West of Dead

 Xbox One
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. TheXboxHub
    Jun 30, 2020
    90
    West of Dead on Xbox One is a major accomplishment. It feels like it has it all: an appealing visual style, exciting gameplay, tight design, and smart writing. As a roguelike, it has been built to last.
  2. GameCritics
    Jul 21, 2020
    85
    Despite the small bugs and a skewed economy that diminishes the experience, West of Dead is still something I can’t put down. The developers seem committed to fixes and I expect the experience to improve as time goes on, but it’s already an incredibly solid game that I enjoy and can easily recommend.
  3. GameCrate
    Jun 19, 2020
    85
    West of Dead is a refreshing take on multiple genres. It’s a great cover-based twin-stick shooter. It’s a different kind of roguelite. And it’s just a solid all-around action game that’s a joy to play. It’s highly challenging, and it rewards smart play, so what you ultimately get is a satisfying experience that’s fun and invites you to put the time into learning its intricacies.
  5. AusGamers
    Jul 8, 2020
    80
    West of Dead isn’t without its standoff moments of frustration, but a squint of the eye and a sweat-bead zero-flinch will see you standing tall post-Purgatory call out. Honestly, I just want to see more of it at this stage, maybe in less repetitive form, but as a continually-fleshed out new IP and one that keeps its creative skull-fire burning.
  6. Video Chums
    Jul 2, 2020
    80
    It may take a while to learn how to play West of Dead effectively but the journey is ultimately rewarding and a ton of gunslinging fun.
  7. Shacknews
    Jun 24, 2020
    80
    Upstream Arcade’s West of Dead is an impressive roguelike. With a solid twin-stick shooting system, West of Dead has a more than serviceable gameplay loop. However, the game is truly anchored by it’s incredible visuals and art design. Add on top of this an excellent voice performance and unique sense of worldbuilding, and you’ve got a roguelike formidable in any standoff.

Awards & Rankings

79
#79 Best Xbox One Game of 2020
92
#92 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2020

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 17
  3. Negative: 2 out of 17
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Jul 14, 2020
    7
    West of dead is by far a rather unique take on playstyle mechanics. If you have ever played a game dedicated to grinding this by far is it.West of dead is by far a rather unique take on playstyle mechanics. If you have ever played a game dedicated to grinding this by far is it. You start off base stats and level up in the runs. They do not stay with you as when you die they reset every run. The starting weapons also change each run. You acquire lives and use those to unlock permanent perks. These help make the runs easier. The graphics are not modern but they arent old either. And the aiming system is a different take on most games. It's difficult at first but then you get use to the weapons easily. The controls are not complex at all and the great thing is the levels are never the same so each and every game you play is different and requires actual thought and effort. I enjoyed this part deeply. You do need a general sense of strategy and timing to get through the fights. Once you get rolling and open up a series of perks the game becomes pretty straight forward. The game has cone a long way from the beta and is a game I will continue to enjoy. All in all the game is worth a play through at least a few times. A solid addition to the Xbox library at a worthy price of admission.… Full Review »
  2. adidab14
    Jun 30, 2020
    5
    I really wanted to like this game. I love the atmosphere, the visuals are great and the setting is gritty and interesting. Even the music, asI really wanted to like this game. I love the atmosphere, the visuals are great and the setting is gritty and interesting. Even the music, as bare as it is, is enjoyable. The problem is the game is hampered by a multitude of issues that as much as I tried, I just couldn't get past.
    For starters, this is labeled as a twin stick shooter which is simply not accurate. You don't really aim in this game. Instead, your character locks on to an enemy and any shots you take will go towards that target. There is very little if any free aiming and this can be terribly annoying in certain situations until you get a firm grasp of the mechanics. There are also glaring issues with controls. Several buttons carry out multiple functions and it can be hard to tell when your character will do which action. Often times causing you to leap from cover or shoot when you mean to melee.
    Another huge issue is the camera and lighting. There are many instances where the camera will completely obscure your view and make it next to impossible to see enemies just off screen. It's a dynamic camera as well so you will find your view changing drastically on a whim, sometimes in combat which can really throw a wrench into the fight. The lighting also plays a huge part in this game. The mechanics work such that the arenas where you fight are usually shrouded in darkness with lanterns littered around the room that you can light. When lit, they stun enemies briefly and allow you see them and lock on to them. There are a few issues with this system. The biggest being there are many times where you simply can't get to a lantern before a target can hit you. They can target you in the dark, but you more or less cannot hit them in the dark. But sometimes you can. This is frustrating because there are many times you never really quite know how you should approach a fight.
    Lastly, there are a lot of bugs in the game as I write this. Some of them are game breaking. I was locked out of rooms that I was supposed to be locked into. There were many times where part of the room loaded, but another part was only partially loaded and obstacles were invisible or flickering. Enemies often became stuck or glitched into walls and floors, sometimes completely off the map but still triggering a fight. I even encountered one instance where every time I used an ability the game would completely crash and close.
    Even with all of these issues, if the game wasn't such a grind i would have still probably enjoyed it. The core gameplay is really enjoyable. Unfortunately the game has a pretty brutal difficulty curve with many of the later enemies killing you in one hit and forcing you to start completely over. Not necessarily an issue in itself but since you have to work your way all the way back to get familiar with the enemies, it can take quite a bit of time to advance. With the permanent upgrades a complete and utter grind to unlock the game eventually became a chore to play and with all of the issues it becomes pretty irritating.
    This game is teetering on the edge of being really great. But it's issues accompanied with the slow development and very grindy mechanics are holding it back severely. The game is in desperate need of a patch to clean some of these issues up and hopefully reduce the amount of time it takes to unlock some of the upgrades or put in some checkpoints between levels to make the game seem like less of a slog and more of an enjoyable venture.    … Full Review »
  3. Broyax
    Aug 31, 2020
    0
    L'etron indé du jour est en noir et blanc... non en noir et rouge la plupart du temps et des fois en blanc, marron et marron clair. Et noirL'etron indé du jour est en noir et blanc... non en noir et rouge la plupart du temps et des fois en blanc, marron et marron clair. Et noir aussi. C'est pour dire qu'ici le nombre de couleurs est limité, autant par pédantisme que par fainéantise ! mais bizarrement, c'est en trois dimensions et non pas deux comme le sont d'habitude les étrons indés à chier de ce genre !

    Il n'en est pas moins à chier que ses comparses (cons--parses pardon) et ses **** copains d'étrons indés, car plus on est d'étrons, plus on est con ! la caméra reste fixe la plupart du temps et il s'agit là-dedans, noyé dans un mauvais goût permanent et irrécupérable, d'un vague, très vague pseudo-jeu de tir -j'ose à peine parler d'un TPS- vu d'en haut à l'imprécision stupéfiante et à l'intérêt aussi mince qu'une petite feuille de pet-cul.

    A l'ouest donc, rien de nouveau : seulement de la merde partout à l'horizon des étrons indés !    … Full Review »
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