You are one of the last agents of an elite, rough and ready vampire hunting organisation sanctioned by the Government in an old timey western frontier.

From developers, Flying Wild Hog comes Evil West. A story based game that sees you take on the role of Jesse Rentier. A sarcastically humoured, no nonsense cowboy sided by his long time friend Edgar Gravenor, tracking and killing evil beasts that dwell in the dark, come up from the depths and break through ‘invisible’ glamoured zones throughout the wild west America.

But something is going on. The evil seems to be wider spread and growing in strength with all manner of monstrosities appearing and needing to be taken down.

Gameplay is third person and very linear.

While there are hidden spots to briefly explore (exploring will net you extra cash and story or lore related items) your paths are well set out.

Most of the more open areas end up becoming a battle arena as hordes of bigger and badder foes besiege you.

Jesse is not without artillery and gadgets though.

You will have a trusty revolver and get more weaponry as you progress and level up.

While bullets are unlimited, your primary guns can only hold so much ammo until you are able to upgrade them.

You also have permanently fixed to your arm a cyber-punk Gauntlet that literally packs a punch, this too will upgrade with more ferocity as well as the ability to electro-shock and more.

Evil West has two systems of upping your game.

The level up system sees you rewarded with a token once you gain an additional level, you can spend this via the Skills menu on abilities within the skill tree.

Secondly is your cash that you either get rewarded or find.

Buy upgrades, new melee combos and features to your primary weapons via the menu, at any time during play.

Evil West was actually a game I had been looking forward to. While it wasn’t as open world as I would’ve liked it to be, for me personally, it didn’t disappoint either.

Proportionally Evil West felt and plays a bit like a classic action adventure from the days of PlayStation 3 or Xbox  360 but with current gen graphics and fluidity. An old skool feel with present day play.

It is also a game that leaves it to you as to how you play. If you take the time and look around you’ll get more of the narrative and find out more lore. Gaining these hidden nuggets of info is advisable, the story may make more sense.

That said, if you just want to run and gun, you can.

Evil West can be played single or in co-op.

Co-op I found, made the game’s combat moments a little too quick and easy.

While Evil West may not be a full on in-depth open-world action extravaganza it is a satisfying and worthy play of some decent length.

If you were a fan of ‘Darkwatch’ back in the day (PlayStation 2), Evil West is the current gen surrogate sequel (or prequal?).

And there’s nothing better than having the old west fused with gore, horror and vampire hunting.

The post Evil West (PlayStation 5) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Evil West, the dark fantasy, Weird Wild West, third-person action game from Focus Entertainment and Flying Wild Hog, just got its long-awaited release date.

Coming to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC, the game will release on September 20th, 2022.

Jump right into frantic, gory carnage in a vampire-infested Wild West as the trailer introduces gunslinger Jesse Rentier on his mission to eradicate the supernatural terror.

As the star agent in his father’s undercover monster-hunting organization, his fight is also a personal war against the nightmarish leading figures in the vampire world. Take on Jesse’s role as the final line between humanity and the vampire threat, rise up to become a Wild West Superhero and save the United States.

Get fired up by the explosive third-person action gameplay featuring an overpowering arsenal of weapons and guns. Take part in stylish, visceral combat as you unleash hell with your firearms, lightning-fueled gauntlet and gadgets.

Pre-orders are now open on Steam and on the Focus Entertainment Store with an exclusive cover art.

The post Evil West Release Date appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Flying Wild Hog’s Trek to Yomi is a sword-fighting game that seeks to capture the look and feel of a black and white Japanese samurai movie.

The Assassin’s Creed influenced PlayStation 4 game, Ghost of Tsushima, owed a lot of its visual style to the movies of visionary Japanese movie director Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa’s movies also served as the inspiration for The Magnificent Seven and even Star Wars.

Trek to Yomi is not only inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s movies, like Seven Samurai and Yojimbo but also seeks to place players right in a vintage Japanese samurai movie. From the stressed, warts-and-all, high-contrast black and white film look to the cinematic camera angles, the game is a love letter to this classic movie genre. The result is a modern and rather unique take on the classic side-scrolling fighting game.

The game’s plot is a simple one of duty and revenge. After the destruction of his village by raiders and the death of his master, the young warrior Hiroki embarks on a journey to defeat the invaders. As Hiroki, players must make their way through a cinematic landscape that looks so real, that you’d think it was footage from an old movie.

Whilst most of the movement is a 2D left-to-right affair, the environments are fully realised in 3D with Hiroki occasionally walking into and out of the background. There’s also an element of exploration with secret areas concealing collectibles and perks. The path forward is not always clear, with multiple paths. Some areas have hidden rewards, but others may have enemies lying in wait.

The combat is in 2D and looks deceptively simple. The basic moves consist of quick weak attacks and slow strong attacks, as well as blocks and parries. Combo moves are unlocked as the game progresses. Throwing stars can be picked along the way to stun enemies giving Hiroki an extra edge. Later on, a more effective bow becomes available, again with ammo collected from the environment.  Enemies often attack in numbers, approaching from the rear as well as the front. It is a bit of a button-masher, but the use of blocks and rolls are essential to winning fights. A carefully timed block will throw the enemy off guard enough to deliver a few direct hits.

The game caters to all sorts of players with three difficulty levels- kabuki, bushido, and ronin, with kensei unlocked on completion of the game. Even on the lower difficulties enemies still put up a fight, although they deal less damage.

There are shrines at certain points that once activated replenish Hiroki’s health. They also act as checkpoints should Hiroki be defeated and is at these points that he will respawn for another attempt.

The game is fairly short, capping off at about six hours. The higher difficulties give it some replay value, but once I’d enjoyed the spectacle of it all, the combat alone was not enough for me to want to try it again.

As with all Devolver Digital published games, Trek to Yomi is a well-presented and polished affair. The graphics are nothing short of stunning, perfectly capturing the visual style of an old samurai movie. The lighting is fantastic which along with the high contrast black and white palette adds to the movie-film look. The visuals look so good that, at a glance, the game looks almost indistinguishable from the celluloid inspiration.

If you are at all into Japanese samurai movies, Trek to Yomi was made for you and if you long for a modern take on a 2D side-scroll, the game also delivers. In any case, if you are after a polished game that is a bit different you should also give Trek to Yomi a try.

The PC version of Trek to Yomi was provided by the publisher for review. The game is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Microsoft Windows.

Trek to Yomi is currently available free to PC and Xbox One/Series X|S as part of the Xbox Game Pass subscription.

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