West of Loathing

West of Loathing is a rare treat of a video game — one that compels you to restart it immediately after you finish. With some of the best comedic writing ever found in an RPG and a truly unique and timeless visual style, you're going to have a hard time forgetting this one, pardner!

One of the funniest goddamn games I’ve played all year.

From the charm that oozes out of the hand drawn simple animations to the writing that is absolutely on point from start to finish, West of Loathing really is something quite special.

The unholy, snake-oiled, cow-punchin’, bean-slinging offspring of Dink Smallwood and Freddy Pharkas, West of Loathing is a hilarious, engaging odyssey through the mythical West. The brave player who overlooks the stick-man art direction is in for an extremely rare treat. Comedy of this caliber in video games is indeed rare to come by.

If there's fault to be found in West of Loathing it can be in the RPG elements and mission structure -- which are fairly perfunctory -- and maybe a whiff of the belief that when it comes to comedy, quantity beats quality. That's ok. We probably need more games that don't rely on videocards being pushed to their limits or over-emoting mo-capped heroes, games that can tell a story or sell a joke with a straight line, a circle and some dots.

West of Loathing elicits this powerful emotional connection with stick figures. It bonds you to its world with nothing more than doodling and dialogue. There’s a pretty good turn-based adventure game there, under the hood, but West of Loathing’s many strengths are all personal: connections made between developer and player when you both laugh at the same time. Absurdism aside, there’s something fundamentally human and direct baked into the game’s whole design from aesthetic to script.

West of Loathing is an RPG with a ton of personality and a lot of reading. Personally, I’m a big fan of the surreal, pun-filled humor, so I had a great time, but your mileage may vary. It could also at times be a little repetitive, relying on its personality instead of delivering a ton of variety in gameplay. It’s more about exploring than it is about making meaningful choices or solving complex puzzles.

The turn-based combat isn't the best, but it's a delightfully written RPG absolutely packed with humor.

West of Loathing is the rare game that makes me want to explore every nook and cranny to find new quests, new texts to read and most importantly, new jokes to laugh at. It’s been a long time since I’ve laughed this much while playing a game, and I look forward to exploring West of Loathing again and again in the future.

West of Loathing's visuals are monochromatic, but there's enjoyable comedy painted between every line, a pitch-perfect Spaghetti Western soundtrack, and a full spectrum of role-playing possibilities to choose from that make it a consistently enjoyable madcap cowboy jaunt.

Totally crazy RPG for people with a good sense of humor and good command of the English language.

Apart from brilliant, genuinely funny dialogues West of Loathing’s biggest strength is its simple but satisfying turned-based combat. [11/2017, p.53]