Hard West 2 is an upcoming strategy game filled with gunslingers and hellspawn, and it’s the third game I’ve played this year that’s mixed cowboys and reanimated cadavers and the word “West”, sitting next to Weird West – a slick and smart immersive sim – and Blood West – a good and gory retro shooter. Hopefully, we get a game about herding cattle, called “Lovely West” or something, soon.
If you enjoy games like XCOM, you’ll feel right at home here, even though it’s mechanically a kind of antithesis. Where XCOM is all about covering lines of sight and putting guys in overwatch positions, reacting to enemy movement as you inch towards your objective, Hard West 2 encourages you to push forward and take risks.