After completing entire campaign, I have nothing bad to say about this game. Although some gameplay aspects seem to be rather ridiculous (like evading enemies by avoiding small cone-shaped area in front of them, or using certain objects to ricochet bullets in any direction at nearly any angle and even backwards), its storyline, environment, graphics and combat system are interesting and appealing. I really enjoyed this game. I found combat missions challenging but not really hard even when played on hard with ironman and injuries enabled. Each scenario can be replayed at least few times because player has to make choices multiple times and choices make some difference. I usually stay away from games with magic and other supernatural stuff, but this title seem to have just right amount of it. Lack of manual saves is subject of some criticism, but I find existing checkpoint saves fair and sufficient (game saves automatically whenever you exit to main menu, as well as at the beginning and after the combat mission). I hope this title is developed into many equally entertaining sequels.

Do you like XCOM and other squad-based TBS?
Do you like the works of Stephen King, David Gemmell and Cormac McCarthy?

If so then roll up, Pilgrim - this game is for you. The alt-west setting is rich, the gameplay is solid and the out-of-kilter, modular narrative actually works really well, forcing you to change up your play style as the story moves to a new area. I got this in the sales earlier this summer and was so pleased with it I've bought the DLC.

Well worth your consideration and hard-earned loot.

This game was alright. Worth the $10 I paid for it at least.

It has a decent story. Combat is pretty simplistic. It's a much scaled down XCOM or Shadowrun.

It would've been much better if everything you did in one scenario carried over to the others. (Weapons, gold etc). But they are all too contained. That is my main complaint.

All in all, decent game 7/10.

Thanks to the Developers at CreativeForge games and the Publishing group of Gambitious Digital Entertainment for providing a game that provided hours of entertainment and escape.

Hard West is a strategic turn based game set in the wild west with minor RPG and choose your own adventure elements. The one surprising addition is it's all told with a fantastic dark written narrative(some voiced) that I could swear was written by Stephen King himself. Impressive in every way I found myself addicted, not since Xcom EU, to the world of Hard West.

The story of Hard West is told through 8 separate chapters that branches into 3 different, though all connected, stories. These chapters consist of a choose your own adventure plot and 5-6 combat scenarios. The main story follows Warren who sells his soul to the devil for revenge. Another story centers around a meteor that is driving everyone mad and the last is an origin story for one of the main antagonist. Defiantly not your typical western but these stories are dark and all include terrific memorable characters, writing and haunting situations. The story is voice narrated by the Devil and is excellent while all characters in the game are given a grim painted portrait. I wish there was more voice or even more of the text was read but the writing is really good. Sometimes near the end of chapters it can kind of get confusing on what just happened, but if you like dark tales trust me you will not be disappointed.

If you are a veteran to turn based combat then you will be able to jump right into Hard West with no problem. Full cover, half cover, percentage of shots, special abilities are all here. This has mixed results, though fully competent, percentages did not seem to differ that much especially when elevation should have been a factor and low % shots seem to hit more than they should. I am guessing this is probably done to counter your character having very limited health through out the campaign. You see in Hard West as you begin each chapter everything resets with little inventory and limited supplies. I loved this as it made each chapter feel like its own game.

One of my favorite aspects of Hard west are the weapons which are true to the era such as rifle, shotgun, six shooter, etc but also include actual prototypes that are just plain medieval. A shotgun with 9 barrels and the ductwork pistol that has 4 barrels are just a few of the unique weapons you will be able to equip. As I said with percentages range of weapons does not feel fully balanced either. Even if you have increase in sight and buff factors using a shotgun and getting a decent % from clear across the map just doesn't seem fair.

The main missions in Hard West can range from rescuing companions from jail, robbing a bank, bounty hunting, and of course just trying to survive. Every mission is different and the settings and maps fit perfectly for the world(also looks outstanding). A lot of the missions are optional as are locations but the rewards which include playing cards, weapons, resources and possible companions are worth exploring. Each map also includes these mini adventures which again are optional but what it does is breaks from constant combat. They could involve drilling for oil, hunting, solving a riddle, etc. You will be rewarded with much needed cash, resources and more story.

One of Hard West twist on building your character is with playing cards which are earned by completing missions or simply doing a deed. Each companion(4 max) can carry a max of 5 cards(XP unlocks slots) and these can give you more defense, movement and abilities such as the magic bullet which is a sure shot or unholy powers that turns you into a demon for a few turns that increases your health and other stats. As each characters stats(defense, aim, etc) are stagnate balancing the cards became a little game of give and take and also creating hands such as full house, straight, etc gives your character an additional buff. Its a unique idea that fits perfectly in this setting and theme.

