Blood West

Blood West is what you get when you toss Thief, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., and Red Dead Redemption into a cursed cauldron, stir it with a rusted bayonet, and set it in a nightmare-soaked frontier. It's grimy, eerie, and surprisingly tactical—and it's one of the most atmospheric indie games in recent memory. The Good: Immersive Atmosphere: The sound design is unsettling in all the right ways—creaking wood, distant groans, and eerie wind keep you constantly on edge. Combined with its gritty, low-res art style, it nails the "haunted Wild West" vibe. Tense, Tactical Gameplay: Blood West isn’t a run-and-gun shooter. It rewards stealth, planning, and patience. Combat feels deliberate, and the scarcity of ammo and supplies keeps tension high. Satisfying Progression: Perk-based character building adds replayability and player choice. Whether you're going full stealth, gunslinger, or melee brute, the game supports various playstyles. World Design: Non-linear maps and semi-open zones give exploration real value. You’ll want to scour every shack and canyon for loot or lore. The Not-So-Good: Janky Combat at Times: Melee can feel clunky and unresponsive, especially in tight spaces. Firearms, while powerful, are sometimes hard to aim precisely under pressure. Sparse NPC Interaction: While the isolation adds to the atmosphere, the world can feel a bit empty between objectives. A few more NPCs or story events would help deepen the immersion. Old-School Save System: The save limitations will frustrate some players. Dying near the end of a mission means redoing long, tense segments—which may not appeal to all. Blood West is a slow-burn immersive horror-sim that rewards patience and exploration. It’s rough around the edges, but it makes up for it with atmosphere, originality, and solid mechanics. If you love immersive sims, survival horror, or just want to hunt monsters with a six-shooter in a cursed frontier, Blood West is absolutely worth saddling up for. Rating: 8/10

I love that anything Gianni touches turns to Gold. This game is great about being frustratingly difficult and easy. I'm glad they added Ironman Mode, so now I can get even MORE frustrated. Life is good.

It's good. It's not quite, but very close to being one of my favorite games, even if part of that is elements that appeal to me in particular. The graphics are good, though don't seem to be particularly exceptional. They are a very good fit for the tone, but I'm not sure they do much more than that. The audio is similar, good but not exceptional, although I did find the gunshot sounds especially weighty. What the game does, is strike an amazing balance between the action and stealth elements. In theory, you could run and gun your way through, except the numbers aren't quite on your side. Enemies hit a little too hard and move a little too fast, reload speeds for bullets and stamina recovery for melee attacks take just a little too long to make them sufficient on their own to let you just fight or character-build your way through combat without any thought. Stealth then, is a part of or compliment to combat. The end result is a game that, I would say, manages to make stealth a central part, without being overly punishing for getting noticed (nothing is ever outright failed for making an error and getting spotted). As an added bonus, the setting is leveraged very well to encourage stealth without making one worry about lethality of a given set of tools, which I wouldn't want in every game but it makes a nice change of pace for a game with stealth as a focus. And you have a lot of tools to play with. For a game where character building isn't the overtly the focus, there is a lot you can do. You have large and small weapon slots, which in addition to a range of types also can sometimes be found in cursed or enchanted variations to add extra wrinkles. You've got three slots for talismans, which provides niche but notable bonuses to enhance or build a playstyle. And you've got only 3 slots for quick access for consumables, everything else must be pulled from your inventory, and the game doesn't pause for that. Add to that the ability to throw rocks to distract enemies, and you've got a lot of actions to play with. It would almost be an immersive sim, save the actual ways to approach challenges are limited to essentially forms for combat, but for me it scratched that itch pretty well. The approach to enemies complements all of that well. Visually distinct and interesting, they all have different approaches to combat such as what they're armed with, if and where they have armor, and how they fight. They're neat designs, and their appearance and sounds make it very clear which enemy that is waiting around the corner. And they're generally do a good job avoiding making the encounters overall too bullet-spongey, most of them go down very fast if you can catch them off guard or hit them in a weakspot, and the exceptions are either bosses or very pointedly positioned (and visually designed) as elite or extra dangerous enemies. The story might be something that suits my tastes more than is particularly good. I enjoyed it, but that might be my own bias. I can say though, that it at least doesn't overstay it's welcome, you can just click through it and follow objective markers (which are only visible on the map, mind) and otherwise focus entirely on gameplay. And I really liked the voice acting. I don't think it's a perfect game, but I don't think they've notably dropped the ball with anything either. There are a few minor things that could probably be improved, like I generally enjoy the inventory tetris but there are some times I end up getting bogged down going back and forth to make sure I've picked everything up in an area. But if you're interested in the general style and tone, it's a great game and worth a try.

