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Review RPG Codex Review: Hard West

Invictus

Arcane
The Real Fanboy
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
2,789
Location
Mexico
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Dont dare quote "The good the bad and the ugly" and not mention "the extasy of gold" or the standoff bit of "the trio" as memorable; they are every bit as memorable as the main title for anybody who actualy watched the movie
Although you Conan comment is spot on, maybe the best pure fantasy soundtrack ever and the best of Basil Poleduris
 

Darkzone

Arcane
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
2,323
Dont dare quote "The good the bad and the ugly" and not mention "the extasy of gold" or the standoff bit of "the trio" as memorable; they are every bit as memorable as the main title for anybody who actualy watched the movie
Although you Conan comment is spot on, maybe the best pure fantasy soundtrack ever and the best of Basil Poleduris
You mean "L'Estasi Dell'oro" that is also the opener to all Metallica concerts and "Il Triello". Very few people know this music pieces by name and connect them to the film and especially to a certain situation in the film, but for a fan of the film and the whole dollar trilogy they are naturally well known.
You see in this world there is two kinds of people my friend: those with taste in music and the deaf.
Good to know that there is someone on the codex that loves as much Ennio Morricone as i do and the dollar trilogy, or at least the "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" soundtrack.
 

Mrowak

Arcane
Joined
Sep 26, 2008
Messages
3,947
Project: Eternity
I played it encouraged by positive reviews. I think I am mid-game now, and I swear I am having a blast, moreso than with any game from previous year. Unique western theme combined with subtle horror setting (I admit, when they added mild witchcraft to mix I was sold) and fun, choose your own adventure decisions, and tried-and-true competent tactical gameplay formula - what's not to like.

I don't understand the criticism of soundtrack, I found it very fitting to tactical game formula, while decisively heartpounding when it needed to be.
 

circ

Arcane
Joined
Jun 4, 2009
Messages
11,470
Location
Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Gave this a try sometime early december I think. Bored West would be a more apt title.

You don't stick around with any character long enough to get to know them. Scenarios play out the same through different playthroughs. C&C consists of - do really dumb shit that will obviously make things (slightly) harder for you. Cards don't really matter enough. Only one save slot, quiche? Overwatch for the opposing force, but none for you, quiche? Weapons aren't particularly varied. I did not see any point in using medicinals even once, other than healing. Luck system is just unrefined. And combat is pretty meh overall.

I liked the injury system though.
 

Jools

Eater of Apples
Patron
Joined
Feb 1, 2009
Messages
10,652
Location
Mêlée Island
Codex 2014 Make the Codex Great Again! Insert Title Here Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Codex USB, 2014 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2
6 hours into the game, I cleared 4 "scenarios", here's some impressions.

Pros:
-Western settings will never be explored enough, in videogames. I've always craved for more, and despite how cool and usually well-received the genre has been, and is, in other media, developers just seem to snob the whole thing. So, yeah, this was welcome.
-TB combat is done alright-ish. Yeah, it features the 2-action limit, and it really feels like a ripoff of the system seen in nuXcom (and SR later), but it's still quite ok, and has a few nice touches here and there. At the end of the day, it gets the job done. Furthermore, if I'm not mistaken, considering it's all made in Unity I'd say they managed to make something decent despite the limitations of the platform ("good for what it is" attitude FTW). (see "combat" under "Cons", though...)
-Some graphic choices are really nice, and give bits of the game a comic-book feeling, visually speaking.
-The soundtrack is nice, but... (see cons)
-"Luck" is actually some refreshing "innovation", so to speak.
-The injury mechanic is actually nice.
-The game doesn't rely as much on the RNG as similar, TB-based, games.
-Limited-yet-fixed weapon damage and fairly low HP (both PCs and foes) amounts make combat slightly more interesting.

Cons:
-Magic, demons, afterlife... All that shizzle doesn't really cope well with The Wild West. Not imho, anyway. I wouldn't mind some "softcore" magic, maybe a curse or some shamanic powers or maybe even some Native mythology, spirits and all, but Hard West just goes into full derp territory instead.
-(continued from "Pros")...The soundtracks is more fit for a Noir game, than a Western.
-Combat is a bit simplistic, there aren't actually that many skills or "options", even across characters. This makes combat get a bit "trite", even boring, after a few "levels".
-The "world map" sections feel unrelated (to the actual game) and pointless, not to mention they really have a "FaceBook flash minigame" vibe to them.
-The game feels like a collection of "combat levels", barely (if at all) held together by a theme or overall story.
-The "cards" system could have been replaced with a "plain" skill/feats system.
-Weapon variety is abysmal.
[-No dynamite (yet?). Pfft.]
-No real plot. Nothing noteworthy, writing-wise.
-The sorry excuse for a story that we're presented with, really tries too hard at the beginning.
-Characters are bland. Really bland.

Final Edit:

I completed the game. To its credit, it was an alright change from the RPG settings we've been over-exposed to. I've played worse titles and by much bigger and better funded developers, so there's that, too. Overall, the game is enjoyable, has its ups and downs (see above), but comes across as at least "decent" in the end.

Honestly, I don't think I'll ever replay it, but I'm glad I played it once. I'd play a sequel, if they ever made one (where they'd improve all that was improvable in this title).
 
Last edited:

Trias_Betrayed

Scholar
Joined
Dec 24, 2015
Messages
138
I agree with what everyone else said, the lack of overwatch for pc's or explanation on why some npc's have it is really weird. There could be more active abilities, and the way the scenarios are split up is annoying because it does break up progression and immersion. That said, for the price I still think it's pretty fun game and recommend it personally.
 
Self-Ejected

Ludo Lense

Self-Ejected
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Messages
936
I wish to renounce authorship of the review regarding Hard West. Matters concerning said text lie solely with the site staff. From my side I do not wish to be associated or related to it in any way from this point onward.
 
Weasel
Joined
Dec 14, 2012
Messages
1,865,661
I wish to renounce authorship of the review regarding Hard West. Matters concerning said text lie solely with the site staff. From my side I do not wish to be associated or related to it in any way from this point onward.

Enlighten us bro, has Prime Junta claimed another victim with his nefarious schemes?
 
Joined
Dec 12, 2013
Messages
4,229
I wish to renounce authorship of the review regarding Hard West. Matters concerning said text lie solely with the site staff. From my side I do not wish to be associated or related to it in any way from this point onward.

You really want that thousand dollars, don't you?
 

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