West of Dead
What to Know
Average Score
- August 5, 2020
- Upstream Arcade
- Action
Critics Consensus
- In-Game Purchases
- August 5, 2020
- Action
- In-Game Purchases
Critics Consensus
# Reviews: 42
West of Dead shakes up the rogue-lite formula with a fantastic cover system, but there isn't much polish here, and cruel difficulty spikes and unruly aiming hold the game back.
Critic Reviews for West of Dead
Reviews
Anthony Marzano (Destructoid)
6/10
“If you pumped hours upon hours into Enter the Gungeon then chances are you’ll find a similar grab in West of Dead, but be fair warned that there isn’t as much polish here. If it helps, it is launching day one on Xbox Game Pass so if you have that you can try it as soon as it launches.”
Mike Epstein (GameSpot)
5/10
“West of Dead brings some interesting ideas to the well-trod Rogue-lite scene, but lots of technical and design flaws make it hard to enjoy them.”
Phil Iwaniuk (PC Gamer)
83/100
“A fine balancing act of challenge and intrigue, with stabiliser wheels courtesy of Ron Perlman’s voice.”
Outlet | Author | Score | Date | Quote | Read |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
33bits | Rubén Rionegro | 80 / 100 | 06-18-2020 | West of Dead offers a spectacular roguelike fused with isometric twin stick shooter with a pretty good and addictive gunplay that will make us play again and again. It has some graphic flaws that need to be polished, as well as a dubious system of dialogues that become boring, but that does not prevent us from enjoying its good intentions. | Read review |
3DNews | Денис Щенников | 7 / 10 | 07-04-2020 | West of Dead borrows a lot from Dead Cells and blends it with nice twin-stick shooter with covers mechanic. But it really suffers from lack of variety. | Read review |
Area Xbox | Henry Hernández | 7.5 / 10 | 07-01-2020 | Upstream Arcade and Raw Fury bring us this fantastic shooter where you find your self doing several runs trying to discover why you end up in the Purgatory. The game is difficult and requires the player to keep trying and understand the mechanics in order to master it. Your allies will be the twin-stick controls and tactical cover to overcome all the terrors you will find in Purgatory. After every run, you will fell more powerful and uncover mysteries that will help you to understand how you end up there. | Read review |
AusGamers | Steve Farrelly | 8 / 10 | 07-08-2020 | West of Dead isn’t without its standoff moments of frustration, but a squint of the eye and a sweat-bead zero-flinch will see you standing tall post-Purgatory call out. | Read review |
Bazimag | Sina Golab Zade | 8 / 10 | 06-18-2020 | West of Dead is a nice combination of roguelike ideas and twin stick shooter genre inside a weird west tale with some nice visuals narrated by the always great Ron Perlman. | Read review |
Chalgyr’s Game Room | Pierre-Yves Lanthier | 7.75 / 10 | 07-23-2020 | Overall, West of Dead is a really neat Twin-Stick Shooter style and I look forward to hopefully seeing more of it in the future. | Read review |
COGconnected | Alexander Thomas | 71 / 100 | 06-23-2020 | West of Dead offers a satisfying blend of tactics and rogue-like gameplay that I didn’t expect. Levels offer plenty of options for how you want to approach a situation, the gunplay is fast and precise, and the execution of creating a wild west style shoot out is perfect. The game is dripping with personality and Ron Perlman delivers each word with purpose and meaning. Every aspect of gameplay and aesthetic is tailored to telling the story of Mason in a way that feels natural and unique. It’s a blast to play over and over again despite issues with the geometry interfering with aiming and dodging not quite feeling as useful as it ought to. | Read review |
Critical Hit | Darryn Bonthuys | 8 / 10 | 06-18-2020 | West of Dead isn’t going to win any originality contests, but it knows how to draw with the best of them and it’s quick enough to hit you with six rounds of stylistic fun. Beneath the obvious comparisons, there’s a game that plays out like a passionate high noon homage to the best of film, games and comic books. | Read review |
cublikefoot | Chase Ferrin | Not Recommended | 06-18-2020 | Although the core gameplay is solid, the lack of variety and numerous technical issues really bring down the experience. From the many design flaws to the actual bugs, there are quite a few issues plaguing an otherwise decent game. Perhaps this will be a game that I may recommend in the future, but as it stands, I cannot in good faith do so. | Read review |
DarkZero | Simon Lundmark | 6 / 10 | 06-21-2020 | It’s a shame. Put into a different, more traditional action game structure, West of Dead would be a satisfying RPG flavoured shooter with a truly inspired combination of gameplay mechanics. What’s here offers plenty of great, timing driven moments, but when saddled with conventions of the genre it has chosen to adopt, it quickly becomes an exercise in frustration and simply doesn’t hold up to the scrutiny. | Read review |
Destructoid | Anthony Marzano | 6 / 10 | 06-18-2020 | If you pumped hours upon hours into Enter the Gungeon then chances are you’ll find a similar grab in West of Dead, but be fair warned that there isn’t as much polish here. If it helps, it is launching day one on Xbox Game Pass so if you have that you can try it as soon as it launches. | Read review |
