| But Why Tho? |
Adrian Ruiz |
8 / 10 |
09-26-2023 |
El Paso, Elsewhere offers a remarkable fusion of narrative depth and engaging gameplay. |
Read review |
| Cultured Vultures |
Ashley Bates |
8 / 10 |
09-26-2023 |
El Paso, Elsewhere might suffer from some filler levels, but the excellent gameplay and writing make it worth checking out. |
Read review |
| Destructoid |
Zoey Handley |
8 / 10 |
09-26-2023 |
The actual gameplay of El Paso, Elsewhere didn’t really impress me. It’s an interesting twist on Max Payne, but it falls short in a lot of ways. Its story, though? Hoo, gosh. I’m going to be chewing on this for a while. |
Read review |
| Digital Trends |
Tomas Franzese |
4 / 5 stars |
09-26-2023 |
Once you understand what the game’s chilling, intimate story is saying and how it’s reinforced by gameplay and aesthetics, you’ll have a hard time putting it down. El Paso, Elsewhere is one of the most captivating indies of the year. It might make you uncomfortable, but that’s very much the point. |
Read review |
| Eurogamer |
Christian Donlan |
Recommended |
09-26-2023 |
Demake visuals are the perfect match for a game that’s both direct and gloriously weird. |
Read review |
| GameGrin |
Jacob Sanderson |
8 / 10 |
09-26-2023 |
El Paso, Elsewhere is a charming journey into the mind of man, descending into madness and taking any horrific creatures he can with him. |
Read review |
| GameSpot |
Alessandro Barbosa |
8 / 10 |
10-04-2023 |
El Paso, Elsewhere combines simple yet delicately balanced action with an engrossing story about vampires, love, and the end of the world. |
Read review |
| God is a Geek |
Lyle Carr |
7.5 / 10 |
09-27-2023 |
El Paso, Elsewhere is a fun throwback that tells an interesting story, but the shooting and diving gameplay just doesn’t hold its own. |
Read review |
| Hardcore Gamer |
Kyle LeClair |
4 / 5 stars |
09-26-2023 |
El Paso, Elsewhere is an excellent nod to the days of Max Payne, but thanks to its impressive story, surreal world and unforgettable soundtrack, it still manages to stand on its own as a top-notch shooter. With smooth, slick combat that perfectly feels like a classic action games with a modern feel, this is one terrific blast of adrenaline that anyone should check out. The Void may mess with you quite a bit, but the trip through it is definitely worth taking. |
Read review |
| Hey Poor Player |
Connor Starkman |
4 / 5 stars |
09-26-2023 |
El Paso, Elsewhere stands as a testament to what indie games can achieve. While it borrows elements from giants, it carves its unique identity, blending retro aesthetics, a gripping narrative, and a hip-hop soundtrack into a cohesive experience. Its shortcomings, though present, don’t overshadow its achievements. The game offers a haunting journey through its surreal world, making it a memorable title in the third-person shooter genre. As the credits rolled, I couldn’t help but appreciate the game’s effort to be more than just another shooter—it’s an earnest triumph that breathes freshness into a sea of familiarity. |
Read review |
| Kotaku |
Zack Zwiezen |
Recommended |
09-26-2023 |
El Paso, Elsewhere is both a badass shooter and a study of how people handle toxic relationships. It walks that tightrope and sticks the landing so strongly that I ended the game and immediately wanted to play it again. And I probably will, because James needs me to help him once again save himself and the world. |
Read review |
| MonsterVine |
Sean Halliday |
3 / 5 stars |
10-03-2023 |
El Paso, Elsewhere is a solid, curious, affair. It’s unfortunate the gameplay doesn’t match the ambition shown in other elements of the game, but nonetheless, fans of a certain gruff tragedy magnet will find joy here. |
Read review |
| New Game Network |
Eric Hall |
79 / 100 |
10-08-2023 |
El Paso, Elsewhere doesn’t boast the slickest gameplay out there, but its tale of love, death and the impending end of the world is one that consistently kept my attention. This is an entirely unique experience, and one I suggest checking out if you are a fan of supernatural neo-noir. |
Read review |
| Niche Gamer |
Fingal Belmont |
5 / 10 |
10-10-2023 |
