Hard West 2 preview: Strategy and style mix in this occult cowboy caper

This simple job of train robbery seemed to be a great idea, but it has gone terribly wrong. I mean that literally; the train has sprouted an endless stream of otherworldly legs and is running off into the wilderness, and now it’s chock-full of ghosts, ghouls, and a devil. The situation is definitely not ideal, but I’ve got a squad full of scrappy frontier fighters to sort things out. As we tumble off the train and into a frigid, surreal version of the American West, I’m confident that things will end up being OK — until my gang finds themselves in the next bizarre, inevitably violent pickle.

My posse includes an Indigenous exile and a witch that teleports across the battlefield in a stormy of crows. A sharpshooter who is overly confident with a love for cards. And an undead reptilian. You are welcome to Hard West 2This year, the PC will get a new top-down turn-based strategy game called.

With the above leggy train as the focal point, the tutorial sets the tone. Hard West 2 quite well. Gin Carter is a gang leader and immediately realizes that the devil he has encountered can be defeated by him in a game card. He then cheats and is shocked when the other man cheats as well. Gin’s a hot mess, and the game gives me opportunities to lean into that, at risk of angering other party members. While it’s nice to hang out and chat with my party members, or dig around the overworld looking for side quests, the meat and potatoes of Hard West 2Their fight.

Image: Ice Code Games/Good Shepherd Entertainment

Surviving in Hard West 2 isn’t a cakewalk; I have to position my posse correctly on the map, measure their skills and use their action points efficiently, all while I stay aware of both my enemies and my environment. This is XCOM standard; find cover, establish flanks and then kill. TheyBefore they get Me. A few boons can help you get this done. One is Luck; if I’ve missed a lot, or taken a lot of damage, I bank Luck points that I can cash in later in the battle for a better shot at hitting the enemy.

Bravado can be another game changer. If I kill an enemy using one of my characters’ actions, they refresh. You can create amazing situations by using Flynn (my teleporting witch), to swap with a rooftop spyer. Then I shoot down multiple enemies from my new location. Each kill refreshes Flynn’s action points, so the battlefield quickly becomes a meat grinder.

Another option is to have Old Bill, the Revenant use a trick shot. He ricochets one bullet off a metal saloon sign, into the skull and then uses Bravado, charging forward and taking out another. Moments like this feel great, like I’ve won a slot machine but for chained violence.

Finally, characters who go down during combat are just out for that one fight; you don’t lose them forever. With an accessible reset button, and auto-saves that are forgiving, all of these elements make it easy to keep your characters alive. Hard West 2 It is possible to be strong without being sadistic.

The first battle that I participated in was outside of a church. It quickly became a chaotic scramble when one gunman lifted the coffin lid and used it as cover, while his fellows fired from the windows. Flynn had to be teleported in by me and I used dynamite, other special abilities and to get them out. Even then, it was all done with my skin.

You can find side quests and meet new people while you fight. The posse can interact with each other by setting up camp. It’s a great way to unwind from all of the strangeities and hostilities on the frontier. It is full of tropes and covered in a layer of devil magic. Alt-history, as well as the emphasis on devils/magic means that the story avoids many of the more controversial cliches.

Ice Code Games is a Wild West I love. Even though it fails every time, I still keep returning to this Wild West. Heroes have heart and world are compelling. Combat revels in giving players the opportunity to defeat the opposing team with carefully planned attacks.

If you’ve played an XCOM game or gave Wasteland 3 a spin, you’ll be right at home in Hard West 2. The genre is not for everyone, but those that are less familiar will appreciate the polite and patient approach to turn-based tactics, in spite of the grimy and sometimes gritty setting.

Beta for Hard West 2This is an ongoing process. You can register for it on the game’s Steam page.