Evil West reminds me of the era of PS2 games that were unashamedly "video game" in their design and approach to player satisfaction. It boasts a ridiculous story with a mish-mash of ideas that could only exist in this medium and make any sense. While not all of its ideas mix coherently in this melting pot of unhinged violence, it also serves its purpose as a wholly entertaining throwback to older games. There's clearly a good amount of fun to be had in Evil West, even when it stumbles to be more than the sum of its parts.



The central story of Evil West is begging not to be taken seriously. You play as Jesse Rentier, a vampire hunter who must defend the wild west from a horde of supernatural monstrosities. Jesse is one of the last agents of a vampire-hunting organisation that specialises in slaying all manner of creatures that go bump in the night, which take the form of not only vampires but werewolves, ghouls and more. That's about all the plot you get because Evil West is less concerned with building a story and more concerned with getting players from one high-octane gameplay segment to the next.

Evil West is less concerned with building a story and more concerned with getting players from one high-octane gameplay segment to the next.

This is where Evil West really shines. The gameplay is fairly basic enough on the surface. You must get to the bottom of the sudden surge in monsters invading the west using an arsenal of tools and weapons at your disposal. Jesse comes equipped with a six-shot pistol, a rifle and a flamethrower for ranged attacks while melee weapons such as electrically charged axes and gauntlets deal close-quarters damage. It's a simple gameplay loop to grasp which is arguably one of the game's greatest strengths.



Across your roughly 10-12 hour playtime, you'll venture through over a dozen different levels each crammed with an assortment of nightmarish enemies to fight, with most concluding in a big boss fight. It's not the deepest or most fleshed out level design, but it serves the purpose of taking you from point A to point B with the occasional level presenting a sandbox area to explore. You can't really stray off the beaten path since everything pushes you ahead to the next area, but exploration isn't exactly a key factor here.

Jesse can make use of the environment to kill enemies, such as kicking them into spike traps or executing them with an obviously placed hazard. Special finishers can also be executed once an enemy has been dealt enough damage, leading to a flashy kill. We've seen this before - and done much better in similar games - but Evil West isn't trying to push the boundaries. That might be fine for some people, but others won't take to its formulaic gameplay. This seems pretty intentional on developer Flying Wild Hog's part, though, which explains the game's divisive reception.



The visuals in Evil West are pretty good, often reminding me of Shadows of the Damned's art style (remember that one?). A lot of the criticism is pointed at the game resembling an Xbox 360 era action shooter, but that never really bothered me. A lot of care and attention went into creating vibrant areas that stand out and fit the over-the-top tone of the game. Particle effects are also particularly impressive, with each electrified punch delivering an explosive shower of sparkling energy that made combat almost addictive.

A lot of care and attention went into creating vibrant areas that stand out and fit the over-the-top tone of the game.

That said, the simplistic gameplay is an absolute blast. There's something so satisfying about playing a game today that knows exactly what it is and sticks to its guns. Electrocuting enemies then zooming in to deal a stylish fatal blow, or sniping them at a distance while you watch heads and limbs explode feels and looks great. It's all part of Evil West's dated charm, which often reminded me that video games can still be silly, fun experiences without saying anything meaningful.



However, this also presents players with the biggest problem (maybe?) about Evil West, which I can only describe as listening to an infectious radio pop song or eating junk food. It's enjoyable while it lasts but it's not going to leave any profound impact or make you question your existence on this futile planet. It's certainly not an experience that's gonna win awards, shake up the industry or deliver innovation in spades, but do I still recommend it? Well, yeah actually. That's if you can also overlook its smaller issues that eventually pile up.

It's enjoyable while it lasts but it's not going to leave any profound impact...

Evil West's writing is pretty bad, to say the least. Characters exist for the sake of filling up screen space instead of being actual characters, while dialogue is delivered in robotic one-note lines that tries way too hard to sound cool. You can forgive its straight-forward narrative journey but you can't ignore the pitstops along the way where characters spout horrendous dialogue and chew up scenes like everyone is trying to be the most egotistical person in the room. It was fine at first and I ran with the tone but after a while, it's just laughable and a bit cringe-inducing.



I also ran into a few technical problems. One bug forced me to restart an entire level near its end while I also had a couple of game crashes. The framerate, while mostly solid, also dipped in combat-heavy sections, at least on PS5 (I've heard this isn't much of an issue on the PC version). These can be corrected with some patchwork, though, so it's not a major setback but it did hurt my initial playthrough.

Evil West feels like a game ripped straight out of the past and dropped into the modern generation with a shinier coat of paint. Surprisingly enough, it ends up being a solidly entertaining action game despite problematic writing, it's overly simple storytelling and some technical hiccups. What it all boils down to is an experience that works while it's in motion; a game that aims to please the nostalgic side of gamers while also delivering fun moment-to-moment gameplay. It's not going to leave any meaningful mark on the gaming world, but it will entertain for a handful of hours and if you're looking for that, have at it.

*PS5 Review code provided by Focus Entertainment