Hard West

 PC
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 174 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 104 out of 174
  2. Mixed: 44 out of 174
  3. Negative: 26 out of 174

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  1. GeneralGonzo
    Nov 19, 2015
    8
    Nice tactic game in an unusal setting (wild west with demons....). The combat system is similar to XCOM and a shallow "RPG" layer is used for your characters.
    Though this mix isn´t superb in regards of either the tactics part nor the RPG or adventure one, it is still very satisdying for a bnch of hours and makes fun.
    Recommendation for friends of turn based combat (play it on hard!) and    Nice tactic game in an unusal setting (wild west with demons....). The combat system is similar to XCOM and a shallow "RPG" layer is used for your characters.
    Though this mix isn´t superb in regards of either the tactics part nor the RPG or adventure one, it is still very satisdying for a bnch of hours and makes fun.
    Recommendation for friends of turn based combat (play it on hard!) and unusal settings.    … Expand
  2. Michalina
    Nov 19, 2015
    10
    Fantastic game, I encourage everyone to play in it.

    Well played characters, cool graphics style and beautiful music.
    Well showed history and consequences of my decisions.
  3. YellowJuice
    Nov 20, 2015
    9
    It's a well made game in a interesting and in rarely used setting, which is western and more particulary weird west. I am having fun with it so far and I don't think it will change over time (actually plated 15 hours of it).
  4. weirdcryo
    Nov 26, 2015
    8
    Nice looking game, interesting game play but in order to keep the fight fluid the AI has to make some "risky" plays that make no sense.
    Have fun playing it, a couple of innovations, I'm giving and extra score because it came from a small company, recommend it
  5. Lutet
    Nov 26, 2015
    9
    Great tactical game and very refreshing setting. Love this weird mix of wild west and demons, satan, etc. Game is challenging (really, swallow your pride and do the tutorial) and the characters are well designed (Paco FTW). I really cared for them!
  6. Acronymous
    Nov 26, 2015
    10
    I must admit i never expected Hard West to make such a great impression on me. It tries hard to be different from XCOM while it uses very similar basic mechanics and it succeeds in doing so. Hard West is a series of grim stories about despair, wrong choices and being miserable but i believe it is something the guys in Eastern Europe are used to ;-) It's rpg-like layer is a bitI must admit i never expected Hard West to make such a great impression on me. It tries hard to be different from XCOM while it uses very similar basic mechanics and it succeeds in doing so. Hard West is a series of grim stories about despair, wrong choices and being miserable but i believe it is something the guys in Eastern Europe are used to ;-) It's rpg-like layer is a bit underdeveloped but it's not the core of the game which, in fact, are tactical encounters. And i love tactical encounters in Hard West way more than i enjoyed them in XCOM.
    Lots of fighting with sixshooters and shotguns, lots of rogue cowboys and heavy armed bandits and some demons on top of it - i couldn't be more satisfied with a game at this price point.    … Expand
  7. Ohm1
    Nov 19, 2015
    8
    Great presentation and combat, setting is unique and refreshing. Enjoying the combat more than in XCOM.
    I am having a blast playing this game and would recommend it to anyone who likes tactical turn based combat with a decent story.
  8. JediMasterRadek
    Nov 20, 2015
    10
    That thing is seriously awesome!
    -Difficulty is quite serious. For now, hard feels actually hard. Far harder than Dragonfall on very hard or Wasteland 2 on ranger in Arizona
    -AI seems decent. Enemies are good in flanking. Usually when enemies are leaving cover they do it to make more damages to the player(at least it looks so). -No hp sponges. 2-3 bullets and both enemies and players    That thing is seriously awesome!
    -Difficulty is quite serious. For now, hard feels actually hard. Far harder than Dragonfall on very hard or Wasteland 2 on ranger in Arizona
    -AI seems decent. Enemies are good in flanking. Usually when enemies are leaving cover they do it to make more damages to the player(at least it looks so).
    -No hp sponges. 2-3 bullets and both enemies and players die
    -First mission after tutorial has a good encounter design. (defending a house)
    -There is a possibility to start the tutorial as a tutorial or as a normal mission. There is written a promise that it is short and to the point which is true. The best part: if player declines playing it as a tutorial then he must deal with a quite strong opponent on the start which is not attacking during tutorial:)
    -As most enemies and player can't stand more than 2 hits, positioning is vital. Fighting is deadly and fast. Enemy can quickly turn tables with a good shot.
    -Encounter design is fantastic. Had a rescue mission which looked as it was supposed to be done with minimal killing. Game respected my choice to kill everybody and after eliminating everyone on the map mission was successful without a need to complete an objective of opening the prison doors. Had an optional mission which starts the player surrounded and outgunned. It was thrilling and challenging. Maps are small, often reused, but different enemy placement makes encounters feel distinct.Big number of covers and hight places offers many approaches on how to tackle objectives.
    -Ricochet ability is fun.
    -Luck mechanic is really interesting. It works as a mana pool for abilities, but it protects from being hit. The more severe a hit chance is the more luck it takes to stop it. Luck is automatically used for that purposes. Being hit and losing hp replenish some of it.
    -There is some environment manipulation. Could open wells doors to improve its cover. Environment can be destroyed like windows.
    -Abilities are presented as cards which can be assigned to characters. Looks like 1 ability cannot be used by 2 different characters. You can take 5 of them on missions. Depending on which one you have chosen, you can get a passive buff on top of their standard uses. I suppose those bonuses are poker inspired.
    -Rotating camera is horrible. Don't understand why they can't bind it to the mouse. It's worse than Wasteland 2 camera. Also when the enemy from different hight attack, camera should change the height, now it is always on the same level when it was left during player turn.
    -Height seems to influence aim and range.
    -Enemies can do overwatch. It looks player cannot use it. I had many times when I was begging for overwatch.
    -The biggest surprise: CYOA. This part is good enough it would be acceptable if it was a game in itself. There are many C&C moments which actually include consequences! Game autosaves, so I didn't retry anything but results were enough specific it seems highly unlikely both options led to the same outcome. In scenario I played the main goal was collecting gold, which was quite complex with many tools, ways to do it and hidden mines. Got even an optional mission.
    -Writing and story are really good. Love the character of the devil who is a mysterious, well dressed gentleman who appears and disappears on the whim tempting people.
    -Game has a nice aesthetic and art direction.
    -Looks like there are secondary objectives/consequences to missions (having to pay gold if hired merc dies)
    -Always had luck with bugs but so far haven't encountered any. Enemies think a little too much before turn. Game runs smooth, but I have a good pc.
    -There is an ironmode and a mode in which being low on hp gives debuffs, but there is more xp.(or skill points, whatever is used)
    Had a good feeling when buying it, but (as for now) it surpassed expectations. I recommend this. We may have got a sleeper hit.    … Expand
  9. LenaW
    Nov 19, 2015
    9
    My boyfriend is one of the backers, of your game and to be honest at first I was skeptical. However, the game looks very cool, but there is still some mistakes/bugs, 9 is because you so very positively surprised me. I hope that you will continue to do a great job, good luck.

