The Game Awards not only handed out shiny prizes to the best that 2021 had to offer, but also provided a glimpse of what was to come in the years ahead. Although Evil West was first unveiled at last year's Game Awards, fans saw a proper glimpse at the game during last night's show. The exciting trailer for Evil West provided a better sense of the title's spooky, gothic atmosphere, while also demonstrating its high octane action gameplay.
The latest project from Flying Wild Hog and Focus Entertainment, this western paranormal adventure showed off its main protagonist and overall visual style in its latest Game Awards trailer. Evil West's hero is an outlaw looking type, with big guns and a bigger attitude, which he uses to tangle against monstrous enemies and other freakish creatures of the undead. While Evil West looks great by its own merits, for those who have been playing games for quite some time, it may seem eerily familiar to an underrated first person shooter from back in the PS2/Xbox generation called Darkwatch.
Darkwatch - A Thrilling Battle Against The Undead
The PS2/Xbox era of gaming had a plethora of first person shooters hit the scene, many of which going on to become industry staples. Halo of course needs no introduction, with the series still going strong and Microsoft's premier exclusive. Meanwhile, Call of Duty also found its footing in these years, laying the foundation for the juggernaut it would go on to become. With such a crowded, competitive playing field, naturally some games, regardless of quality, fell through the cracks.
Enter Darkwatch, hitting consoles in 2005 to favorable reviews, with much of its praise being aimed towards the fun combat mechanics and brooding, gothic style. The game combined western, horror, and steampunk aesthetics to craft a spooky, believable world, which made for an engrossing experience. The campaign followed Jericho Cross after he was turned into a vampire, using his newfound abilities to combat the forces of evil. Levels were vast and varied, with a good pace and extra multiplayer modes for bonus content.
Despite a promising concept and good word of mouth, Darkwatch sadly never took off as intended. A sequel was considered in 2007, but unfortunately entered development hell and was ultimately cancelled. The game has a cult following, with gamers anxiously anticipating a similar game to rear its head, and Evil West may be just what the doctor ordered.
Evil West - Darkwatch's Spiritual Successor
Although Evil West has opted for a third person perspective as opposed to Darkwatch's first person gameplay, the overall style and feel of the project is largely the same. Evil West seems to sport the same "cool" factor that Darkwatch had, using the perfect blend of horror, western and steampunk elements for a unique horror action adventure. Of course, it has been 16 years since Darkwatch hit shelves, and numerous advancements have been made in gaming tech since then, something which is evident from the recent Evil West trailer.
So much more can be done to bring the development team's vision to life with current gaming tech. Evil West sports a gruesome visual look, but it looks stunningly realized, with plenty of flair and punch behind its art style. Furthermore, the combat itself seems fast paced and hard hitting, appearing to borrow a few notes from Madworld and God of War in terms of how to make beating up bad guys a bloody good time, both mechanically and literally.
Evil West unfortunately still has no confirmed launch date, only stating that it is due to release in 2022. Even so, for fans of Darkwatch or gamers that enjoy a genre-bending action game, Evil West should definitely be something that sticks on their radar. When it comes to perfectly blending action and horror, the title appears to have hit a bullseye.
Evil West is due to release sometime in 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
