I do get old when I find a game to play that looks like it is going to be a spooky game but it ends up misleading the player into playing a game that is in fact NOT spooky. It is what it is, but this week I fell into the trap and now I have to talk about it. I’m a tiny bit upset and I’ll hide my immense anger. This week I rose from the grave to purify the evil that has ravaged an area in the American West I guess. This week I played Blood West.
Blood West is a “horror” first person shooter from Hyperstrange. Planned release on PC and no release date has been announced.
Newly risen from the dead by an unknown being, you are the most famous desperado in the West, who met a swift end, but fear not! It is time for you to reawaken and fight off the hordes of evil that now run rampant in the remote mining town.
Pick up a weapon and fight, but don’t be too hasty, these monsters are quite powerful and if you die, you come back with a debilitating curse.
Blood West’s gameplay is pretty much your average FPS: Primary and secondary weapon, three utility slots and two slots for passive buffs or “artifacts” in this case.
Right mouse to shoot the bad guy and then reload, rinse & repeat.
Stealth plays a large role in Blood West. Enemies can hear footsteps and have eyeballs, so when the meter fills up, combat begins.
Combat is scary in this game. Enemies hit really hard. There are a few enemy types in the demo: The melee, medium range gunner and the shotgunner to start. Headshots are what kill the fastest so aiming for the head is a must. A six shooter, an axe and a double-barrel shotgun are weapons that are obtainable and they all felt and sounded fine, nothing great.
The player has a health and stamina bar. Stamina is consumed when running and swinging melee weapons. Health does not regenerate and the only way to restore health is to find bottles of alcohol scattered around the map, as are ammo and other resources.
Safe areas exist to sleep, buy and sell items and talk to the ancient being that resurrected you. When given gold, the totem can grant you passive buffs for a small duration.
Graphics are fine. I can make out the spooky monsters that roam the land. I think the atmosphere is where the game succeeds, more or less, at. It is dark and monsters make creepy ass noises.
Not a lot to look at though, just an empty area.
Maybe because it’s a demo.
Blood West is worth a check out if you are into FPS’. It is very difficult but when you take into account the stealth mechanic and lite resource management, it is very fun. Not really spooky, per se, but it is a little atmospheric. Shoot the gun, kill the bad guys and loot their corpses to earn money for better items at the vendor. I thought it was fun enough to play the demo three times, totaling about 45 mins of demo time.
Check it out, I think it’s worth a try.
Grinds and Games 