Far Far West

In the days of friendslop, where you get a new co-op, PvE game trying to make its way to the For You page of TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter/X, you do get some real stinkers. Games based on a gimmick alone, that won't last the test of even an hour, making you regret getting your friends to spend their pocket change on racing to the toilet or running a restaurant as a rat. It's unfortunate that we have some games leaving stains on co-op PvE titles, as then you get something like Far Far West, which makes you feel like you're playing not for a gimmick or because you need an excuse to speak to your mates. Instead, you're spending hour after hour battling against hordes of crafty undead simply because the game is barrels of fun.

Described as Deep Rock Galactic meets Sea of Thieves, I'd actually compare Far Far West more to Helldivers II, with a firm third-person lock unless you're riding on your horse. Then again, Evil Raptor has done enough to show you while it knows and understands what makes indie co-op hits shine, it also has enough personality to stand out on its own.

You and your posse play as robotic cowboys, venturing around the Far Far West. Across a variety of maps, you'll be tasked with completing a main objective (anything from crafting a gas bomb to firing a massive laser or protecting a payload), and then defeating a boss (again, anything from a massive necromancer to an evil train), before extracting home. In one sense, I suppose you could call this game an extraction shooter, but it dodges the worst elements of extraction shooters for me, which is where a random player comes and mugs you for all your best kit. Instead, Far Far West operates on a Helldivers II and Vermintide II style of core loop, where getting out isn't always possible, especially at higher difficulties. But, in the chaos of the Nightmare and Very Hard modes, you find the game reaches its greatest potential.

The movement and shooting in Far Far West is incredibly quick and tight. You can hop around with ease, leading enemies behind you in a train like Call of Duty: Zombies. Or, if you're not someone who can deal with all the motion of dashing this way and that, you can just change your playstyle depending on the weapons, spells, and perks you pick up. Far Far West doesn't have classes, instead allowing you to be your own build alchemist. I've tried a few different styles of play, but have to say that leaping around with a shotgun at a frenetic pace is my favoured option. It's simply too easy to get ganged up on if you prefer to stay still, but there are ways to make your position more fortified. In short, the options available to you are varied and fun. Some weapons might feel stronger than others straight away in your hands, but others can become just as powerful with some perks added on. The variety added onto an expertly crafted shooting core makes Far Far West simply satisfying to play.

The maps are each unique, too, offering you different landscapes filled with obstacles to encounter and quests to complete. A lot of the basic side objectives are similar to your main objective, involving some sort of collecting minigame or remembering certain things. However, the NPC side quests are full of character, letting you take a horse parkour exam or help an old technician pimp out his weapon. It'd be nice to see some more of these types of quests arrive in the full release, but there's plenty of time for Evil Raptor to add these things in. The map design is as deliberate as the core gunplay, and hopping on a robot horse to explore is incredibly quick, keeping up the fast pace of the game. It is annoying that horses tend to snag quite easily on trees, cacti, and other objects that pop up in your path, but again, these feels like something that can be avoided in the full release.

Far Far West is very zoomer core, I suppose. It doesn't waste a second, constantly telling you "hey shoot this thing" or "remember this sequence." Even when you think you might have a moment, you'll soon be surrounded by wandering skeletons. At higher difficulties, too, these guys come in all shapes and sizes, and storms wait like traps on the ground, spawning waves of difficult foes for you to beat. There's always an activity, or a reward waiting around the corner, which is why I was a tad disappointed to see the progression fall off over time. Don't get me wrong; I don't need to see a bar ding every time I beat a mission, but compared to Vermintide II, for instance, Far Far West can feel a little slow in its progression, especially when you've just spent an incredible mental load fighting through the game's hardest difficulties. The risk to reward ratio doesn't feel quite right yet.

There are some snags. Some elements that feel like they'll be ironed out over time, which is perfect for an Early Access release. Right now, Far Far West is an easy-to-recommend game, that has the potential to be a must buy if you're into PvE co-op experiences. Its gunplay requires a good dose of skill, but you can balance your lack of of a solid trigger finger with luck thanks to the Joker cards you can pick up during a run. Its design oozes personality, and while I'd love to see more of it shine in more NPC quests scattered in a map, they can come in time. Far Far West would be a good game if it was a full release right now, but as an Early Access title, it gives me hope it can make itself really incredible in a short amount of time.