Far Far West Preview – A dash of Helldivers 2 and a lot of yeehaw

I don’t love comparing games to other games, but it’s a useful shorthand, and in this case, there’s really no game like Far Far West apart from Helldivers 2. It doesn’t have the same level of “Oops, I killed my friends” comedy, nor the satirical humour, but it has a lot of similarities when it comes to the gameplay. Your main aim is to head to different zones, run around completely side quests, finding unlockables, and then track down the boss, finish them off, before hurrying off to catch a train back to safety.

Far Far West has you playing as a robot cowboy, complete with robot horse, venturing into different areas to fight off undead enemies with a mix of weapons and magic. You can unlock a lot of different ones as you go, with each elemental tree having a variety of spells to unlock as you level up that specific element, and weapons that get stronger as you invest money into them when they level up. You can also upgrade yourself in a similar way, and unlock Jokers using souls you collect, which are modifiers you can start off with in each level, but can also find more of as you run around.

The Joker system is alright. Most aren’t really game-altering, but you can spawn magical exploding pigs, upgrade your aerial damage, or get squeaky shoes that will alert enemies. Look, they can’t all be winners, they’re Jokers! It does allow you to move and change how you play as you go through each map, but this isn’t a roguelike, so the aim isn’t constructing build variety through a mission, it’s just about having fun. You can unlock your preferred weapons, make them stronger, tackle new missions which will unlock new levels, skins, and items, and then tackle higher difficulties too.

Far Far West one of those games that’s just about playing the game, which is again a lot like Helldivers. I do think that means this just isn’t going to be something everyone clicks with, but that’s not really an issue. It really is fun on your own, but you can get few friends together – up to three for co-op – then there’s a lot more chaos and entertainment to have if you’re going to be running around with them, and it’s just a better experience all around. This is something that you’re going to want to get a group together for and just smash through a mission or two here and there, in my opinion.

Far Far West is, as it stands in Early Access, an exceptionally fun time with a great loop and more than enough upgrades to chase down. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how this one evolves over the coming months. If Evil Raptor can continue to build upon things, put in a light narrative focus here and there, and add some more exciting weapons, then I’ve got pretty high hopes for this. Even if it doesn’t change that much, it’s already a fun way to spend a few hours with your mates, and sometimes that’s all you need.

Tags: Far Far West