‘Evil West’ is the Throwback Action Game We’ve Been in Desperate Need Of

In an age where every game is jam-packed with side-quests, deep RPG mechanics, and built-in online elements, finding a title that’s an unapologetic love-letter to straightforward action games of yesteryear is actually difficult. Those expansive and ambitious games are fantastic in their own right, but Evil West is an antidote to the often over-complicated nature of the industry at the moment, delivering a fun, direct, and confident game that scratches the itch of those looking for frenetic, bloody action without endless menu-tinkering.

Coming from Flying Wild Hog, the team behind the rebooted Shadow Warrior series, Evil West wastes absolutely no time in throwing you into the boots of Jesse Rentier, a vampire hunter armed with a weaponised gauntlet, some serious firepower, and a snappy attitude. You’re not going to get an Oscar-winning performance here, but enough (perhaps intentional) B-movie shlock and one-liners that make playing through Evil West a light-hearted joy. The only real critique is that some more lore exposition and background as to why the world is the way it is (along with how the steampunk-inspired technology works) would’ve fleshed out the plot.

That aside, Evil West knows exactly what it wants to be, and does it with full vigour. Throwing a bloody haymaker into a vampire before shotgun-blasting it back to whatever hole it came from is worth the price of admission thanks to some very tactile and punchy combat that makes fisticuffs with vampires and other monstrosities incredibly satisfying.

Flipping between melee combat, gunplay, and utilising the environmental hazards to your advantage (uppercutting a vamp into a pile of TNT never gets old) is enjoyable enough, but the enemy designs also need to be commended, as each creature features quite unique attacks, traits, and visual appearances, making the way in which you have to adapt to fight them feel quite strategic, despite the chaotic bloodshed.

There is some exploration thrown into the mix, but you won’t be searching for where to go very often, as the game literally highlights the route to take next; but it’s intentional, as Flying Wild Hog clearly wanted to keep the momentum up and keep you moving. There are exploration parts or a hidden chest around the corner, but this is pretty much a shoot-and-move experience.

Evil West feels like a game from a bygone period of the last couple of generations, and we mean that in the best of ways. It’s direct, confident, and delivers simple mechanics but a wealth of ways to combo them together for a fun gameplay loop. It’s weirdly reminiscent of gems like Wet and 50 Cent: Blood in the Sand, and much like those games, Evil West will likely become a cult classic in years to come.

Evil West is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS4, and PC.