DualShockers | Otto Kratky | 7 / 10 | 06-25-2020 | While West of Dead is subdued in many ways, I find it to be an easy recommendation for any fan of roguelike titles. | Read review |
Echo Boomer | João Canelo | Recommended | 06-24-2020 | Striking visuals, fun combat and a lot of love for the supernatural western folklore. | Read review |
Game Rant | Jonathan Ammerman | 3.5 / 5 stars | 06-28-2020 | West of Dead elevates its experience thanks to to the storytelling and art design. Some aspects of the game can be frustrating, but the total package is generally rewarding in its gameplay and beautiful in its design. | Read review |
Gameblog | Rami Bououd | 7 / 10 | 07-03-2020 | West of Dead is a very interesting action game, very punitive, as dying is definitive, but entertaining. If you manage to tame its camera angles, you’ll find a pleasant alternative to Hotline Miami. | Read review |
GameCrate | David Sanchez | 8.5 / 10 | 06-19-2020 | West of Dead is a refreshing take on multiple genres. It’s a great cover-based twin-stick shooter. It’s a different kind of roguelite. And it’s just a solid all-around action game that’s a joy to play. It’s highly challenging, and it rewards smart play, so what you ultimately get is a satisfying experience that’s fun and invites you to put the time into learning its intricacies. | Read review |
Gamerheadquarters | Jason Stettner | 8 / 10 | 06-21-2020 | West of Dead is a great rogue-like bringing a really gloomy atmosphere that matches this cowboy’s journey through purgatory perfectly. | Read review |
GameSkinny | Jason D’Aprile | 7 / 10 | 06-22-2020 | West of Dead has plenty of great gunplay and a fascinating setting, but be prepared to die over and over and put up with an unrelentingly unfriendly continue system. | Read review |
GameSpot | Mike Epstein | 5 / 10 | 06-29-2020 | West of Dead brings some interesting ideas to the well-trod Rogue-lite scene, but lots of technical and design flaws make it hard to enjoy them. | Read review |
GameWatcher | Robert Honaker | 6 / 10 | 06-18-2020 | A run-of-the-mill procedural twin-stick roguelike that has a unique aesthetic and premise, but little else. Without more content, more variety, and more exciting unlockables, West of Dead is dead in the water. Or will remain in gaming purgatory. Either way, I have very little faith in West of Dead’s future. | Read review |
Geeks Under Grace | E.L. Wilson | 9 / 10 | 07-03-2020 | West of Dead is an excellent, action-packed, Western twin-stick shooter that features smooth gameplay and striking atmosphere. | Read review |
God is a Geek | Mick Fraser | 8 / 10 | 06-24-2020 | West of Dead is a compelling and enjoyable challenge, helped along by Ron Perlman’s undeniable charisma and a handful of interesting new ideas. | Read review |
Guardian | Simon Parkin | 3 / 5 stars | 08-15-2020 | While the game’s style is like a Homeric epic seen through the panel of a comic book, the soundtrack of melancholic twanging guitar complicates the theme to something new and unexpected, a kind of undead western. It’s slickly compelling stuff, if repetitive after a few hours and, invariably, punitive. | Read review |
IGN Italy | Unknown | 7.6 / 10 | 06-24-2020 | West of Dead it’s quite a classic twin stick shooter roguelike with a twist: it chooses tactic and thoughtfully action instead of frenzy. The gameplay is quite derivative and basic, though everything works and it’s overall a fun game. | Read review |
Impulsegamer | Tory Favro | 3.7 / 5 stars | 08-31-2020 | Overall I’d still encourage people to get West of Dead. It would be one of the most enjoyable roguelike games I have played in a long time, and if those little niggly issues are ironed out then I think a lot of people are going to enjoy the challenge and story of this really cool game. | Read review |
Jump Dash Roll | Ant Barlow | 4 / 10 | 08-20-2020 | West of Dead is a game that conceivably had a lot of potential. However, on PlayStation 4 at least, the game is far too broken in vital areas to ever let players discover whether there was any substance to back up its undeniable style. | Read review |
New Game Network | Alex Varankou | 65 / 100 | 06-23-2020 | 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. | Read review |
Niche Gamer | Frank Streva | 7 / 10 | 07-07-2020 | It’s just a shame that the game is undeniably clunky. The PC port is pretty poor in terms of controls, and there really isn’t any reason why it should be. With some improvements here and there, West of Dead could become a really good entry to the roguelite genre. I still had enough fun to recommend it, just be prepared for some janky controls and mechanics here and there. | Read review |
NoobFeed | Bogdan Robert Mateș | 67 / 100 | 06-21-2020 | West of Dead is constantly at odds with itself and, while that doesn’t make it a bad game, it does make it harder to love. | Read review |
