As we head ever closer to the much-awaited arrival of Evil West, we’ve had one more chance to go hands on with the game and check out a whole new level of the vampire-slaying action adventure. After our last hands on took us on a trip to a derelict town in the old west, this time we were heading to the frozen tundra, a place considerably colder but no less full of the undead to despatch. It certainly doubles down on what we’ve seen previously, further cementing Evil West as one to watch this autumn.
As we head into this level, Vergil Olney, seemingly an administrative member of the Rentier Institute and someone who has an unerring knack of getting to places ahead of you, tells us that you’ve been sent out to locate a batch of missing coils. These coils do something important, but Jesse Rentier isn’t too interested in what that is. What you should know is that the previous batch of Rentier Institute representatives never came back, feeding into the ever-deepening mysteries surrounding what has been discovered in the darkness below this mining town. You can bet it isn’t anything good.
There’s a heap of the story’s heavy lifting done by notes and letters discovered dotted around the world, and these fully-voiced missives certainly help to set the tone for the narrative and the characters within it. Jesse himself is also an enjoyably gruff type to spend some time with, and his down-to-earth responses to the sinister shenanigans surrounding him make him all the more loveable.
Combat remains Evil West’s highlight. The hard-hitting and weighty action feels like Epic’s Gears of War or Relic’s Space Marine mashed together with brawlers like Tekken, all pulled together by the evocative steam-tech. Glowing reticules allow you to perform a powerful targeted shot, while a flashing enemy indicates you can do a melee finisher, regaining some health while you’re at it. It’s pretty full on – Evil West has no qualms about sending legions of horrific creatures at you – but you’re certainly equipped to take them all on.
You’ll pick up the Crippling Rod, a handy device left by the previous expedition that allows you to electrocute vampiric enemies while being completely harmless to humans. There’s a cooldown so you can’t just rely on its stunning abilities, but it’s a deeply useful addition to your ass-kicking collection.
We got to take a closer look at the perks and upgrade trees this time out, with Jesse’s repertoire of violent actions steadily growing, expanding on the opening abilities with new combos, more powerful finishers or entirely new moves. Each of your key tools – the melee gauntlet, revolver and Rentier’s suite of creations – are able to be upgrading, adding additional effects such as invulnerability when you use the healing ability or a punishing follow-up shot when you launch an enemy. Based on the position on the tree it feels like this level is about a third of the way into the game, and it’s clear there’s more to come, both narratively and gameplay-wise.
Evil West’s gameplay is thus far resolutely traditional in its third-person activities, as you collect cash, blow up TNT, smash open doors, push carts into the right place and throw switches. Hell, there’s even an on-rails mine cart section. It doesn’t feel remotely onerous though, and when the setting is so interesting and entertaining, and the combat is so utterly brilliant, that it’s not too much of a concern. Whether that plays out for the entirety of the game remains to be seen, but it doesn’t feel like Evil West will outstay its welcome.
Evil West is the kind of game we all need, entertaining, exciting and evidently chockful of ugly vampiric creatures to slay. Perfect for Christmas then, isn’t it?
