Blood West

Blood West offers flexible, skill-driven mechanics. Whether players approach it with stealthy backstabs or gunslinging headshots, the open-ended levels encourage creative approaches in an imaginative setting with plenty to see and do. It isn’t the most polished or evenly balanced, and the tone can feel more comedic than horror. It feels more like Evil Dead than Bone Tomahawk.

A breath of fresh malodorous air, Blood West's take on ponderous demonic murder in a Wild West that is as weird as it is wild feels overdue for a setting that has otherwise stagnated with traditional open world efforts and fairly dunderheaded shooters. Sure, it's a little rough around the edges and the low-poly, retro 90s visuals invariably won't be for everyone, but there's an old-fashioned earnestness to its design and approach to progression that is almost overwhelmingly endearing all the same.

Blood West despite its underwhelming narrative and lackluster Souls like, Immersive Sim elements still offers its own unique spin on Stalker gameplay set in a Wild West. And even though the game managed to be sometimes too difficult or a little bit too frustrating at times, it never stopped being fun.

If I had to sum up Blood West, it’s an incredibly fun—albeit challenging—game. If you don’t give up right after the first mission, I promise you’ll have a blast. In addition to a fairly interesting story and creepy enemies, the game manages to create a genuinely terrifying atmosphere despite its pixelated retro look. I’ll also give it bonus points for the catchy music. That’s why I have no choice but to wholeheartedly recommend it to you.

Blood West is an FPS with a strong stealth component and a difficulty worthy of soulslike that will see you try and try various ways to eliminate enemies. The penalties given every time you die can make your character almost unplayable in the long run, but once you've tamed the insane difficulty curve, the various builds you can do are very different from each other and you'll definitely have fun experimenting. The sound is excellent and the lowpoly graphics are good, although it would have been appropriate to make the maps a little richer. Some will find it very punishing, and the absence of difficulty levels doesn't come to its aid, but the Wild West is an unforgiving world.

Blood West is a fantastic stealth FPS with some light immersive sim elements. The world feels incredibly bleak, yet super atmospheric, definitely worth the pickup!

If you are a fan of classic stealth FPS games, classic FPS games, or even Western games in general, Blood West will be right up your alley. And if you’re not, Blood West may still be worth your time if you have any interest in it based on some of its other factors such as the eldritch horror, resource management, or even challenging gameplay. As someone who hasn’t had as much experience with stealth FPS games, it did take a bit of time to get accustomed to its workings, but once I hit my stride, I found it hard to put the game down.

Blood West is a great addition to the horror western genre with level design and a range of approaches that would be fitting for an immersive sim. The chapter bosses can be a little underwhelming, but after nearly 30 hours spent in this world, I highly recommend you do the same. Just don't expect to come back alive…

Atmospheric, complex, and addictive, Blood West will definitely appeal to fans of immersive projects.

Blood West doesn't pull any punches and is more than happy to kill you over and over again, but it makes overcoming the odds so satisfying.