West of Loathing (PC) Preview

West of Loathing begins with a fairly simple, almost vague origin story. From there, it spirals into a series of RPG tropes and oddball humour, and frankly, it's a treat so far. The game is fully aware of how silly it is and frequently takes turns at itself. But beneath the "Look how silly I look" exterior lies a very unique RPG system.

When West of Loathing aims to be an RPG, it's a little lacking. It's a turn-based RPG, but only in the most basic sense. Characters attack enemies when it is their turn, and enemies retaliate. It's a tale as old as time. This isn't what separates West of Loathing from the rest of the RPG fodder that seems to be creeping back up in the last few years.

What it excels at is self-effacing behaviour. While its sense of humour is capable of dragging its feet, it still manages a few chuckles. Between the goofy dialogue and the zany quest missions, this is a game that does everything but take itself too seriously.

No need to fret over the craziness though, as the game still manages to throw some interesting curveballs. One of the most fascinating features is the text-based system that allows the player to execute commands outside of combat. Stealthily taking out enemies and receiving instant feedback on how it played out is very exciting, and it allows for a more robust audience. There really is something here for everyone, whether they're a fan of traditional turn-based combat or text and graphic adventures.

Even the graphics, purposely childish, are fun to watch. Unfortunately, this early build seems to have balancing issues. Some of the earliest missions are gruelling, but there are plenty of other missions to undertake. These are on the opposite end of the spectrum: so easy they require almost no effort at all. Hopefully, this can be resolved before the game's final release, because the world is worth exploring. It's just not much fun when the difficulty spikes in unfair ways.