The story might not be mind-blowing, but the gameplay is where it’s at, mixing up melee and ranged combat with a little bit of puzzling and exploration. At first glance, Evil West might look like just another third-person shooter, and yeah, it kinda is. But once you dive in, you’ll find yourself hooked on the intense action and wild vampire-slaying mechanics. If this sounds like your kind of game, you should definitely buy cheap Xbox games that deliver the same adrenaline-pumping experience. Mr. Rentier starts with pistols, but as you play, you can snag other ranged weapons like rifles, shotguns, and even a flamethrower. They all have unlimited ammo, but the flamethrower needs some time to recharge. When it comes to wrecking most enemies, though, your fists are clutch. The story’s pretty straightforward with 16 chapters; you'll mostly be traveling to different spots and then heading back to your squad to chat about what’s up. Evil West is all about that grind, so when you dive into a new chapter, get ready for the game to start throwing more and more baddies at you as you explore. The game's monster roster is wild and, as usual, it introduces new foes gradually as you progress. Enemies that were mini-bosses back in chapter 2 might come back, and you could be facing a bunch of them when you hit chapter 6. By then, you'll have more skills and gear, but if multitasking isn’t your thing, you’re gonna struggle! Each enemy needs different weapons and skills to take down. Like, you’ve got these huge ogre dudes swinging axes that look like they walked straight out of an '80s rock video – you’ll need to kick ‘em in the gut to do any real damage. Then there are Leechers, who are like if a sumo wrestler and a 7-foot tapeworm had a baby. They’ve got a spiky shield, and you can only hit them when their back is turned, or if you break the shield first. And watch out for these bright orange, twitchy monsters that run at you and explode – hit them from afar before they get close. The game will throw all of these at you, sometimes in groups, while you’re trying to take down a boss with a health bar that’s three times longer than yours. If you’re not into gory visuals, the character art might be a bit much – enemies ooze goo and pus, blood’s everywhere, and the ground’s crawling with gross bugs. The game definitely sets a creepy, icky vibe with all these details.
Challenging Enemy Waves
You’ve got your basic combos plus some sick moves like uppercutting an enemy and then blasting them with your revolver to keep them floating in the air, or jumping up and Superman-punching them into other enemies or traps like spike pits and TNT barrels. Honestly, mastering these skills feels as satisfying as finally deciding to buy PS5 games —both are about elevating your game in different ways. Later on, you unlock an electrified gauntlet that lets you pull enemies towards you like Scorpion from Mortal Kombat and zoom in on them. For weaker enemies, using these moves will shock them, and you get a funny X-Ray view of their skeleton. This stuns them, so you can pummel them with rapid punches. But your gauntlet isn’t your only weapon. Jesse’s got his reliable revolver, and you’ll later pick up a rifle, flamethrower, and dynamite to handle the vampire horde. Each weapon has its own vibe and purpose, but not all are meant to be your go-to. The revolver’s solid for whittling down enemy health, while the rifle’s key for hitting weak spots. The best part? You don’t have to stress about running out of ammo. Each weapon has its own cooldown or reload timer. The rifle’s got five shots before you need to reload, and the shotgun’s on a cooldown timer. Evil West nails managing weapon use and cooldowns to keep things balanced, though sometimes I wish they’d cut you some slack since the enemy waves can get pretty wild in the later stages.
Hauntingly Detailed Environments
Evil West is a straight-up linear ride with mission-based levels. You’ll be hopping from one mission to the next, tackling objectives across different spots. Jesse roams through huge oil fields, murky swamps, snowy peaks, and towns wrecked by vampires. Each area is packed with collectibles like gold, special gear chests, and lore docs to flesh out the Evil West universe. On the visual side, Evil West’s lighting can be kinda whack. The game often flips between way too bright and way too dark. I kept messing with my TV’s picture settings just to see what was in front of me. The dark spots can get pitch black, making it tough to see anything. Still, there are some epic scenes, especially in the darker, grittier places where the vamps hang out. These shadowy and eerie spots have killer architecture, and some of the later missions are pretty brutal, showing the aftermath of vamps taking over an entire farming town. The way the moonlight and firelight play off the wreckage is seriously chilling. Talking about the extras, the multiplayer mode feels kinda extra. You can run through the whole campaign with a buddy, but you’ll both be playing as Jesse, and only the host makes progress in the story. It’s a decent option if you’re into that, but the single-player game isn’t really built for teamwork in the traditional sense. It does shake things up a bit, though, by adding new enemies and tougher fights to balance out the extra firepower. Unfortunately, there’s no local co-op, so you’ll need to be online to team up. Most of my gripes are pretty minor. Evil West is definitely one of the most surprising and fun action games of the year, and Flying Wild Hog has got a real winner here. It might not be super nuanced and is about as subtle as a firework show in a porta-potty, but Evil West is the most fun I’ve had with a “boomstick” since Doom Eternal.