore. While there are permanent upgrades available, they cap out too soon, leading to monotonous gameplay without the excitement of dynamic challenges or time constraints. Additionally, the slow pacing and excessive dialog further contribute to a frustrating experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.

    • “All roguelikes, especially procedurally-generated ones, have some combination of grinding and pure luck built into them - you never know if you're going to get decent weapons and items, so the only solution is to play over and over until you do.”
    • “The best games in the genre come up with ways to keep this loop fresh, but West of Dead can't figure that aspect out after the first few hours and settles into a rather tedious rhythm it never really gets out of.”
    • “It looks like there's tons of similar items I can unlock by grinding through the levels, but it just feels like a chore.”
  • replayability
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game offers moderate to high replayability, with many players enjoying the fun combat and challenging levels that encourage multiple playthroughs. While some reviewers noted that the replay value could benefit from more varied rogue-like elements, the engaging gameplay and story keep players coming back for more. Fans of the genre are likely to find it a worthwhile experience, despite some minor criticisms.

    • “All in all, after having played a rogue dungeon explorer like Hades, with amazing gameplay, extreme replayability, and fantastic dialogues and story, it becomes hard to top anything.”
    • “Fantastic roguelite, some of the levels are incredibly challenging, but the game offers lots of replayability and it's a very fun experience.”
    • “If you are a fan of this genre of games, I recommend this title above most others; it's lengthy, replayable, and entertaining.”
    • “Perlman's voice over work is underplayed, the replayability of every level is not interesting, and the artistic style is not simple enough to be minimalistic, but not fancy enough to be outstanding.”
    • “If you've played Dead Cells, the structure of the game is very similar, only with a bit more of a story focus. However, it would be nice if the rogue-like elements included even more surprises, run variations, and modifiers to enhance replay value.”
    • “The replayability is lacking, and while the art and concept are decent, they don't compensate for the repetitive nature of the gameplay.”
  • optimization
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game is widely criticized, with users reporting issues such as low frame rates, frequent crashes, unresponsive controls, and a lack of essential features like a bug reporter. Many players feel that the game is poorly optimized for PC, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences and technical problems that detract from overall enjoyment. Despite some positive remarks about aesthetics, the general consensus is that the game requires significant improvements in optimization before it can be considered polished.

    • “Well optimized, great aesthetics and good controls.”
    • “Thanks for those performance tweaks.”
    • “The atmosphere invoked by the goth western aesthetic and the performance of Ron Perlman.”
    • “The optimization is poor (my game was locked at 50 fps, pretty painful).”
    • “Poorly optimized for PC.”
    • “Tldr - buggy piece of shit that isn't optimized for PC that should have stayed in beta for at least a couple more months.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development is praised for its distinct and memorable designs, making each character easily recognizable. The voice acting, particularly by Ron Perlman, enhances the overall experience, contributing to a compelling narrative that engages players.

    • “Character designs are great and are easy to differentiate from one another.”
    • “Songs, sound effects, character designs, I just loved them.”
    • “Ron Perlman's voice acting, William Mason's character design, and the story are all highlights if you can make it that far.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the protagonists.”
    • “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, leaving me disappointed with their growth.”
    • “Despite the interesting premise, the characters remain one-dimensional and fail to evolve throughout the game.”
  • humor
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is largely derived from its numerous flaws, including poor AI, awkward movement, and confusing visuals, which lead to a comically frustrating experience. Players find the combination of cover-based mechanics and twin-stick controls absurd, contributing to the overall sense of chaos and ineptitude.

  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users feel that the emotional delivery in the game lacks direction, resulting in performances that fail to resonate or connect with the audience.

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73%Critics’ scoreBased on 23 critic reviews
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6h Median play time
8h Average play time
4-14h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

West of Dead is a tactical shooter game.

West of Dead is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

On average players spend around 8 hours playing West of Dead.

West of Dead was released on June 18, 2020.

West of Dead was developed by Upstream Arcade.

West of Dead has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its stability.

West of Dead is a single player game.

Similar games include West of Dead Beta, Soulslinger: Envoy of Death, Strafe, Hellboy Web of Wyrd, ScourgeBringer and others.