The ‘Gold Rush’ – an event that brought seas of prospectors, miners, and overall wealth-hungry crowds from all over to California in search of shiny yellow fortunes. In fact, around two-thirds of the male population in Oregon alone specifically caught this “Gold Fever”. At the height of this money-motivated migration people had no problem risking their health, their lives, and their sanity. Hard West delves into a different kind of insanity; and a dark, demonic fate that finds a simple man named Warren. Is this game worth its weight in gold?

Hard West puts you in the dusty boots of different characters and stories, but namely revolves around a man called Warren. The journey begins amidst the craziness of the Gold Rush, at the height of the utilization of the Oregon Trail. You, Father and Mother are among the many looking to go about their travels, but unfortunately have fallen onto hard times. Misery loves company. You witness the kidnapping and disrespectful killing of your mother, finding her head in a box. To add to an unconscionable situation, you and Father are also looking dangerously low in the way of provisions as well. You have your health for now, which is something to be thankful for. But money, supplies, patience, and sanity are running thin.

When in Rome

You needed a plan and dwelling on a harsh past isn’t it. Keeping your eyes to the future, like everyone else you both decide that the only way to make things work is with gold. With mouths to feed and a trip to fund, it was now a necessity. Plus, a bit of drinking now and then doesn’t hurt; it keeps the spirits and morale up by numbing the pain. But there’s a funny thing about money and wealth – when you finally get some, others will inevitably come for it.

You keep your money back at the homestead. The homestead is your safe haven; a place to call your own. Who would dare transgress the laws of trespassing and desecrate the sanctity of personal space? Anyone brave (or crazy) enough will be met with swift justice. Remember: this is the Wild West. Guns speak louder than words. And your firearms will settle far quicker than the dust of trivial arguments.

Gold and Silver

There comes a time when a man sees truth between setting suns and tobacco smoke. It’s a silver lining shining between gold flakes floating in crimson puddles. For Warren, this glint of light came from the smile of a woman named Florence. Little did you know that chance encounter would make waves in the coming days.

As you personally experienced, in these tense times groups of bandits run rampant. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, bandits ravaged Florence’s home and murdered her family. You and Father end up saving her and she decides to join you in your travels. Eventually, she becomes . . . more than just an asset.

If it Wasn’t for Bad Luck . . .

Just when things seem to finally look up, reality checks you. Father takes it upon himself to decide he only brings bad fortune and decides you are better off without him. He is gone with only a note left saying as much. The next thing you know, you catch wind of your homestead being taking overrun by “bandits”.

You and Florence decide you need help. That assistance comes in the form of what is essentially the Mexican Mafia, and favors don’t come cheap. That becomes an ordeal that I’ll let you experience for yourself. It really is the Wild West.

Needless to say, by this time you have garnered quite a bit of notoriety. You just can’t catch a break. Because not long after, you become the target of a mysterious masked man and it all comes to a head . . . You are cleverly lured into a trap that becomes your grave.

Standing next to your love, both of you are brutally murdered in a blaze of glory and hot lead . . . Or are you? Just before the situation of meeting your demise, a demonic figure had approached you and offered you a deal. Your soul in exchange for life. You couldn’t. Could you?

Deal with the Devil

What initially sounded like the ravings of a lunatic started to make sense. As your life flashed before your eyes, you remember the exchange with the demon. There was no time to spare. With your dying breath you make the deal. And with that, it’s done. As the demonic figure comes to claim his end of the bargain, you feel an evil growing. A dark power and resentment grow white-hot within you. Revenge is the only thing on your mind, and you will burn the entire world down to get it.

This is the story you are presented through the first few chapters in the game. I don’t want to ruin everything, but what an engaging narrative! The story is unique and profane. It’s presented in dialogues, monologues, and depicted in hand-drawn illustrations. Hard West’s setting is gritty and filled with tension. Swapping styles from the choice-based gameplay to turn-based strategic combat was everything I didn’t know I wanted in a game. With so many things going on, let’s start with what was done well.

How the West was Won

As mentioned, the story is of particular interest to me. Growing up in California led me to experience lots of history of the Gold Rush. That includes visiting Sutter’s Fort and other historically significant locations. Though it may not have the same nostalgic relevance to others, it is still an interesting piece of history to be based upon and really hits home. Any history buffs will appreciate the interpretation and fictional representation Hard West provides.

Just because a story has relevance doesn’t necessarily make it good though. As for WHY it’s so captivating, that is all thanks to the incredible writing and voice acting in Hard West. As a game reviewer, I tend to be long-winded – I know this about myself (you’re already 850 + words here). I want to help capture an overall understanding of the game, my experience, and my opinions. This PC port speaks volumes, but in bite-sized monologues.

The Voice Inside

Hard West puts you inside the head of Warren. Everything happens from either his point of view or under his narration. The voice actor speaks with a confident but nonchalant, rugged tone; something you might expect if you watch western movies. The tone is there, and the writing is superb. They complement each other in a way that will make you feel things. In some instances, you’ll be smiling, in others you’ll feel a chill down your spine.