A very fun stealth game with rpg elements which allow you to play the game in many different ways. I enjoyed every moment of it, most enemies even if they are brutal feel fair and once you're in the zone it is an amazing time. Definitely worthwhile if fps/stealth games are up your alley.

Blood West? More like Snore Fest. Chapter 1 is alright but once you hit the boss it just drops the ball HARD and only gets worse from there. Fun while it lasted I suppose, got it on a heavy discount so don't exactly feel ripped off but wish I'd put the time into literally anything else.

This is going to be a "No" from me. I love retro style FPS, but the game play and directions are very unclear. Oh so I MUST go stealth to survive in the beginning. Oh so I MUST either find the bow and rifle, or pay for them because you can't survive the game with just a shotgun or axe. Struggling? Don't worry, when you die they make it 10X harder by making you bleed faster, or lose stamina. These are curses you get for dying. GTHANKS.

One of the best indie game out there with a wild west theme, combat can be sometimes clunky, but the ambience, map design, npc's, searching for loot, story and devs still making updates is making this 10/10, always glad to replay the game when a new updated that brings new things to the game! Thank you for still developing the game.

Best single-player game I've played in a while. I've been no-lifing it the last 2 days and I can't get enough. The story and artwork are phenomenal, the graphics have a great quake-era charm and the Melee and gunplay are awesome. The characters and monster design are also original and top-shelf as well. I'm actually dreading completing this game I'm enjoying it so much. I typically don't like stealth-centric games, but this game gives you the tools to play how you want, while encouraging stealth. I've got a melee bruiser with all of my stats into melee damage and health, and there's not really much he can't handle if I play carefully. If you're on the fence, get tf off and buy it!

This game is very good. Very fun. However, the new update is super buggy. Quests just don't work, events don't trigger proper. They need to be fixed.

A very interesting immersive sim/boomer shooter combo. Feels like Thief with Guns.

the good : it is exclusively all the good parts of far cry 3. destroying strongholes and roaming enemies. there are a ton of small trinckets for you to use and equip. a ton of variaty in its aresenal. the bad: not a lot of enemies respond naturally. the colour palet choose make it hard to find some trinkets. the maps are kinda small. for a small indie dev , it is a good game, just expect an lovecraftien ending

Wow, this game is a blast! Its like a mix between red dead, fallout, and eldritch horror. Its not as difficult as I thought it would be. Guns and tomahawks are so fun to use! I need more

Blood West 4 Life. I love the references and the overall vibe of this game. Excellent music, sound design and voice acting. The original voice actor was so bad ass, I'm not sure what happened with that but the 2nd voice actor is damn good too. Oozing with style, the graphics have this gritty, gnarly perfection IMO. Love the atmosphere of the level design. Much horror survivor wow. Challenging scenarios, minimal hand holding, constant looming threats, great replay value. Controls feel natural, default keybindings are sensible. Blood West will be one of my favorites for a long, long time.

The exact perfect blend of shooter and stealth I've been looking for. Amazing sound design, creature design, atmosphere. Gunplay is hefty and satisfying, the souls-like progression is addictive. Best game I've played in a long time.

Honestly, this game came as a surprise. The RPG mechanics are well done and give a real sense of progression. When I started fighting the Chapter 1 boss, I expected the game to end afterward—but I was genuinely happy and surprised to discover there was still more content. Combat is tough, but that’s exactly what makes it great. You have to think through every confrontation carefully, and you can never be too careless, or the game will punish you for it. Melee attacks are free, which makes them very tempting, but getting spotted feels like getting caught with your pants down. Shooting is the smarter option for landing clean headshots, but it comes at the cost of precious ammo and doing a lot of noise that could attract more unwanted things This is a great solo western game—the game feel is excellent, and it’s rewarding without being too difficult. Highly recommended.

Good mechanics and solid gameplay with moderate to severe difficulty depending on smart or very stupid choices you make. Immaculate voice acting and visual design on the monsters, with an interesting story line. Overall, 9\10, good game.

From the trailer I thought I was getting an action first person shooter, and in a way I did, but not in a way I expected, this game is one of those resource management action games, bullets and space are limited, while axes and stealth are forever, Yet when I had enough bullets, and the steady aim perk I did enjoy being an undead gunslinger who put monsters down low, though I still made use of stealth and made sure an axe was always in my inventory, I have no idea who decided this should also have character levels but give that person a medal cause it was a fantastic idea, 7.5/10 but that's only the resource managing hater in me.

Great game. Gunplay is well done and feels crunchy.

