I quite adore Blood West. I’m not usually drawn to retro-styled games, but this one immediately caught my attention. The narrative isn’t particularly strong, yet the gameplay is so consistently engaging that I can’t bring myself to rate it as merely “mixed-average” so 8 is where I land, realistically I'd give it a solid 7.5/10
I am a massive fan of wild West genre and lovecraftian creatures, this game has both. The game shines through its systemic depth and layered mechanics. It features a skill tree with multiple progression paths, and a range of risk and reward systems that constantly shape how you approach the world. One of my favourite examples is the brooch, you can sell it for $50, or keep it equipped, where every kill adds $5 to its value. The catch is that if you die, the value resets. It’s a simple mechanic, but it creates a constant tension between greed and survival.
Death itself is also part of the system. Each time you die, you accumulate curses that gradually weaken you reducing things like health and stamina. These curses can be lifted, but doing so costs gold, forcing you to weigh whether recovery is worth the expense. On top of that, there are plenty of items you can buy or discover that grant both perks and debuffs, further adding to the strategic layer.
The gameplay loop never really becomes dull. The difficulty is challenging but fair once you improve the built in skills, which represents growth and satisfying to the player, and it’s even customizable, allowing players to tailor the experience to their preferred level of challenge. The game clearly rewards stealth, but it never forces you into it, leaving room for different playstyles.
There are three big main areas to explore that go into a game chapter, each with its own enemies and atmosphere. My personal favourite was the swamp, which introduces some of the most interesting encounters in the game, especially the crocodiles. Combined with the wide variety of weapons available, it keeps gameplay feeling fresh throughout.
I highly recommend this game if you love resource and inventory management systems and systematic depth.