As I stated earlier you are not given much health in Hard West and that creates tension and making sure you make the right move at the right time. One factor that helps you from dying quickly is the added luck feature. This is a meter(like health) that drains each turn you are targeted. It keeps you pretty much invincible, somewhat, until it drains and if you are shot or use a potion it will restore some of the meter. Luck is also required for any of the special abilities so balancing inventory space(2 max) is sometimes crucial.

After I completed my first playthrough for Hard West I immediately replayed the game on ironman mode. I have not done that since X-Com EU. And after completing ironman I jumped into and completed the DLC which I rarely, if ever, play DLC. Hopefully this is just the beginning because as Kierstein Dunst proclaimed in Interview with a Vampire, I want more.

Positives

One more mission addicting. 25+ hrs of gameplay
The graphics, character portraits, voice, music and guns all fit the world perfectly
Strong, dark Stephen King-esq like narrative
Unique setting, mood and abilities
Each chapter brought own set of rewards, challenges, choices and resource mgmt.
Lots of pre game options for difficulty
AI is pretty good
Easy navigation with either controller, or K/B and mouse

Negatives

Poor tutorial. Didn't understand 'Heat' until the end of my 2nd playthrough
Elevation(+ or -) does not seem to be taken into consideration
No unique specialties for any one character
No option to speed up the AI turn
Combat music becomes repetitive
Didn't find it overly difficult on either hard or ironman
The UI drastically needs options to remove mission objectives/ scaling
More voice acting would have been welcome

I enjoyed that different scenarios have different rules and game mechanics. The fights can get tough if you don't plan well, which makes it that much more fun.

I am terrible at writing reviews, but I feel that it is unfair that Hard West only has 'mixed' rating here on steam. The game is absolutely amazing. It has flaws, sure, but I can say that about every game I have ever played. For me, pros greatly outweight cons. Before buying I was nervous about certain aspects of gameplay which are discussed on forums. All these points are valid, and all turned out not to be a problem at all.

Pros:

• Great atmosphere & art style
  
• x-com like combat
  
• Interesting story
  
• Good voice acting
  
• Difficulty levels are well balanced: easy is easy, normal is forgiving, hard is, well, hard, but does not feel as unfair, as blackguards for example (great game, by the way)

Neutral (many people are concerned about this points, so I think they deserve a separate section). Just keep that in mind before buying the game:

• All enemies have passive overwatch. That actually is essential for keeping the game interesting and balanced. On normal difficulty you will mostly one-shot kill everybody. Overwatch forces player to think and use flanking, that is absolutely essential in Hard West. Also, enemies will only shoot you if you were visible before movement.
  
• Game lacks manual saves. Your progress is automatically saved when you exit while in exploration mode and you cant save during a battle. Most battles last for aproximately 20 minutes on normal, and 30-35 on hard with ironman enabled (you have to be very defensive and cautious). I only had to replay battle once or twice on normal.
  
• Your progress is not being transferred between scenarios, exept for The Fate Trader

Cons:

• Performance. My single complaint. Most of the time, performance is ok, but in a few levels, it is atrocious, and you cant fix it by choosing lower graphics settings. My PC is kinda old though

Final score:
9/10

If you like turn-based tactics games with a good story and setting, than Hard West is a must-buy

Cowboy + Tactical Aspects(Xcom) + Demon = Hard West.

While the game is tad short, buying it on sale for 10 dollars I feel I got way more than my money worths from this. There is a few laggy momments in menus, overall game is quite logical for those familiar with Xcom based games. So if you can like Xcom type games and like Cowboys and Demons, this will be right up your alley.

99% of a good game here, but AI is so horrible, that it ruins it all. For example, AI systematically prefers going for low chance of 1 damage to one of your posse instead of taking cover and dies next turn. No challenge whatsoever.

Hard West is a little known gem in the TRPG genre.

None of my friends had even heard of this game when it came out, but what i got when i bought this was a great tactical rpg experience I enjoyed to the end.

It has a classic turn based system, with enough interesting upgrades and mechanics to make for varied and enjoyable combat.

The story is fantastic, with alot of choices to be made along the way that have a meaningful impact.

This is a great game for anyone who enjoys a good turn based combat focused game.

The game is simply one-of-a-kind. A true treat for any turn-based squad tactics connoisseur, with a healthy dose of challenging combat encounters. Unique setting and interesting story as a bonus. A little rough at edges and occasionally frustratingly hard (at higher difficulties), but 'Hard West' certainly lives up to it's name.