    Sorry for my English :P
  10. onlyoneikrit
    Nov 19, 2015
    10
    I think it is fresh idea. Last game from western witch i was play was RRR, and now finly i can play someting story driving.

    If somoene dont belife i propose to play it:)
  11. HitmanHart
    Jan 26, 2016
    8
    This is a solid game and I plan on keeping and eye on this developer. The game is also very reasonably priced. The graphics, music, and sound are a good quality and the overall package of this game is well worth the price. The game play is solid and easy to maneuver once you get the hang of it.
    You can purchase a deluxe package (still reasonably priced) that includes a soundtrack and a    This is a solid game and I plan on keeping and eye on this developer. The game is also very reasonably priced. The graphics, music, and sound are a good quality and the overall package of this game is well worth the price. The game play is solid and easy to maneuver once you get the hang of it.
    You can purchase a deluxe package (still reasonably priced) that includes a soundtrack and a comic back story (if you're into that sort of thing).
    Do yourself a favor and buy it from GOG.com and you won't have to deal with DRM from Steam or anyone else..    … Expand
  12. Neravarine
    May 25, 2017
    8
    This is a good turn based game for all the fans of turn based rpg games, and its ok for the casual population which might like to try something different then usual.
    Game looks very good both map and combat, the styleis nice but it lacks in diversity, every handgun looks the same, every rifle looks and sounds the same, I would like to see diversity there.
    It has awesome storyline and its    This is a good turn based game for all the fans of turn based rpg games, and its ok for the casual population which might like to try something different then usual.
    Game looks very good both map and combat, the styleis nice but it lacks in diversity, every handgun looks the same, every rifle looks and sounds the same, I would like to see diversity there.
    It has awesome storyline and its fun to play from the start till the end.
    It has average sound and there is a lot to read, but commentary of the Death is amazing.
    Card and luck system is somewhat unique and its a nice addition.
    Game can be a bit buggy.    … Expand
  13. Garybaldo
    Mar 3, 2020
    8
    Very good XCOM style game, that simplifies the menu part of said game and takes a wild-west approach instead of the alien-style taken from XCOM. I encourage everyone who liked XCOM to try this game out.
  14. szastamasta
    Nov 27, 2019
    9
    This game is totally awesome. Similar to the old, hardcore turn based tactical games like XCOM, but much more accessible. Had very good time playing it. 9/10 because of some bugs. You should definitely give it a try.
  15. CowboyNuggets
    Feb 26, 2020
    10
    Get you some good hours of fun out of this one, never seen the west quite like this.
  16. cpss86
    Apr 12, 2021
    9
    I played this game on XBOX (not sure why it's not here). It's quite good and only in its kind (western-like). If you like XCOM or MUTANT you'll like it.

Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Most Discussed PC Game of 2015
70
#70 Most Shared PC Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 44
  3. Negative: 0 out of 44
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Mar 3, 2016
    90
    Hard West is turn based combat in the Wild West with demons. I really like this! [Jan 2016]
  2. CD-Action
    Feb 4, 2016
    75
    Hard West delivered exactly what I wanted – a dark atmosphere and a decent story with a twist. If only AI and the interface were more polished... [01/2016, p.58]
  3. GameSpot
    Jan 29, 2016
    70
    Satan and six-guns make a great partnership in Hard West. While the game mechanics and scenario design are somewhat predictable, the aura of high strangeness on the lonesome prairie does a lot to freshen up what could have otherwise been a little dated and formulaic. Tactical combat fans and horror buffs alike will find a lot to like here in both the spooky surroundings and the shoot-em-up scenarios.
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