But Just East of Simply Amazing
I don’t need video games to get my fill of comedy. I have TV shows, anime, and my success as an online writer for that. Sure, Mario + Rabbids, Human: Fall Flat, and Death Squared all induce giggle fits, but I bought them for their gameplay, not their humor. Video games just don’t seem to offer the same hilarity found in other entertainment mediums. I’ve even devoted a video to this concept, discussing how few games manage to focus primarily on comedy and still play like an interactive experience.
West of Loathing (WoL) is a comedy gold rush while somehow remaining a competent RPG, echoing the quality of Paper Mario. Unlike many popular TV shows, WoL doesn’t rely solely on situational gags, outrageous comparisons, or raunchy humor. It’s not above those jokes, but it builds its foundation on satire, silliness, dry wit, and stick people. In this sense, the game has more in common with Bojack Horseman than it does Octopath Traveler, and that should’ve been how I opened this review. God damn it.
What is it?
In a move that frightens all 20-something-year-olds, your protagonist decides to be an adult, leave home, and venture west to take care of himself. You choose one of three character classes (melee, magic, or ranged attacks), select an ability (lock-picking, foraging, bartering), and shove off. You’ll encounter a tutorial town to ease you into the game’s mechanics, and here you’ll also select your partner and horse to accompany you for the rest of your adventure.
The world of Loathing contains just about as many anomalies as it does jokes. Ever since the Cows Came Home, folks all over the West struggle to rebuild what the hell cows destroyed. An unseen necromancer now terrorizes the townsfolk by resurrecting the dead. A mysterious collection of futuristic technology lies dormant under the earth’s surface. Goblins mill about the land, speaking a language completely comprised of present participles. A guy named “Cactus Bill” turned into a cactus man after he drank too much cactus juice. This all is how nonsense became the only thing that makes sense in Loathing.
Gameplay, itself, is split into three parts: combat, puzzles, and exploration. Combat plays much as would you expect from a typical turn-based RPG. You have your standard attacks, specials which use AP, and items. Puzzles can be as simple as figuring out which part goes where, but a fair amount tasks you with deciphering witty word play, cracking codes, or remembering clues from previous conversations. Exploration plays a key part in finding side quests and quality loot. Keep to the beaten path, and WoL becomes a straightforward, short journey. Wander off this path to dive deep into the game’s lore and ludicrous humor.
What’s good?
- West of Loathing’s entire genome consists of great comedy. Often, humor is added to a game to make it more entertaining. However, the game, itself, is usually serious to a degree. As such, the humor grows from the content (ex. my jokes stem from my straightforward critique). In WoL, however, the content comes from the comedy. The developers began with a stick-figure gag and crafted a fully-functioning world of crude but expressive doodles. Their parody of the generic RPG combat system reinvented combat, where absurdity determines power. By satirizing everyday life, WoL transforms busywork (like fetch quests) into comedic sketches. You may drown in text throughout the game, but it is at least a happy drowning.
- West of Loathing features a compelling combat system in which what you do outside of battle is often more important than your actions in the battle itself. You have an expansive list of skills and attributes to upgrade, and unless you invest carefully, you can end up with a hodgepodge of semi-functional abilities. Your stats are further buffed by potions, food, and drinks, but you can only consume as much as your liver, spleen, and stomach will allow. By ensuring your cowpoke is healthy, fed, and slightly tipsy, you’ll find you can steamroll past your enemies.
- Heading west offers a hefty journey, taking most players at least ten hours. Although WoL’s average play time pales in comparison to that of the typical RPG, the game still includes a substantial number of locations and side quests.
What’s bad?
- Despite creating such a novel combat system, WoL doesn’t implement it to its full extent. For the first act of three, the combat feels rewarding and challenging. However, as you grow beefier, you’ll swat down enemies like they’re preschoolers in a game of dodgeball. When you do encounter a complex fight requiring proper preparation and strategy to avoid death, you’ll wonder why most battles are won only by the strength of your pinky toe.
- Some of the puzzles will test your sanity. Unless your brain is as big as your ego, you’ll need nothing less than a workforce of nerds to solve them. One riddle requires you to remember the Naval semaphore code you learned from your grade school Military Communications class. Another asks you to recall specific measurements from a previous description you skimmed through and now can never access again. These brain teasers make you think hard, and by “think hard” I mean “look up everything on the internet.”
- West of Loathing could have done so much more with its lore. Although inherently comedic, the game delves into some dark places, but you only see glimpses of them in snippets of dialogue or small side quests. I enjoy happy romps as much as the next person, but I also like unfathomable sadness and destroyed families, you know?
What’s the verdict?
West of Loathing employs some of the most unusual humor to form an engaging and funny Western RPG. From bureaucratic ghost towns to D&D-obsessed soldiers to the constant presence of death that reminds us of own mortality, the world of Loathing bursts with satirical content. Those who abhor reading, RPGs, or merriment will likely not enjoy the game, but those looking for a nontraditional adventure will devour it. It’s no Red Dead Redemption with stick figures, but it carves its own path to the West just fine.
Arbitrary Statistics:
- Score: 8.5
- Time Played: Over 15 hours
- Number of Players: 1
- Games Like It on Switch: The South Park games, Undertale