Pardis Game | Alireza Abroshan | 5 / 10 | 06-28-2020 | West of Dead is an interesting game with mechanics that look good on paper. However, many of these mechanics are poorly implemented and make rage-quits a regular occurrence! Fortunately, the game excels in some parts like the boss fights, and there are workarounds for minor issues. As such, there is a good chance this game can improve immensely with some titles. Maybe it would have been better if this title was released in Early Access first, so that player feedback could have played a bigger role in development | Read review |
PC Gamer | Phil Iwaniuk | 83 / 100 | 06-18-2020 | A fine balancing act of challenge and intrigue, with stabiliser wheels courtesy of Ron Perlman’s voice. | Read review |
PlayStation Universe | John-Paul Jones | 8.5 / 10 | 08-05-2020 | A furiously stylish roguelike gothic western that blends genres with deft and aplomb, West of Dead is a resoundingly enjoyable offering that makes picking yourself up and dusting yourself off after every death a ravenously compelling proposition. | Read review |
Rapid Reviews UK | Tomas Rodriguez | 3.5 / 5 stars | 06-30-2020 | The shootings are not bad for West of Dead, because after all, that’s where it has to stand out. What we have here is a twin-stick shooter with an aerial camera that stands out almost entirely from the frenzy that characterises this type of game. It’s not about moving very fast, shooting at full speed, and dodging thousands of enemy projectiles. On the contrary: West of Dead is a slow and methodical game. | Read review |
Screen Rant | Peter Morics | 4 / 5 stars | 07-08-2020 | West of Dead is a difficult but deeply satisfying twin-stick shooter with a unique cover-based twist and a strong performance from Ron Perlman. | Read review |
SelectButton | Kevin Mitchell | 8 / 10 | 07-07-2020 | West of Dead provides an adequate challenge set across an intriguing premise. | Read review |
Shacknews | Donovan Erskine | 8 / 10 | 06-23-2020 | Upstream Arcade’s West of Dead is an impressive roguelike. With a solid twin-stick shooting system, West of Dead has a more than serviceable gameplay loop. However, the game is truly anchored by it’s incredible visuals and art design. Add on top of this an excellent voice performance and unique sense of worldbuilding, and you’ve got a roguelike formidable in any standoff. | Read review |
TechRaptor | Alex Santa Maria | 9 / 10 | 06-18-2020 | Thanks to a moody atmosphere and precise mechanics, West of Dead perfectly wraps the tense feeling of cover shooting around a solid roguelike core. | Read review |
The Digital Fix | Andrew Shaw | 7 / 10 | 09-02-2020 | West of Dead adds enough new elements to an overdone genre to keep things interesting and the visual design is truly stunning. If it had more to offer in terms of exploration and map size along with some more enemies to shoot, this would be even better. | Read review |
TheSixthAxis | Thomas Hughes | 8 / 10 | 06-18-2020 | West of Dead shakes up the roguelite formula with its fantastic cover system, but it’s more than that. With the addition of Ron Pearlman voicing William Mason, a stylistic cel-shaded art style and a captivating story to uncover, West of Dead is a winning combination that will have you as happy as a pup with two tails. | Read review |
Video Chums | A.J. Maciejewski | 4 / 10 | 07-02-2020 | It may take a while to learn how to play West of Dead effectively but the journey is ultimately rewarding and a ton of gunslinging fun. | Read review |
WayTooManyGames | Jordan Hawes | 8 / 10 | 07-01-2020 | Roguelikes are a dime a dozen nowadays, especially in the indie scene. A lot of them end up falling flat because they don’t understand what makes the genre so addicting to begin with. That wasn’t the case here. Aside from a few issues and its slow beginning, West of Dead sits at the top of the pile, being one of my favories games in the genre. | Read review |
Game Info
Purgatory, Wyoming, 1888. A place of gun smoke and darkness, sin and damnation, wendigos and witches. A shifting, chaotic world that takes its form from the memories, culture or beliefs of the souls who pass through. When a dead man awakens with only the memory of a figure in black, he sets into motion a chain of events that have truly mythic consequences. Step into the boots of the dead man William Mason (voiced by Ron Perlman) and descend into the grim and gritty world of Purgatory in this fast-paced twin-stick shooter that’ll put your skills to test. Dodge behind cover as you try to outgun your enemies in the unknown procedurally generated hunting grounds. The Wild West has never been this dark.
RELEASE DATES:
DEVELOPER(S):
- Upstream Arcade
PUBLISHER(S):
- Raw Fury
GENRES:
- Action
SERIES/FRANCHISE:
- n/a
GAME MODES:
- Single player
GAME ENGINE:
- -
DLC:
- -
BUNDLED IN:
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PRODUCER(S):
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DESIGNER(S):
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PROGRAMMER(S):
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ARTIST(S):
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WRITER(S):
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COMPOSER(S):
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GAME MODES:
- Single player
GAME ENGINE:
- n/a
DLC:
- n/a
BUNDLED IN:
- n/a
DIRECTOR(S):
- n/a
PRODUCER(S):
- n/a
DESIGNER(S):
- n/a
PROGRAMMER(S):
- n/a
ARTIST(S):
- n/a
WRITER(S):
- n/a
COMPOSER(S):
- n/a
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