I got my money's worth, and I believe it to be a good game, but there were definitely things that got to me whilst playing the game that meant I pushed myself to end the game, and I feel pretty unsatisfied with the ending. Main things that bothered me were: It stopped being much of a stealth game about half way through the first act. I stopped sneaking past enemies, luring them in certain directions or backstabbing because it was easier to just shoot them in the face. Dynamite can go off well within earshot of an enemy and it just goes about it's day like it's strolling through the park. I wasted about an hour running around Act 3 looking in various areas, only to realise the final boss was available and I was literally just wasting time. There isn't a ton of lore or anything about, there isn't really any reason to get money this late in the game either as the only thing you can save up for is a ridiculously overpriced Rifle. I didn't need a 50th health potion nor a mead I would never drink. The final boss was dull, as was the second boss. Absolutely no threat to the player. There is a hard mode coming I've just read, which may fix the issues mentioned above. But as the game stands it wasn't much of a stealth game due to enemies reacting poorly, if they reacted at all, and the ending is a bit meh. Good game to get on a sale.

After careful consideration, I have changed my negative review to a positive one after the implementation of story mode and custom difficulty. Not only is the game now a little easier, but it's more enjoyable without a kick to the groin of curses and lost items. The development team didn't nerf the enemies or make the game necessarily any easier, which is the right move, but instead removed the things that penalized you. I am very, very happy with that because the challenge is what makes the game so immersive. I am happy to say this game does some really good things when it comes to the stealth aspect. It is uniquely challenging, but feels manageable trying to avoid enemies and catch them by surprise. The developer not only listened to feedback, but responded to me and many other critics. Sorry I guess that's just what we are, haha! Great game and another New Blood win. I am enjoying it FAR more now with the changes, and it is also great to play on the Steam Deck.

[h1]A Masterpiece[/h1] Easily one of the brightest and most brilliant single-player experiences I've encountered, Blood West offers stealth gameplay mixed beautifully with soulslike mechanics and a curious, mysterious world to explore. [h2]Is Blood West the Game for You?[/h2] Tastes are subjective, so I'll try to be specific about what stands out to me: [list] [*]I like sneaking around and taking out enemies (at range or up close) before they have a chance to take me out; in Elden Ring, for example, I love backstabbing unsuspecting enemies or staggering/parrying them to follow it up with a frontal critical/visceral strike [*]Dying is not the end; you will awaken next to the totem with all of your money, gear, and loot; nothing drops, but you are given a debuff.. this debuff increases in severity until it hits level 3 (max level), unlocking a quest from the totem you can complete to remove all debuffs (quests like "kill 5 cultists" or "get drunk and kill 3 of any enemy") [*]Enemy bodies are lootable once defeated - not all enemies will have something to offer, but many will [*]Some (not all) of your defeated enemies will come back if/when you die or sleep in a bed [*]Even very early on, the game provides traders, allowing you to sell your loot for cash which you can then exchange for special weapons, consumables, and more [*]Accessories can also be found and equipped, which offer a wide variety of benefits [*]Exploration in this game is top-notch; consumables, items, and gear are hidden in points of interest - tucked away behind a bar table, secured inside what is now a broken crate, or even hidden in a few of the world's safes - requires you to first find a key to access them [*]On top of all this, Blood West has XP, levels, and perks as you may have noticed from this page's description - SO MANY PERKS which each have felt punchy and meaningful as I've acquired them [/list] [h2]Is Blood West NOT for You?[/h2] As difficult as it is to describe just how good and satisfying this game is, I realize it probably just hits all the right notes for me and might not be for everyone: [list] [*]The difficulty is a little up there; when being pursued by enemies, you have to think quickly or you'll die, leading to injuries as you awaken at the totem, leading to frustration [*]You don't start as a hotshot, but perks can be unlocked to make it easier to aim, to pump out repeated attacks, and more; keep in mind that this is part of the game's progression (your player character gets more powerful as you level up and this leads to him becoming more proficient with the tools of his trade over time). This is primarily an FPS [i]RPG[/i], after all [*]While points of interest are usually beefy, full of enemies to track and take out, and packed with exciting loot to find, the gaps between points of interest are fairly uneventful. I would suggest that this is natural for open-world games, though, and that this leads to a feeling of emptiness and abandonment as you explore the cold night desert the game drops you into.. so yeah, I hear you if this is your feeling, but I also feel that it has a purpose and fits with the game's theme [*]There isn't much music in the game (though the music which is there has a great, haunting western vibe), preferring to be atmospheric mystery moreso than producing a feeling of adventuring on a sunny day [*]The art is unique with a low-res texture effect.. which I actually like a lot - it feels to me like PS1+ graphics with decent-res models painted over with something that reminds me of old-school Resident Evil and hits those nostalgia feels just right. Even the 2D icons for items have a lower-res feel to them. But if you dislike the visuals, the style is consistent throughout the game [/list] [h2]Tips & Tricks[/h2] [list] [*]The game will tell you this when the time is right, but back-attacks on unaware enemies offer a beefy damage bonus - meaning that even with a knife, you can kill most critters early on by sneaking up on them. The first trader also offers a knife which provides a bonus to sneaking movement and efficiency... and even restores 5 HP when successfully eliminating an unaware enemy (an AMAZING item to prioritize saving up for early on!!) [*]Powerful enemies can be scary; the Windigo early on is a monster to go up against, but defeating it has a decent chance of dropping an accessory: the Windigo Heart. This accessory decreases your max HP by a bit but allows you to regenerate health over time (about 1 HP every 8 seconds) and pairs very nicely with the next item [*]The first trader offers an expensive ethereal bow; this is a very powerful early weapon which fires silently (as bows do in this game), requires no ammo, deals a hefty amount of damage, and fires in a straight line (no drop-off at range). It quickly became my go-to sniper rifle early on and was a delight to use once I got the Windigo Heart [/list] [h2]Final Thoughts[/h2] Blood West builds up to a final showdown with a primordial evil which I won't spoil. After defeating this boss enemy, I was satisfied, ready to write a review, and ready to chalk up this game as one not to overlook... then I received an achievement: [code] "Chapter 1 Complete"[/code] I was already prepared to gush about how much I liked this game in a review, that it hits ALL the right buttons for me, and I was sad it was over (until I start up the DLC). But that was just Chapter 1!! - and let me tell you friends, [i]Chapter 2 is even more satisfying![/i] [h2]To the Developers[/h2] I sincerely hope you plan to continue making games with mechanics like Blood West. If you've started a different kind of project, I hope that you consider to making another game like this one day. Blood West is truly, truly a brilliant and well-executed game and the whole team should be proud of what was accomplished here. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for anything and everything you develop in the future ❤️

