Synopsis
A dark menace consumes the Old West. In solo or co-op, fight with style in visceral, explosive combat against bloodthirsty monstrosities. Eradicate the vampiric hordes with your lightning-fueled gauntlet and become a Wild West superhero.
Publisher: Focus Entertainment
Reviewed on: PC (Ryzen 5 2600, RTX 2070 Super, 32GB DDR4)
Also available for: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One
Cast: Derek Hagen, Damian Lynch, Brian Protheroe, Antonia Bernath, Emma Ballantine, James Phoon, Chase Brown, Kerry Shale, John Chancer, Gareth O’Connor
Developer: Flying Wild Hog
Game Director: Michal Szustak
Creative Director: Pawel Libiszewski
Narrative Designers: Maria Borys-Piakowska, Michal Galek
Developer Flying Wild Hog has a history of wild action games with the Shadow Warrior series. Evil West, a new IP, keeps that same focus but shifts to a third-person perspective. Gameplay is the star, with an over-the-top cast and story stitching everything together. Evil West feels like something from the previous generation, and I can’t remember the last time I played such a linear action game—which may be a selling point for some.
You play as Jesse Rentier, heir to the Rentier Institute, a government-funded group of soldiers and scientists fighting vampires and other dark creatures in 1800s America. Jesse is a macho soldier who prefers killing to diplomacy. When his father and the institute are attacked early on, Jesse sets off across America, slaying thousands of vampires and hunting the culprit.
The first few levels are relatively slow and could have been trimmed. Soon, though, Jesse gets his core kit: a pistol, a rifle, and electro-charged fists. Those fists do most of the talking thanks to a unique gauntlet that can stun enemies, whip them toward you, or—when powered up—rip them to shreds.
Combat feels most inspired by DOOM: you juggle weapons and tools to mow down growing hordes. Prioritization matters—save that shotgun blast for the big guys before it goes on cooldown. Resource management is key even on normal difficulty; blow a heavy skill on a weakling and a mini-boss might spawn at the worst time.
Gallery
Combat is fast and frantic: Jesse can whip himself across an arena to start pummeling, then dodge out and pop flying bat creatures with a rifle. Don’t stand still—you’ll die quickly if you do.
Jesse levels to 20, earning a skill point each rank. You also buy powerful upgrades—think pistol shots that chain electricity between enemies or grenades that spawn an electro tornado. You’ll earn $2,000 per level, but to fully capitalize you’ll need to stray slightly off the straight paths of the game’s 16 levels to find hidden cash.
The limited scope and somewhat repetitive nature will make or break your enjoyment. It feels dated, but the linear design is refreshing in a sea of open worlds. At ~12–15 hours, it’s a touch long; trimming the early chapters to get Jesse into the carnage faster would help.
Visually there’s nothing “next-gen,” but the art team nails blood-soaked towns and sweeping vistas. Character models look as generic as they sound, but monster designs—especially bosses—are great: grotesque, caged, fanged, and clawed.
Trailer: Watch on YouTube
There’s co-op, but there’s no guest progression, so it feels tacked on. New Game+ unlocks after finishing, carrying everything over while buffing enemies—handy if you’re hooked.
The story is dumb fun—purposely hammy, often terrible dialogue that lands like a B-movie. Combat can get repetitive over time as encounter variety narrows, and the level design is a simple throwback. Still, Flying Wild Hog knows its lane, and there’s definitely an audience for Evil West.
