West of Loathing

 Switch
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 65 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 65
  3. Negative: 6 out of 65
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  1. Malooga
    Jun 1, 2018
    8
    * DISCLAIMER: I did not have the chance to play this game on PC - so I cannot to speak to what is different from last years release *

    Gameplay - Somewhat one dimensional outside of combat with a focus on exploration and puzzle solving. Puzzles are very reminiscent of the classic adventure style minus the point-click interface. It's very much about collecting "item x" for "quest giver    * DISCLAIMER: I did not have the chance to play this game on PC - so I cannot to speak to what is different from last years release *

    Gameplay - Somewhat one dimensional outside of combat with a focus on exploration and puzzle solving. Puzzles are very reminiscent of the classic adventure style minus the point-click interface. It's very much about collecting "item x" for "quest giver y". Inside combat the game plays very much like a traditional turn-based RPG, complete with character customization and party management as well as the natural level progression and skill building associated with those titles. All of these elements are done well, but not so well as to really standout in either genre.

    Sound: While limited I found the music and ambient noise in the game to be quite enjoyable and indicative of the setting (wild west). There were a few instances where the music got a little redundant, but overall it matched the charm that oozes from this title.

    Graphics: This is where I was surprised. The graphics I expected to be a low point, this IS a game featuring stick figures and using two colors after all. I was wrong however, as the simplistic design leads way to complex ideas and points of reference, and is overall one of the most endearing aspects of the game. It gave everything a sort of "Blues Clues" charm about it, one that I found myself drawn to more than expected.

    Overall: I can't quite place my finger on it - but this may be the most warming and hilarious titles in the RPG/Adventure genre for some time now. The writing is incredible, and the jokes just keep coming - but it doesn't let itself become one big massive punchline. In the end, this was a pleasant if short adventure worth revisiting a couple times after. At an $11 price point its a must play for fans of the genre - 8/10    … Expand
  2. bulger_paul
    Jul 12, 2018
    8
    I'm not sure how to review West of Loathing concisely. It is a superb game, for sure, but what makes it superb has nothing to do with the actual gameplay, which I'd say is ho-hum at best. Yes, the abilities you gain can be quite funny, as are the various items you gather, use, and equip, but the gameplay itself is not great. It doesn't require more than the most bare minimum tacticalI'm not sure how to review West of Loathing concisely. It is a superb game, for sure, but what makes it superb has nothing to do with the actual gameplay, which I'd say is ho-hum at best. Yes, the abilities you gain can be quite funny, as are the various items you gather, use, and equip, but the gameplay itself is not great. It doesn't require more than the most bare minimum tactical strategy, and there are brief "grind to win" periods occasionally sprinkled around.

    But where the gameplay is not compelling, and lacking in challenge, the writing is superb. This game is hysterical. I mean, piss your pants, roll on the floor, red in the face, gasping for breath, screamingly hysterical. It was even funnier than Portal and Undertale combined (though I'd still say those are both much better games overall). I was gasping for breath before I could even get passed the startup menus. It is staggering how densely packed with jokes this game is, and I mean absolutely staggering. Every town name and character name is a reference or a pun, every side quest is packed with wacky absurdist antics, every line of branching dialogue is packed with wit, every random encounter is unique and funny on their own. The amount of attention to detail the developers put into the writing of this game is astonishing. I can't over-praise it.

    So while I might've my preferred the gameplay to have lived up to the superb writing, this is still one of the greatest experiences I've ever personally had with a game, because I didn't make it through more than a paltry handful of text boxes without cracking up.    … Expand
  3. BillyOcean
    Jun 4, 2018
    10
    This game turned out to be a lot more polished than I anticipated (only because of the stick figure aesthetic, which turned out to be positively charming and well thought out one I started actually playing). There are a lot of clever situations that presented themselves with a few choices for how to go about them. If you have enough Mysticality, you can fix broken machines, if you haveThis game turned out to be a lot more polished than I anticipated (only because of the stick figure aesthetic, which turned out to be positively charming and well thought out one I started actually playing). There are a lot of clever situations that presented themselves with a few choices for how to go about them. If you have enough Mysticality, you can fix broken machines, if you have chosen to be honorable, you can reason with foes, if you have learned the golblin tongue, you can speak to them instead of fighting them. You still get the same amount of XP for these alternatives to combat, which is nice. Speaking of combat, this area shines as well. The grid allows for some strategy, and there are a lot of creative moves available (I played as the magic class, "beancaster"). I do wish the "pardner" you choose towards the beginning would get more abilities with XP, as opposed to just doing more damage as they level up, but I can't really complain (I chose the doctor, and she can automatically disassemble any skeleton in one turn which turns out to be super convenient and got me out of quite a few skeleton-related pickles). The overall point is this: The reviews are spot-on. This is a well-made, clever game with good pacing, lots of variety (the ghost town bureaucratic scavenger hunt, lol) and neat riddles and puzzles, and snappy smart writing. A very solid RPG, plays excellently on the Switch and I'm very pleased I took the plunge.… Expand
  4. CenkAlp
    Sep 21, 2019
    7
    Hikaye = 6
    Oynanış = 6
    Grafikler = 4
    Sesler = 7
    Keyif = 9
    Atmosfer = 7
    Süre = 8
  5. drlowdon
    Feb 17, 2022
    7
    A stick-man (named Tiger Dumont in my game) leaves the family farm and heads west to seek his fortune, but along the way he’ll find himself caught up in some rather odd adventures.

