Hard West

As stated before on other steamy forums a while ago, devs really do need to increase font size, or change the font whatsoever. I'm at the beginning of the game and while I'll readily admit I don't have much experience with the gameplay to review so far, it is a real pain reading those tiny tiny letters. It could be because I'm using 4:3 aspect ratio on a 19", but this simply is unacceptable. My monitor is no more than a meter away and yet I find it really hard to read the on-screen text. I genuinely enjoy the atmosphere and the story but the effort I need to put in reading the interface completely ruins it for me.

The story is very good - mixing the West with a horror setup. The gameplay consists in a number of "scenarios" (chapters of the campaign), following a number of interrelated of characters/events. Phases of these scenarios are (1) simulation of combats in a squad-based western type combat, (2) exploration of a map with events and choices, sometime management (food or money). The combat phases are very well done, with a very good luck/"MP" system (if the RNG decides you evade an attack, then you lose some luck. Luck is also the basis of some very powerful abilities.). The cover system is also very well thought (see also the negatives below). The exploration phases are OK, choices are simple (this is very good for me). They tell the story while avoiding the map-after-map syndrome. Replayability is low unless you wait the time to forget the elements of the story. I played in "normal" difficulty, I recommend going "hard" from the beginning. I suspect Hard+game modifiers is extremely difficult, needing you to constantly optimize your weapons, buffs and modifiers. Finally: I have not encountered any game breaking bug. I wanted to give a 4.5 rating, so 5 it will be. Negatives: - the cover systems works almost always, but not always: more than once, one of the enemies would benefit from a full or half cover while being attacked from behind. - enemies benefits from an automatic over-watch zone, based on proximity - if one of your character enters the zone, he/she can be automatically attack. This is a very good mechanism... but your characters don't benefit from it: they don't have it, not even as an ability (e.g., in some game, you can use some AP to go in overwatch mode).

It's got a few glitches, but it's an interesting concept. I haven't seen another horror/western mashup and the poker hands/cards giving special abilities is also different. On the other hand it IS glitchy, only has a small replay value, and the campaign leads you by the nose. Buy it on sale; it comes up often enough.

Nice game, with more plot than the sequel

The story is just plain weird, but in a good way. The combat is X-Com-like, with nice little twists. A fun way to spend a few hours.