It’s clear that the AAA industry is done with the immersive sim genre, and it's up to smaller and independent developers to carry the torch and provide players with experiences where experimentation is always rewarded. One of these games is Blood West, a stealth-focused immersive sim that borrows from tons of excellent franchises like Thief, STALKER, and even Dark Souls.
Gameplay and Story
Blood West is more about the tone, and world rather than the direct story you’re following. It’s an eldritch western, similar to 2022’s Weird West when it comes to the aesthetics, and feel. You play as an Undead Gunslinger who needs to find out why he’s been brought back to life, and how he can free his soul. It’s a simple premise that ultimately works in its favor because you’re not constantly interrupted by some narrative sequence.
Your character is voiced by Stephen Russell, the man behind many iconic voices, including Garret from Theif which Blood West heavily draws from. He comments on a lot of things during gameplay while you gather ammo, pick up arrows, and pull off headshots. He’s a joy to listen to, and all his one-liners are worth noting down for future use. Other important NPCs are fully voiced as well, and the quality is top-notch throughout.
Blood West’s gameplay is mostly open-ended, and you’re free to roam around as you please. As you progress, more quests are added to your journal, and you’ll find notes on different enemies and how to deal with them. Speaking of, Blood West has tons of monsters to fight that often require you to adjust your strategy.
You have access to different weapons including handguns, bows, shotguns, axes, knives, and such. I found all these useful in different situations, and nothing felt disposable until you had a spare to sell. Everything can be traded with different NPCs, and the general gunplay feels incredible even if this isn’t a game that leans towards heavy shooting.
You’re encouraged to first scope out an area, and start by slowly taking out enemies without actually engaging in battles. Stealth is very effective, and you want to remain as silent as possible to not only draw attention but also save resources for a potential screwup.
You can also level up various stats and tailor your build towards a specific style. I love using the bow because you can pick up arrows from bodies. It’s silent and headshots can instantly kill enemies as long as they’re in the proper range. I put my points into stats that initially affected my bow skills first, and there was an actual visible improvement in how I performed.
The game can be quite challenging, and I love how the death mechanic works. Basically, like Dark Souls, you respawn at the last safe point after dying. There are no checkpoints beyond that, and you’ll have to trek through the area again with some enemies respawning.
Thankfully, you don’t lose your resources, but, you’re afflicted with some sort of mechanical curse. For example, you might get a curse that reduces your overall stamina. This means that the next time you’re out, you’ll have an extra disadvantage to deal with, but it only adds to the challenge in my opinion, and you need to fulfill some condition to get rid of it.
Graphics and Sound
Blood West uses a retro shooter aesthetic, and it’s really beautiful. The NPCs you meet all have their appropriate outfits, the monsters are varied and come in different shapes and sizes while the interiors are well-lit with tons of tiny details to appreciate.
Enemies roam around the world, and scouting an area feels rewarding thanks to the excellent level design, and how it facilitates their routes. I also love the different concept art that you see on the menus, and the few animated cutscenes are a treat to watch.
Feedback
While I love everything about Blood West, I do have one gripe that I can’t seem to get around. Since this is a first-person title, it’s important to properly communicate the distance between you and an enemy that’s in front of you. However, I always felt like I got hit by a plunge attack even when I had some distance between myself, and the enemy. It might have something to do with the FOV, but it’s really hard to tell how far an enemy attack reaches and makes close combat feel a bit more difficult than it should.
Verdict
Overall, Blood West’s world is a treat to explore! Fighting all sorts of monsters is challenging, and the game forces you to adapt to their placement, and not make mistakes. You have tons of options to deal with things, and preparation is always rewarded. The art direction is superb, and the monster designs are extremely memorable. If you’ve been dying to play a stealth FPS that heavily borrows from the likes of Thief, STALKER, and System Shock, you owe it to yourself to play Blood West.
