''Evil West'' is a 2022
Hack and slash game developed by
Flying Wild Hog
Flying Wild Hog Sp. z o.o. is a Polish video game developer based in Warsaw and founded in 2009. The company is best known for the 2013 reboot of '' Shadow Warrior'', and its 2016 sequel, '' Shadow Warrior 2''.
History
Flying Wild Hog was e ...
and published by
Focus Entertainment
Focus Entertainment (formerly Focus Home Interactive) is a French video game publisher based in Paris. It is a subsidiary of PulluP Entertainment Group. Founded in 1996, Focus has published and distributed original titles such as ''Sherlock Holm ...
. The game was released for
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
,
PlayStation 5
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...
,
Windows
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
,
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
and
Xbox Series X/S
The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part o ...
on 22 November 2022. It received mixed reviews from critics.
Gameplay
''Evil West'' is a
third-person shooter
Third-person shooter (TPS) is a subgenre of 3D shooter games in which the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related to first-person shooters, but with the player character visible on-screen during play. While 2D shoot 'em ...
. The player assumes control of Jesse Rentier, a
vampire hunter
A vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a fictional occupation in folklore and fiction which specializes in finding vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures. A vampire hunter is usually described as having extensive knowledge of vampir ...
. Jesse is equipped with several powerful firearms including a six-shot revolver, a lever-action rifle, and a flamethrower. He also has access to various melee attacks through a specialized
gauntlet capable of accumulating electrical energy. Enemies can be stunned and staggered following a melee attack, allowing players to execute them using a special finisher move. Players can use the environment to their advantage. For instance, they can kick enemies into a spike trap, or shoot explosive barrels. Players will occasionally encounter
boss characters, which are powerful enemies with unique attack patterns. As the player progresses, they will
level up and gain skills and abilities. The campaign can be played cooperatively with another player.
Plot
Premise
Jesse Rentier (portrayed by Derek Hagen), one of the last agents of a clandestine vampire-hunting organization, must protect the
American frontier
The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the Geography of the United States, geography, History of the United States, history, Folklore of the United States, folklore, and Cultur ...
from supernatural monstrosities.
Synopsis
Jesse Rentier is an agent of the Rentier Institute, a secret organization dedicated to battling supernatural creatures such as the Sanguisuge, vampires that prey on humanity. Working together with retired agent Edgar Gravenor, they follow the trail of Peter D'Abano, a high ranking vampire that advocates for declaring war on humanity before their technology develops to the point where it will become a threat to the Sanguisuge. The Sanguisuge leadership, wanting to stay in the shadows, reject D'Abano's plan and sentence him and his entire line to death. Jesse and Edgar then ambush D'Abano and capture his head, taking it back to the Manor, the Rentier Institute's headquarters.
Upon arriving, Jesse is given a special Gauntlet by his father William who reveals it is capable of breaking the magical Glamours the Sanguisuge use to hide themselves. During a presentation of the Gauntlet in front of Assistant Secretary of War James Harrow, D'Abano's daughter Felicity attacks the Manor, killing most of the staff and agents stationed there and recovering D'Abano's head. With William critically wounded, Jesse, Edgar, and Harrow flee to the nearby city of Calico where they make contact with the local Rentier Institute cell, led by Emilia Blackwell. Suspecting that William may have been infected with vampirism by Felicity, Edgar heads off by himself to find a possible cure for the infection while Jesse works to repair the Gauntlet.
While recovering the parts needed to repair the Gauntlet, Jesse finds that Felicity has been siphoning blood from the cadavers of mythical pre-Columbian beasts to create her own army of creatures called Foulbloods. He destroys Felicity's blood source and returns to Calico to find that his father has indeed been infected by vampire blood and is in the process of turning into Felicity's Familiar. With time short, Jesse heads out to find Edgar and the cure and injects it into William. However, William is still briefly telepathically linked with Felicity and warns Jesse she is in Dickinson, an important rail hub. Jesse heads to Dickinson, but is unable to prevent Felicity from escaping. With little other choice, Jesse heads to an abandoned Rentier Institute lab to further upgrade his Gauntlet.
Returning to Calico, Jesse is confronted by Harrow, who has discovered they have kept William alive in violation of protocol, and orders him to kill William. When Jesse and the rest of the Calico cell refuse, Harrow leaves, promising to withdraw the US government's support. Jesse then reunites with Edgar, and learn from their vampire informant Chester that Felicity is planning to attack Washington D.C. Chester also warns them that the cure they used on William is only temporary, and will not stop him from eventually turning. Jesse and Edgar rush back to Calico, but arrive to find out that William had turned in their absence, killed several members of the Calico cell- including their engineer Virgil, and then fled. Realizing his father is too far gone, Jesse promises to hunt William down.
Jesse follows William's trail to Felicity's base in Persephone, where he reluctantly kills him. He then proceeds to Felicity's headquarters in Carmine City, where she is using the local bank to finance her activities. While Felicity is already gone, Jesse recaptures D'Abano, who under interrogation reveals Felicity has already left to ambush President Grover Cleveland so she can turn him. Jesse and his friends follow Felicity. While his friends secure President Cleveland, Jesse confronts Felicity and manages to kill her.
Emilia informs President Cleveland of how Harrow has been abusing his position for profit, leading to his arrest and dismissal. President Cleveland then promises to reinstate the Rentier Institute and give it his full backing. Knowing that the war against the Sanguisuge is far from over, Jesse and Emilia begin to come up with ideas to rebuild and reform the Rentier Institute.
Development and release
''Evil West'' was developed by Polish studio
Flying Wild Hog
Flying Wild Hog Sp. z o.o. is a Polish video game developer based in Warsaw and founded in 2009. The company is best known for the 2013 reboot of '' Shadow Warrior'', and its 2016 sequel, '' Shadow Warrior 2''.
History
Flying Wild Hog was e ...
. The game's combo system was inspired by the ''
Devil May Cry
is a science fantasy action-adventure game franchise created by Hideki Kamiya. It is primarily developed and published by Capcom. The series centers on the demon hunter Dante (Devil May Cry), Dante and his efforts to thwart various demon invas ...
'' series, while the third-person perspective and melee combat were inspired by 2018's ''
God of War
A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in polytheism, polytheistic religions.
Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been portrayed in their ...
''.
Flying Wild Hog and publisher
Focus Entertainment
Focus Entertainment (formerly Focus Home Interactive) is a French video game publisher based in Paris. It is a subsidiary of PulluP Entertainment Group. Founded in 1996, Focus has published and distributed original titles such as ''Sherlock Holm ...
announced their partnership in September 2020. The game was announced at
The Game Awards 2020
The Game Awards 2020 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2020. It was produced and hosted by Geoff Keighley, and took place on December 10, 2020. The preshow ceremony was hosted by Sydnee Goodman. Unlike previous Game Awards, ...
. The game was initially set to be released on 20 September 2022 for
Windows
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
,
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
,
PlayStation 5
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...
,
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
and
Xbox Series X/S
The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part o ...
, but was later delayed to 22 November 2022.
Reception
''Evil West'' received "mixed or average" reviews from critics for the PC and PS5 versions, while the Xbox Series X/S version received "generally favorable" reviews, according to
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
.
References
External links
* {{official website, https://www.focus-entmt.com/en/games/evil-west
2022 video games
Focus Entertainment games
PlayStation 4 games
PlayStation 5 games
Third-person shooters
Unreal Engine 4 games
Video games about vampires
Video games developed in Poland
Video games set in the American frontier
Western (genre) video games
Windows games
Xbox Cloud Gaming games
Xbox One games
Xbox Series X and Series S games