    West of Loathing essentially plays like a turn based RPG with the player visiting various locations to find and complete quests. The combat itself is rather simplistic and not all that interesting, but the    A stick-man (named Tiger Dumont in my game) leaves the family farm and heads west to seek his fortune, but along the way he’ll find himself caught up in some rather odd adventures.

    West of Loathing essentially plays like a turn based RPG with the player visiting various locations to find and complete quests. The combat itself is rather simplistic and not all that interesting, but the games clever and often very funny script more than makes up for it. Usually available for no more than £15 it offers a great 7-8 hours of entertainment.    … Expand
  6. jurrabi
    Jul 9, 2020
    9
    A very fun, very entertaining, very easy (in mechanics) game. I've spent 30 hours scrutinizing each location on this game and not once it felt boring.
    Translations for the very abundant texts in the game would be necessary to make the game a perfect 10.
  7. xxAcesHighxx
    Jun 14, 2018
    9
    I love this game so much! While some will no doubt be deterred by the matchstick artstyle and black & white aesthetic, those prepared to dig a little deeper will find a wholly wonderful RPG that is positively dripping with personality, humour and charm. The only negative I can find? The comparatively ugly 'WOL' icon on the Switch homescreen – going back to the original icon design at theI love this game so much! While some will no doubt be deterred by the matchstick artstyle and black & white aesthetic, those prepared to dig a little deeper will find a wholly wonderful RPG that is positively dripping with personality, humour and charm. The only negative I can find? The comparatively ugly 'WOL' icon on the Switch homescreen – going back to the original icon design at the next patch would be greatly appreciated, guys! See what I mean? It is testament to how good this game really is when the only criticism you can levy at it is a slightly iffy icon.

    If you’ve ever felt even the slightest pang of fatigue with heavy, overly serious or bloated RPG’s, I utterly emplore you, give West of Loathing a try. At just £9.00 (or eleven bucks in North America) it’s hardly going to cost a matchstick arm and a leg to take a punt on something that dares to be so strikingly different from the norm.

    Highly recommend, folks!    … Expand
  8. Greysteel
    Jun 14, 2018
    8
    While there is a copious amount of text to read there are plenty of punchlines to be found and much fun to be had now that the cows have come home. Yes, it is a stick figure game. But it is a funny one.
  9. Grunty
    Sep 1, 2018
    7
    Fun game with a good integration of theme, but fighting system is really basic (and repetitive) to be truly a gem.
  10. Jtrapdoor1
    Apr 7, 2019
    8
    A simple, comedic game with plenty of charm. A great time to be had and all it takes is putting on a hat
  11. AllySky
    Aug 31, 2018
    5
    This game has great graphics! ...With humor like this, this game was brought a long way and strongly carries the game from beginning to end, even though I found myself skipping dialog at times. However, when it comes to battles and the like it's awfully simple and at times feels unbalanced, resulting in either you or the enemy being too overpowered. There are however interesting bosses andThis game has great graphics! ...With humor like this, this game was brought a long way and strongly carries the game from beginning to end, even though I found myself skipping dialog at times. However, when it comes to battles and the like it's awfully simple and at times feels unbalanced, resulting in either you or the enemy being too overpowered. There are however interesting bosses and side questing to do in the game, and the campaign itself is decent enough to get by. Definitely worth a check for its price.… Expand
  12. Terrector
    Jun 14, 2018
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. West Of Loathing is a delightful; what I would call a 'B-RPG' or, a Baby-Role-Playing-Game.

    The writing is an absolute joy to read through. This is coming from someone who typically skips through most-all dialogue in every RPG. The humor falls from a place of quirky, self-aware nonsense rather than "lol so randum".

