West of Loathing: Complete!

Game Time: ~12 Hours

Thoughts

West of Loathing is surprisingly deep for such a basic, colorless game. I constantly found interactions that would impact other areas of the game depending on what I had done previously. Like, for example, learning a skill called "percussive maintenance" that allowed me to bypass entire challenges, or being able to trade an item I didn't sell from the very beginning of the game that allowed me to skip the final boss encounter altogether.

There are many things throughout that seem like they very well could be different based on which ally, or "pardner", I selected at the start. As well as what class I selected or even the way I decided to level up my character. It also seemed very likely that this is an RPG that could be won entirely as a pacifist, which I am super into.

My only complaint, as a player, is that there are some reaaal rough puzzles and text chunks to read. If you aren't on board to sit with a pad of paper and do some math or take notes about the things an ethereal pickle baron said nonchalantly, this is probably not your game.

It is also a game that I could see being very divisive in its humor. It is a very funny game, but it is also remarkably dry. For the most part, you will end up reading events as they unfold, which can make slapstick moments not play if you aren't particularly imaginative.

Overall though, I am glad I came back to this thing. It is probably the closest thing to the actual tone of a traditional tabletop RPG played between friends that I have ever experienced. 

Rating

4 Nex-Mex manuals / 5