Hard West 2 is an Ice Code Games and Good Shepherd Entertainment turn-based tactics game set in a Wild West world where nothing is as it seems. Hard West 2 delights in mixing Real-Time Strategy and turn-based tactics with the Role Playing Games field. It immerses you in a western atmosphere where the supernatural and the occult thrive in the underbelly of more than just folklore.
You are Gin Carter, a con man who is also the head of a gang of outlaws chasing none other than the devil himself. You’re searching for the legendary ghost train, full of wealth. To do this, you use guns and magic that you and your band of supernatural desperados have on hand to accomplish this feat.
Just like the old west, there are plenty of shootouts, and horse chases that keep you and your crew of delinquents happy. However, if you don’t keep your gang members content then they will start to turn on you and you may be on your own, or worse.
I want to first start by saying the voice casting is some of the best that I have heard in a long time for a game that’s not a AAA title like most new games. I mean they have Kevin Conroy. Yes, that Kevin Conroy, the man, the myth, THE BATMAN. They have also included some other very well-known voice actors as well such as Darien Sills-Evans from the game Days Gone and Adam Gifford who has been the voice of so many characters in so many games, tv shows, and movies.
Then on top of the voice actors, there is the music of Hard West 2 that was created by Jason Graves, known for the music from Dead Space and Tomb Raider. And then to bring this story together, it was co-written by the author of Deadlands himself, Matt Forbeck. There are so many people involved in this game that I don’t see how they could go wrong.
Hard West 2 is a strategy-focused game where tactics are key. For anyone who has never played a game like this, basically you take turns positioning your team against enemy combatants.
Now not only do you want to make sure you get good shots off but you also need to make sure to stay in places for cover because if you miss your shot, then the enemy moves to the position and they do not seem to miss as much.
The story is very entertaining so far. Everything is engaging from getting your posse together to having gunfights in the middle of town or jumping on a train to take what you want. I was very excited to get to play out these scenarios. The art style is fantastic. It’s a huge improvement on the original game released back in 2015 and it gives a deep love of style to Deadlands.
Now, there were a few issues that I did have with the game, such as positioning. It seemed that the enemy had a better chance of hitting you than you did them, even if you were behind cover and they were in the middle of the road. Also, at times it seemed as if they always were able to get the better advantage in some fights. However, I stuck with it, tried to learn from each encounter, and in the end did very well for myself.
I also had a few issues with the interaction between my character and the non-playable characters. Sometimes, I would get a glitch or the quest would complete and I didn’t get a chance to read what all was said. A few times I got something that I had to use on a quest but didn’t realize it since it skipped the dialogue. Luckily, the game is not hard to understand, but it is a bitch to master. For me personally, that is a great reason to keep playing.
Hard West 2 is in open Beta right now with the game being released in full later this year. The Beta took me only about 2 hours to complete but I did enjoy it and I can’t wait for more of the game to become available during the open beta. This game could be a sleeper for 2022, but we will have to wait and see. Hard West 2 is available on the Steam store.
This preview was written based on open beta access for Hard West 2.
