PC/Mac/Linux, iOS (coming in 2017) •
As a kid I had no use for the Old West. Immersed in things like D&D, Tolkien, and Dragonlance, the Old West seemed like a boring, dusty place filled with images and stories that just didn’t push my buttons. As an adult, I stumbled onto the Deadlands RPG, and all the possibilities and adventure of the Old West suddenly made sense to me. These days, my favorite TV show of all time is Deadwood and I didn’t miss an episode of last year’s Westworld. Thus, when I heard about West of Loathing, I was excited. An RPG set in the untamed West that would, eventually, be coming to iOS? Sign me up! Then I saw the screenshots, and had to wonder what the hell was going on.
If you take a look at the game, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. West of Loathing is a “stick-figure” RPG, and the graphics look as if pulled directly from the margin doodles of my 3rd grade math book. It’s a unique look, and sets the less-than-serious tone of West of Loathing perfectly. Think Blazing Saddles instead of The Unforgiven and you’re on the right track.
Yes, West of Loathing is pitched as a “comedy RPG” and, after playing for a bit, I have to say I don’t disagree. The game is actually pretty damn funny, with the closest comparisons I can think of being the LucasArt point-and-click adventures of the 90’s.
Don’t let the comedy fool you, though. This is a true RPG with a big, open world to explore and tons of NPCs to interact with. For the tactically minded among us, there is also turn-based combat if you’re the type with an itchy trigger finger.
Features
- A sprawling open world
- Quests, puzzles, and mysteries galore
- Dozens of NPCs and hundreds of enemies
- Nearly 100 unique locations to explore
- Thousands of jokes, gags, and goofs
- Liberal use of the Oxford comma
- Lush hand-drawn black and white graphics
- Crunchy turn-based combat (but only if you want it)
- Over 60 hats
- Disreputable saloons
- Several gulches
- A drunken horse
West of Loathing was released this morning for PC/Mac/Linux on Steam and it’s on sale for the next week. If you jump on it right now, you can pick it up for just under $10. For those of you who are more mobile minded, it is coming to iOS later this year, but a release date hasn’t been revealed.
I’m hoping to get a review of the Mac version up soon but, goddammit, it’s summer and I just don’t seem to have enough time to do anything these days. When does school start again?
After two nights of staying up entirely too late to finish “just one more quest”. I think this is in the running for GOTY for me.
I mean, this joke alone was worth the entry cost.
This game is easily one of the funniest games I’ve ever played. By a country mile.