Title: West of Loathing
Developer: Asymmetric Publications
Publisher: Asymmetric Publications
Initial Release Date:  August 10th, 2017
Available On: PC, Linux, iOS, Nintendo Switch
Reviewed On: Nintendo Switch

Why am I reviewing a game that is almost 7 years old? I’ve learned that while West of Loathing has a passionate cult following (with me as its newest inductee), plenty of gamers have yet to learn about this meat nugget of a game. I picked up West of Loathing physical from Limited Run, and it sat on my backlog until now. I’ve rolled credits several times, and it’s now my mission to share my review with the world.

SYNOPSIS

West of Loathing is, at its very core, a turned-based RPG set in a (very fictional) wild west. You control a stick figure who ventures forth from their home to the great frontier, wrangling outlaws, helping the townsfolk, and exploring mines. The story thus develops based on your playstyle, and there are various side-stories to enhance your experience. Ultimately, you end up in the western-most city, “Frisco”. By then, have you achieved your life goals?

ANALYSIS

Gameplay

As mentioned above, you control a stick-figure and navigate the western map of this fictional America. You walk around within each town or landmark and cross the map a la Oregon Trail between destinations. The map travel is quite fun. There are random encounters, but I’ve only seen one encounter max per travel. The random encounters aren’t always enemy battles either. This is why it reminds me so much of Oregon Trail. Sometimes you find abandoned items on the path. Other times, you discover a new location. That’s right, your map starts as a blank slate and only find other locations when exploring or talking to NPCs.

Upon character selection, you can choose between three classes, a beanslinger (aka. mage), snake oiler (aka. ranger), or cow puncher (melee fighter). This impacts your playstyle in and out of combat. Battles are turn-based, and after completing the “tutorial” area, you can select one “pardner” to travel and fight alongside you. Now, your pardner doesn’t level up the same way you do. Each pardner has their own unique way of leveling up that you will need to find out.

You gain experience through fights and other activities like shoveling poop, flushing toilets, or plucking your unsightly eyebrows. And it’s not all nonsense. When you do something long enough, you gain hilarious abilities such as Master of Flushing–flush enough toilets in the overworld and you gain + 3 muscle! So, while the combat system is generally simplistic in nature, the overall set up and customization is thoughtful and enjoyable to last several playthroughs.

Visuals and Sound

The hand-drawn stick figure art style is quite genius. There is a lot of attention to detail despite the simplistic concept of stick figures. From the unnerving wide eyes of the cultists to the sheer amount of bones that line the walls of the Necromancer’s Tower, the artist clearly put a lot of effort into West of Loathing. Even when you are in dark caves, your lantern casts shadows and move when you do. This game embodies the concept of doing much with little.

The music is sheer joy. It’s like mental chewing gum when you think of any game, show, or movie with a western theme. I’m not going to lie– I could easily listen to this soundtrack while working or content creating.

FINAL SCORE

West of Loathing is a GEM of an indie game that everyone should experience at least once. You can complete the game as fast or as slow as you’d like. Beyond its simplistic outer shell lies a well of secrets and side content, from the war between Hell Cows and Hell Clowns to the mysterious El Vibrato tech.

What really drives West of Loathing into my shelf of excellence is the writing. It is top notch hilariousness. There is an impressive amount of dialogue options, and each and every one feels like its been thought out. Nothing feels like a throwaway. Because of the silly quips and puns, I make sure to speak to everyone and interact with every item possible.

West of Loathing was not a backlog game that I wanted to rush to completion. In fact, I didn’t want to end my journey. It was then I immediately went to Serenity Forge and pre-ordered my collector’s edition of Asymmetric Publication’s next title, Shadows Over Loathing.

The Boss Rush Podcast – A Podcast About Video Games

The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of The Boss Rush Network and Boss Rush Media. Each week, hosts Corey Dirrig, Stephanie Klimov, LeRon Dawkins, and Pat Klein come together with their friends, colleagues, and fellow creators to talk about their week in video games, discuss industry topics, conduct interviews, answer listener questions, and more. New episodes every Monday. Get each episode one week early and more perks over on the Boss Rush Network Patreon page.

This feed also includes Boss Rush Spotlight podcasts and Boss Rush Video Game Book Club. Get both shows early on Patreon. 

Email the Show: podcast.bossrush@gmail.com

Listen to The Boss Rush Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Anchor | YouTube

Follow and Connect:
X (Formerly Twitter | Instagram | Threads | Facebook | LinkedIn

Join Our Community:
Discord | Facebook | LinkedIn

Featured Image Source: Asymmetric Publications