El Paso, Elsewhere is undeniably rough around the edges, but with some additional development time, it has the potential for greatness. In its current state, it feels like a preliminary draft—an approximation of the developer’s vision. Given more time for polish and refinement, El Paso, Elsewhere could indeed evolve into a worthy successor to Max Payne. |
Read review |
| Noisy Pixel |
Jacob Kavanaugh |
9.5 / 10 |
09-26-2023 |
El Paso, Elsewhere is, simply put, an incredible game. Every aspect is meticulously crafted and works in perfect harmony with the rest. It nails practically everything it tries to do. I expected it to be a lot of fun to play, but I did not expect it to be anywhere near as compelling. I wonder how long I’ll be rotating James in my head like I’ve put him in a microwave… |
Read review |
| Paste Magazine |
Garrett Martin |
9 / 10 |
09-29-2023 |
No genuinely good game has ever been hurt by being too easy, though. With El Paso, Elsewhere Strange Scaffold has given us one of 2023’s great games—one that’s in constant conversation with the medium’s past, while simultaneously brushing against the emotional and intellectual boundaries of games. And it does it all with one hell of a sense of a style. El Paso, Elsewhere’s greatness lies not in the excellence of any one of its single components, but in the consistently high level of quality found across all of them. It does everything it tries to do exceedingly well, with sound, image, story, and interaction combining into a uniformly great package. Game designers can learn a lot from El Paso, Elsewhere, and perhaps even act on that knowledge, if their publishers let them. |
Read review |
| Press Start |
James Wood |
9 / 10 |
09-27-2023 |
El Paso, Elsewhere takes a solid shooter foundation and elevates it with a compelling and raw look at humanity as told through a story of monsters and mythology. Outstanding performances, sharp writing, and some kick-arse combat collide to make a unique and memorable experience. |
Read review |
| Rock, Paper, Shotgun |
Siobhán Casey |
Recommended |
09-26-2023 |
Its pop culture noir stylings might not be for everyone, but for others El Paso, Elswhere is a cosmic third-person shooter from a forgotten age that will make you dwell on your worst break-up while you shoot werewolves. |
Read review |
| Saving Content |
Scott Ellison II |
3 / 5 stars |
09-26-2023 |
El Paso, Elsewhere calls back to the early 2000s with slow motion dives and psychedelic dream sequences with platforming, but it fails to feel like it’s breaking new ground despite its differences. This is a Max Payne -like that doesn’t have a sense of place or personality. A motel just doesn’t cut it, no matter what you do with the interior. There’s a lot to like with the story set around responsibility, the neo-noir writing, and even its aesthetic. But when it comes to gameplay, you’ll get into a rhythm with it, but it can’t keep up with its own beat. El Paso, Elsewhere is fun for its runtime, but you’ll be ready for it to be over once the credits roll. |
Read review |
| Slant Magazine |
Steven Scaife |
4 / 5 stars |
10-04-2023 |
That El Paso, Elsewhere works at all as a drama is a huge achievement. It tackles weighty topics with a maturity that’s rare in gaming, and which is all the more impressive given that it does so within the framework of a shooter that suggests a Halloween attraction as curated by John Woo. It’s emblematic of the game as a whole—a bizarre amalgamation of parts that shouldn’t work yet manages to form something cohesive, soulful, weird, and deeply personal. |
Read review |
| The Escapist |
Will Cruz |
Recommended |
09-26-2023 |
Video Review |
Read review |
| The Jimquisition |
James Stephanie Sterling |
8 / 10 |
10-10-2023 |
El Paso, Elsewhere does nothing new as a videogame |
Read review |
| The Outerhaven Productions |
Shaan Joshi |
4 / 5 stars |
10-09-2023 |
El Paso, Elsewhere wears its influences on its sleeves, and while it doesn’t reach the same highs set by Max Payne all those years ago, it more than makes up for it in its story and presentation. |
Read review |
| WayTooManyGames |
Leonardo Faria |
7 / 10 |
09-28-2023 |
Although I did enjoy my time with El Paso, Elsewhere, I cannot hide the fact it was plagued with some questionable gameplay decisions and repetitive visuals. You will probably play El Paso, Elsewhere not because of its janky gameplay, but because of its strong story and character development. |
Read review |