What only adds to the emotions are the choices with which you are faced. Half of the game takes place in an overworld of sorts, where you freely navigate a cursor to different locations. Upon selection of any location, you are presented with a scenario. It could be a shop where you can choose to purchase items or weapons, or it could be a situation in which you may get injured or even killed. The player has a Luck stat that will play a factor in the outcome of certain situations. The nerve-wracking part is you really don’t know what you’re getting yourself into until you select it.

Let’s Get to the Action

Which brings me to the second half of the game – the action. When you select a key scenario (which is typically highlighted or marked somehow), it will prompt a battle sequence. These sequences advance the story in meaningful ways and play out in the manner of turn-based, strategy shootouts. Turn lengths will vary based on different factors including how many enemies and friendlies are on screen at the time. Generally speaking, you’ll have two AP (attack points) per character.

Attack Points are one of the many factors you’ll need to pay attention to during battle. A simplified definition of AP is how many moves you can make in a turn. Using specific items, moving spaces, attacking, etc. will all cost a certain amount of AP – either 0, 1, or 2. So you must plan wisely in what actions you choose to take each turn.

Stats on Stats

These, along with accuracy percentages, damage output, defense stats, your specific location, your assigned items, and assigned playing cards all play significant roles in combat. If you are unfamiliar with how turn-based strategy games work, it may be a bit of a learning curve getting into Hard West. However, if you have experience in games like XCOM, Wasteland 2, or even Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle you should have enough familiarity with the genre to make it out okay. If not, fortunately there are plenty of settings in Hard West that will allow players of all skills to enjoy the game.

I love the amount of options offered in Hard West! They allow the player to make the game significantly easier or harder depending on what is chosen (Go hard or go home!). Do you want to play where consequences are permanent – death matters and injuries have lasting effects? You can do that. Do you want cover to play a factor in damage received or given? There’s an option for that. You can also just simply change the overall difficulty as well. Each story you play will give you these options in the beginning, prior to starting. Just be warned, if you start a scenario with specific settings, you cannot change them in that story until you complete it or start over.

The Fogs of War

Now that we’ve outlined my favorite parts of the game, let’s get to the aspects that I felt could be improved a bit. One is the card system. I actually really enjoy the card system, but I felt like it could have been expanded on and explained a bit better in the short tutorial you are given upon starting the game. As it stands, the player will accumulate these playing cards that contain special buffs. It’s easy enough to select a card and assign it, but the effects are a bit hazy.

Each card will give you a description of what it will do. It could be a simple stat buff, such as vision or movement improvement. It can also be something much greater, like healing a hit point each turn or becoming invisible in shadows. Some of the descriptions you come across you really just have to test out for yourself. This is the reliable method to seeing what actually happens or how it is implemented.

Also, each card is assigned a suit and a number or face, just like a real playing card. I discovered that when you make actual Poker hands with the cards you assign, you can get additional buffs and perks. This was not explained to my knowledge, but maybe it was meant to be that way; for the player to figure out on their own. Either way, a bit more information could help these go a long way, as late game they can make a huge difference in the outcome of a battle.

. . . Because You MUST

Speaking of battles, I had no idea how to forfeit/ skip a turn until hours into the game. Perhaps it was my mistake and I just missed it, but I don’t recall Hard West ever mentioning it. It was honestly a bit of an issue. Sometimes the best thing to do on your turn is absolutely nothing at all. In fact, sometimes even just moving a single space will get you killed. And I found this out the hard way – more than a few times, because I didn’t know how to skip a turn by pressing the “X” button. I’ll chalk that one up to my own fault because I honestly find it hard to believe that was never mentioned.

The next thing, and the biggest glaring element, is the fixed point of view in battle. I was sorely disappointed to see that I cannot rotate the camera in order to get a better perspective on potential moves. I think every other strategy game I’ve played has allowed me to do so. So, unless I fell asleep while playing and missed a HUGE portion where they show this off, Hard West leaves you in that fixed perspective. It’s inconvenient for movement, views, finding cover, and honestly a bit of a turn off. Thankfully the game is so good I could look past it to play through each story. FIX THIS PLEASE!

Final Thoughts

Overall, Hard West has earned its reputation as a high recommendation. Between its historical inspirations and gruesome portrayals of probably not so far-fetched scenarios, this game will keep you on edge. The writing and voice-acting are carefully written and expertly queued upon completing certain actions. The graphics have a hard-lined, artistic flair that give off an animated vibe to the partially realistic aesthetics. The choice-based navigation and gameplay of the overworld leave you wondering, sometimes in regret, and will definitely make an impact in your game experience. You may not be quick on the draw, but I suggest you pull the trigger on this strategic PC port of Hard West.

I just wanted to say thanks . . . partner . . . for reading my review! I hope you enjoyed my thorough analysis and are now better able to make a decision on this one. If you want to continue the discussion, feel free to join our community Discord! We also have a growing YouTube channel as well. If you have some gold to spare, feel free to help support us on Patreon of Ko-fi. You are appreciated!