Highlights
- El Paso, Elsewhere pays homage to Remedy Entertainment's classic Max Payne games, featuring similar gameplay mechanics and a noir-inspired narrative.
- The game introduces supernatural elements and a "PS1 demake" visual style, distinguishing itself while staying true to the spirit of Max Payne.
- El Paso, Elsewhere's successful release is a promising sign for the eventual remakes of Max Payne and Max Payne 2, which fans have eagerly anticipated for years.
For 28 years, Remedy Entertainment has been steadily providing fans with some of the most unique action games available, blending digital worlds with live-action footage and a penchant for strangeness. Ahead of the studio's latest release in just a few short weeks, indie developer Strange Scaffold has finally launched its long-awaited third-person action game El Paso, Elsewhere, which stands out as a loving homage to Remedy's first big splash in the industry – the incredible Max Payne. From bullet-time dives to dual-wielded pistols and a plethora of painkillers to heal, El Paso, Elsewhere unabashedly displays its inspirations front and center while also carving out its own niche in the "noir action hero" subgenre.
Taking the format established by Remedy's work on Max Payne and Max Payne 2 and folding in a healthy dose of the supernatural via werewolves and vampires (including the protagonist's world-ending ex-girlfriend), El Paso, Elsewhere has all the trademarks of the 6th gen classic but opts for a "PS1 demake" visual style rather than something indicative of the hardware Max Payne originally released on. Aside from leaning more heavily into the supernatural elements, though, the game is a clear love-letter to Remedy's action-noir masterpiece Max Payne, right down to the moody "hard-boiled detective" voice-overs and a femme fatale doing everything in their power to waylay the protagonist.
El Paso, Elsewhere Amps Up Max Payne's Supernatural Elements to 11
Both Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne dabble in supernatural elements, which at this point have become something of a Remedy Entertainment trademark. With the Alan Wake series, the developer has firmly planted both feet into Twin Peaks territory, but the original games that introduced Remedy to the world have a much more grounded approach comparatively. El Paso, Elsewhere establishes its own tonal identity by very clearly being a Max Payne-inspired noir story, but one where the hero is attempting to stop his vampire ex-girlfriend from ending the world.
Like Max Payne, the game is split up into levels, although these stages are much shorter in El Paso, Elsewhere as the hero is making his way through a supernatural motel floor-by-floor. However, on each of these floors are scores of vile fiends who are trying to stop the player from reaching their destination or rescue hostages. Between vampires, werewolves, and biblically-accurate angels, the cannon fodder that players take out from level-to-level in El Paso, Eslewhere is a far cry from the thugs and hired goons of the Max Payne games. The use of bullet-time dodges and painkillers as healing items may ring of Remedy's classic, but once the enemies start showing up, it's clear that El Paso is aiming for something darker.
Response to El Paso, Elsewhere Is a Good Sign for the Max Payne Remakes
Now that the release of Alan Wake 2 is just around the corner, plenty of fans are hoping that the announced remakes of both Max Payne and Max Payne 2 will be Remedy's next priority and see the light of day soon. It's been more than a decade since the release of the first Alan Wake and its sequel, and the 20th anniversary of Max Payne 2 is just two weeks away on October 14. In terms of "striking while the iron is hot", there's arguably never been a better time than right now for the Max Payne remakes to arrive. Adding fuel to that fire is the collective uproar surrounding El Paso, Elsewhere.
El Paso, Elsewhere's release just last week has already been a success for Strange Scaffold, with the title garnering plenty of buzz and racking up positive reviews on Steam. Considering that the title has more than its fair share of callbacks and references to Max Payne, not to mention sharing a core gameplay mechanic, El Paso is helping to bring Remedy's tragic hero back into the zeitgeist once again. Fans may have to wait a bit longer for the Max Payne remakes, but El Paso, Elsewhere is a more than capable substitute to sink one's teeth into in the meantime.
El Paso, Elsewhere is available now for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.