Will Evil West Take the Western Genre in a New Direction?

It’s been a long wait, but players will soon be able to get their hands on a copy of the much-anticipated horror western, Evil West. The game from Flying Wild Hog is one of the most innovative titles in recent years, as it takes classic western themes but combines them with fantasy and horror elements.

With westerns being all the rage across the gaming industry, this one is likely to gain a lot of attention. But how big will the game’s impact be? Could it take the western genre into a new era?

Wild West Games are Hugely Popular

The Wild West is one of the most popular settings in the gaming industry, and most people would credit the success of Red Dead Redemption 2 with bringing these themes back into the mainstream. Since the 2018 title from Rockstar Games, there have been countless western releases on various platforms, giving players a vast amount of choice. For instance, if you look to the mobile gaming sector, there are options like Westland Survival, West Gunfighter, Western Sniper: Wild West FPS and many more.

Evil West is a Highly Original Concept

Flying Wild Hog clearly wanted to appeal to the familiarity aspect of the western and attract players in this way, giving them traditional settings such as saloons and grasslands to traverse. However, the studio realized that the genre could also use a bit of a makeover, with a novel idea likely to allure people in search of something different.

Evil West is a game that fulfills that need, as instead of classic gun fights with sheriffs and outlaws, this new title is packed full of weird and varied vampires. Players take on the role of Jesse Rentier, a vampire hunter tasked with clearing the frontier of these sinister beings. The other great genre-breaking innovation is that the weapons include a flamethrower and a gauntlet that accumulates electrical energy. These are things that wouldn’t usually be seen in westerns but could be highly useful when battling the undead.

Who Will This Game Appeal to?

Evil West could be a major influence on the western genre moving forward, as the game is likely to attract a high number of players. It will, of course, stand out to people who can’t get enough of the western genre already, but it will also allure horror fans who want to take on evil in a new way.

Rockstar Games tried this crossover once before in the Undead Nightmare expansion pack it released for Red Dead Redemption in 2010. This proved to be hugely popular with players, and the same thing could happen with Evil West.

Evil West certainly has the potential to take the western genre in a new direction by giving other developers fresh ideas. Genre-bending games are all the rage in the gaming industry and combining horror with the Wild West could be a winning formula.

Martin

Martin

Martin, who is now pursuing a degree in journalism, has always enjoyed gaming and aspires to offer something on the side while following his passion.