Blaze a trail back to the dark heart of the West in Hard West 2.
You are Gin Carter, a notorious outlaw with a reputation as dangerous as the frontier itself.
On the hunt for a big score, you hear talk that the legendary “Ghost Train” is heading your way loaded with federal gold. This is...
Blaze a trail back to the dark heart of the West in Hard West 2.
You are Gin Carter, a notorious outlaw with a reputation as dangerous as the frontier itself.
On the hunt for a big score, you hear talk that the legendary “Ghost Train” is heading your way loaded with federal gold. This is the one.
You swiftly assemble a posse of outlaws, some with guns, others with the kind of supernatural skills that make saloon bars fall silent in a split second.
Night falls and the posse rides out, silhouetted in the spectral light of the moon. Together, you transform the prairie into an ungodly land echoing with gunfire and the screams of the hunted.
But once on board the train, you discover it’s not named the “Ghost Train” for nothing. What follows is the fight of your life through the uncharted badlands of the Hard West, propelled by bullets, witchcraft, and your pursuit of personal salvation at any cost.
Chase down the devil himself and take back what he stole — your soul.
Features
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UNDEAD: Folktales of the far West collide with the darkness of the occult in an unforgiving land riddled with as many demons as there are bullets.
CONQUER THE DARK FRONTIER: Explore the far reaches of the Wild West in a desperate fight to save your soul. Discover more about your posse as you wander the lands, from snow-covered vistas to frontier towns, struggling to survive in a merciless world. Make brutal choices and learn to live with the gruesome consequences.
SHOW YOUR BRAVADO: Rack up kills to activate your Bravado State and replenish your Action Points as you roam the land taking down anyone — or anything — that gets in your way. Chain together stylish kills of multiple foes to extend your streak and shore up your reputation as a legendary gunslinger.
SUPERCHARGED POSSE: Unearth mysterious playing cards to build your posse’s poker hands, and kit them out with punchier guns, explosives, trinkets, or just a square meal of beans and whiskey to keep them in top six-shooter shape.
UNNATURAL LEADER: Like it or not, responsibility for your growing posse of gunslinging outlaws, teleporting witches, and other mysterious beings lands at your boot-clad feet. But be careful who you listen to and what you ask them to do. The right choices lead to more Loyalty Points and useful new skills for those closest to you, but choosing poorly will test their commitment to your cause.
SHOOTOUTS ON THE MOVE: With projectiles of lead and witchcraft, the turn-based combat happens in dynamically shifting environments, keeping your brain as busy as your trigger finger. Let your imagination of Westerns run wild, from chases on horseback to tense train hold ups, as you hone your strategic skills to a fine edge.
While I still have a preference for the first one, Hard West 2 remains a fun and enjoyable game. The "story" is a little bit on the light side and there were some annoying issues in the initial release but most of these have been fixed through patch 1. Although there has been a slight delay, GOG version is now up-to-date and the game can now be recommended.
Gameplay-wise, this is a turn-based strategy game in a fantasy western setting. Some nice additions (like the missions aboard running trains) are bringing some fresh ideas. On the other hand, some missions are a little bit weaker than others.
Technically speaking, the game is running smoothly and the improved loading times coming with the patch are a welcome update.
Globally, a 4-stars game definitely worth the asked price if you like the genre.
But if you haven't played either and like such tactical games, I'd recommend Hard West 1.
I beat 2 on Nightmare mode. 😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎
This game improves on the in-map features. Melee bravado streaks are awesome. Nightmare mode requires a lot of bravado and the turn time issue can be tough, but it's all doable. Including all optional objectives.
The first game felt darker. The second game's dark immersion was mildly tarnished with some out of tune jokes like "FAT LOOT" and mistaking one character's name as "Butt." Also, no demon transformations. Gameplay is changed up a bit too. I also felt more invested in the first game's characters, though the voice acting in 2 was great. The main adversary wasn't particularly enthralling.
Still! Enjoyable enough. Good tactical combat and great OST.
If there was another sequel, I'd love to see darker moments akin to the bodies mounted on crosses.
Looking at the other review, learning it wasn't made by the same maker, makes sense.
This is an example a perfect game sequel. The first title enthralled me with the game mechanics, while entertaining me with an extremely well written storyline. Upon finishing the game, I wanted more. As soon as I saw the sequel was on sale, I bouth it for a little more than the $10 I usually spend on games. This series continues to impress on every aspect; gameplay, story, graphics. The poker-inspired special skills system is truly a work of programming art. As a programmer, this sort of creativity makes me want to work for this creative developer. Any fan of TBS games and/or the weird-west genre must play this game.
I love both tactical RPGs (it's my favourite genre) and puzzly games, so take the rest of the review with that in mind. Hard West 2 was a perfect fit for me, because its a blend of those two genres. Thematic world, nice graphics, great voice acting, good music, companions with personalities, good choices (with light consequences, but still) and sense of humor complements each other perfectly. Tactical combats are very well designed, and with competent enemies. Difficulty is on the easier side, meaning hard is about normal. For veterans, I recommend the highest one, it's super fun to have a turn limit. The Bravado! system is better than chain kills in Gears Tactics, CP system in Mechanicus and militia kills in Expeditions: Rome altogether, because of how cover and ricochets works in this game; it makes every turn an incredibly satisfying puzzle to solve. But the best thing about this game is NO FILLER MISSIONS, every mission has meaning, none feels like they were added just to prolong the game; this game respects your time and gives you a lot of fun in return, which is super important for me.
I'm nitpicking here, but this game feels less epic than some of the other titles in the genre. No legendary gear makes it a little bit less fun too. And no actual boss encounters, with unique mechanics, feel a little bit like a wasted opportunity.
The game was perfectly stable build and bug - free for me. So, Wasteland 3 and Pathfinder: WotR, it turns out you can make a stable and optimized game with Unity engine after all, right? ;-)
Overall, this is an excellent game. Not a 60-hour chore for 60 bucks, stuffed with filler missions, but rather half that for half the price. And you know what? I, for one, prefer this style of desing. It's not revolutionary, but a 9/10 it gets from me is absolutely due in this case.
