Evil West

Evil West successfully revitalizes the third-person shooter genre with intense, satisfying combat, even if its level design isn't much to write home about.

Evil WEst lets you punch, blast, and generally smart-ass your way through an undead horde.

With the combat being the heart and soul of Evil West, it’s a relief that it’s so engaging and enjoyable throughout. It’s just a shame that a better balance hasn’t been struck between performance and visuals, as neither mode is particularly ideal. It’s still very much worth digging into Evil West, however: if you can look past the blurry visuals at 1080p, there’s a lot of fun to be had in this old-fashioned action-adventure – and you can even bring a friend along for the ride.

If you don’t mind the short campaign and the underwhelming story, Evil West’s above average combat and cool graphics make the game a fun ride.

Evil West is a fantastically optimized game that runs well for the most part on the Steam Deck, apart from the UE4 stuttering.

Evil West deserves a spot among the best games that take place in the wild west. This isn't the first time cowboys have faced off against vampires, but this is one the better attempts at fusing the opposing genres. From the time Evil West sinks in its teeth, it immediately becomes a game that's difficult to put down. The story is told through cutscenes that are long enough to get the point across without affecting the pacing. The real star of Evil West is the combat where using the obscene amount of firearms strapped to Jesse's back to supplement melee attacks couldn't have felt more intuitive...

Sometimes you want to start a game and have fun right from the get-go. Evil West doesn't try to do anything fancy or tell a big cinematic story. Instead, it gives you various tools to go in, and slaughter vampires like humanity's existence depend on it. With plenty of weapons and fun combat, Evil West provides plenty of non-stop action, although it's let down by a paper-thin story and some issues with visuals and lighting.

While I don't think Evil West will be anyone's game of the year, it's rare to get such a pure action game these days. For those looking for pure vampire punching, this is your game.

From Dusk 'Til High Noon.

Pitting cowboys against vampires in a beefy brawler.

Evil West is a thoroughly old-fashioned shooter that manages to entertain in short bursts but can't overcome how lacklustre and unoriginal its level design and narrative feels. If you've got a pal to play through this one with in co-op you could probably stick another star on the final score, otherwise we'd steer clear unless you absolutely must indulge in some seriously last-gen cowboy vs. vampire action.

A gleeful splat-'em-up featuring a lovely bag of tricks.