cant rebind keys or change sensitivity, so i cant play. It was cool once upon a time, but now i cant even walk a straight line. Got the keys figured out, ( it takes a specific way to save the changes to key binds....), sensitivity not yet, everytime i open my inventory the game pasues....wtf is going on? I don't remember any of these problems. Its completely breaking the experience, i think ive tried for close to two hours to just play. STAY AWAY UNTIL WHATEVER IS GOING ON IS FIXED.

Lol, this game sucks. picked it up because as bad ass as it looked, it never looked as good as full price. once i bought it i found out it wasnt even as good as quarter price. spend your money better ANYWHERE else. Do better HYPERSTRANGE...

good game, I have very much enjoyed my time stabbing and blasting my way through this undead nightmare! if you wished hunt: showdown had a singleplayer mode look no further. one minor gripe is some racism in one of the story trailers that really left a bad taste in my mouth, but that's more the fault of the marketing team, the devs did a great job with the game!

Good game for the stalkerheads, the Dev should take the word "immersive" out of the description so people stop expecting an immersive sim. Also please add a chapter 2 revolver upgrade so people that invest in revolvers can avoid using the Volcanics, they just don't do it for me.

Thought was cool, great atmosphere, until I started gaining a curse because I died, not sure I understand.

A lovely stealth weird-west game that scratched a particular itch I didn't know I had. Takes it slow and steady initially but depending on where you put your points in, you can branch out to different play styles. The "vibes" are pretty good here: low poly models + environments, music that fits the mood, the player character being voiced by Stephen Russell, and movement being brisk enough where travel doesn't feel tedious. The only thing that I wasn't too keen on was certain parts of the inventory management, like say if you pick up some arrows and you have some in a bag within your inventory already, it won't combine within the bag automatically and you'll have to manually combine them together pretty frequently if you are also a loot everything kind of person too. Nitpick aside, it's totally worth getting if you're in a stealth game mood with a weird-west flavor!

Great artwork. love the story, the old retro gunslinger vibe makes me feel content, i will enjoy this.

Really solid experience. You're always quite squishy, even with max health and death can come quickly, but as you progress and gain equipment, you can really become a force to be reckoned with while always still at risk of dying. While I would like to see more NPCs to expand the world, the game really is great and definitely worth the pick up.

Having a lot of fun with this one - big fan of magical/horror westerns.

Great game!! Super stylish, campy dialogue, and super satisfying stealth gameplay. The first time I played the game it didn't quite click with me, but after spending more time with it I really had fun with it.

Zombie cowboy in cursed indigenous land = hella autistic fun

Amazing Immersive sim. Far better game than most AAA

My favorite depiction of Adam West so far! 10/10

very satisfying to play, very immersive

A more RPG-esque version of Gloomwood, highly recommend

Great game. Pricey DLC however.

played with pleasure, Alvaro did not find

The best dentistry sim I've ever played.

Really good game... never played anything like it.

i suck but it is good

this is a good game.

loved this game

new blood cooked with this one

Pretty cool

absolute cinema

Fun

Amazing game. I just wish it had new game plus

A pleasant surprise

the vibe is good