    This game very well sized for the price. If you decide to go and participate in every side mission possible, this game has easily over thirty hours of play time. (The game is currently 11$ at the time I'm writing this.).

    And the puzzles. Holy lord the puzzles. I don't think I've had to genuinely give effort and thought towards puzzles in games since I was a kid. So that's saying something. This one really flexes your cranium muscles and I highly suggest you do them without a walk-through.

    I would not purchase this game based on it's combat merit however, which is the only reason why this does not get a perfect 10 from me. The XP system and combat is just too open ended for my liking. While it is fun to spontaneously get XP for anything from flushing a toilet to beating the living tar out of a smart talking goblin, it just simply makes combat either too easy or extremely difficult. You'll find yourself wandering from a baby fight where you sneeze and kill the enemy, right into a random fight where flaming hell cows destroy your loathsome self.

    TWOL came at a very needed time for me. I really needed a game that would revitalize my faith in gaming. I've grown so tired of JRPGs that are filled with nothing but pink haired anime girls and run and gun platformers that get labeled as "a Dark Souls like" game simply because they made the platforming close to impossible.

    Honestly, I have to come full circle; back to the writing. I think even if I had one ounce of criticism for the game, the dev wouldn't even give a **** That's how well crafted it is. I can feel the influence of the creator in the product.

    TL;DR
    -Good writing
    -Good Puzzles
    -Meh combat *the game isn't focused on it*
    -Excellent mechanics.
    -Many branching decisions for players that make each game a varied playthrough for each individual.    … Expand
  13. Sunshadow87
    Jun 5, 2020
    5
    Francamente, no entiendo el hype por este juego. Es un juego que se centra en el humor y en las elecciones y la variedad de superar las diferentes situaciones. No tengo problema con los gráficos y su estilo artístico, sino con las dinámicas y combates del juego, que caen en la monotonía muy rápidamente.
    Esto hace que completar el juego sea aburrido, e incluso su humor acaba cansando tras    Francamente, no entiendo el hype por este juego. Es un juego que se centra en el humor y en las elecciones y la variedad de superar las diferentes situaciones. No tengo problema con los gráficos y su estilo artístico, sino con las dinámicas y combates del juego, que caen en la monotonía muy rápidamente.
    Esto hace que completar el juego sea aburrido, e incluso su humor acaba cansando tras largo tiempo.    … Expand
  14. CrispCicada
    May 25, 2020
    9
    West of Loathing is a turn-based RPG done right. Aesthetically speaking, it's actually pretty charming and the stick figures gave me a good vibe. The dialogue in this game is amazing. I laughed, snuckled, and chickered from the clever humor that is presented. This game has a turn-based combat system, and I found it pretty fun. My largest complaint is the enemy variety. You'll mostly fightWest of Loathing is a turn-based RPG done right. Aesthetically speaking, it's actually pretty charming and the stick figures gave me a good vibe. The dialogue in this game is amazing. I laughed, snuckled, and chickered from the clever humor that is presented. This game has a turn-based combat system, and I found it pretty fun. My largest complaint is the enemy variety. You'll mostly fight goblins, skeletons, and bandits. Overall, this is a very fun game that a load of casuals can enjoy easily. I wish everybody a good day/night!… Expand
  15. Wessst
    Aug 18, 2020
    9
    Great game, very diferent to any other rpg i've played, contains a lot of in game content and a lot more texts, the figthing sistem can easily be cheese by a lot of ways

Awards & Rankings

35
#35 Best Switch Game of 2018
65
#65 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Sep 5, 2018
    80
    Don't let the stick figure graphics turn you off – this is one journey you'll want to saddle up for, especially if you're looking for a new casual RPG, or just a good laugh! [Issue #35 – September/October 2018, p. 23]
  2. Nintendo Life
    Jul 19, 2018
    90
    West of Loathing is not your average RPG; in fact we’d go so far as to say you’ve probably never played anything quite like it in your life. Its combat won’t blow you away but don’t be lulled into believing that’s what this game is about, as really the whole thing is an adventure in exploration and interaction with a bit of fighting sprinkled in. It can occasionally be a little bit difficult to decipher, but the satisfaction felt upon working out a problem totally makes up for it. The humour is as wonderfully dry as the desert you’re traversing and the writing is some of the best you can find on the Switch.
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  3. Nintendo Enthusiast
    Jul 12, 2018
    80
    West of Loathing is a great value for its price and definitely entertaining for what it is. Unfortunately, the actual mechanics lack a lot of depth that keep it from being an experience for everyone. A deep RPG experience this is not. However, if you’re looking for a few hours to kill on a game with funny writing and creative environments, this one is for you.
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