This game releases tomorrow but there's a demo you can play on steam right now. It's another top-down roguelike that we see everywhere these days.

It's got a pretty unique game mechanic where during the day you collect resources to unlock items and when the night comes you have to fight off a zombie horde and survive until sunrise. Simple enough gameplay loop, but it's a roguelike so I wasn't expecting it to be too complex. Anyway, there's a demo; give it a try.

I want to start off by saying I haven't played this game. The trailer makes it look like a solid Weird Western though.

I remember watching the trailer for Hunt: Showdown but it looked like the entire game took place in a swamp so I wasn't interested. Since I wasn't paying attention, I'm not sure at what point Hunt: Showdown became Hunt: Showdown 1896 but I don't think they're separate games. As far as I can tell, Hunt: Showdown 1896 replaced Hunt: Showdown and is more of a Western now. But maybe someone else can explain the differences.

Unfortunately, it looks like I might be coming to this game a bit too late because right as I realized it was a Weird West game, it was in the middle of being review-bombed:

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So this post isn't so much a recommendation as it is a request for more information. Have any of you played it? Is it good? Does that recent review bombing actually represent the game getting worse? https://store.steampowered.com/app/594650/Hunt_Showdown_1896/

This looks like your standard "gunslinger shooting demons in the Wild West" setting, but of course that's what I'm here for so I'm ok with it. Also, they called this the "launch" trailer but I'm pretty sure it's actually just a "reveal" trailer since the game isn't out yet. They claim it'll release in Q4 of this year though, so maybe it's close.

Official synopsis: > Altarium is a first-person, asymmetric PVP Co-Op horror game that can be played by 1-5 players together. Players can choose to play as either the victim or the evil character. Get ready, choose your role, shape your destiny, and survive!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2524700/Altarium/

Am I drawn to twin-stick shooters are are Weird West games just more likely to be twin-stick shooters? It's weird how many I've already mentioned here. Maybe it's just hard for me to find other Weird West games since the genre doesn't have its own tag on Steam.

Anyway, here's another one with very simple gameplay. It's one-hit kills for the enemies and one-hit kills for you. The entire game is just fending off an unending horde of enemies. Every time you defeat 50 enemies you get a boss fight. It's the perfect game for killing time on a Steam Deck.

Oddly enough, there's another game with the exact same game mechanics (and art style?) that takes place in a cyberpunk world, called Akane . I don't think they were developed by the same people but it's weird how the only real difference between the two games is the setting (cyberpunk vs weird west) and the primary weapon (sword vs gun). They even both have boss fights after 50 enemies are defeated. And I enjoy both games.

Here's a trailer. You can get it on Steam.

I don't know if there's a more popular or more widely-respected Weird West game than Undead Nightmare. And it was a DLC for an existing game. Of course, it's probably so well respected because most Weird West games are from small indie developers yet this DLC was from a AAA developer expanding on an already AAA game. Whatever it was, it worked. It perfectly blended a Wild West setting with a zombie attack.

Here's a trailer. You can play it anywhere Red Dead Redemption is available.

Ritual: Crown of Horns is a fun little twin-stick shooter. You play a gunslinger who was brought back from the dead by a witch. The witch needs to perform rituals in various places and the ritual takes 5 minutes to prepare. So your only task is to keep the enemies off the witch long enough for her to complete her ritual. Which means, yes, each level lasts 5 minutes. Perfect for the Steam Deck.

I know the game only has 35 reviews on Steam and even those are Mixed, but I really enjoyed it. It might be because the game regularly goes on sale for $2 (90% off). I definitely wouldn't pay $20 for this game, but $2? It's plenty of fun for $2.

Here's a trailer. You can get it on Steam, but like I said, wait for a sale.

Evil West is a lot of fun, but if it weren't for the modern graphics you would've thought it was made in the early 2000s. It's linear levels to reach open arenas for fighting bad guys and each level ends in a boss fight. The combat is really fun though and you get so many different weapons and moves that I legitimately forgot I had a shotgun for a good portion of the game. The boss fights were really tough for me but I thoroughly enjoyed this game.

Here's a trailer. You can get it on Steam, Xbox, or Playstation, but not Switch.

Not sure if a perfect fit, but a comedy western rpg with a bit of a supernatural element. If you haven't already you should check it out!

West of Dead is a really fun game. It's a cover-based twin-stick shooter, so there's a top-down view and you crouch behind cover in between shooting bad guys. It's also a roguelike, so you get random weapons each run and unlock permanent perks with the currency you collect. I'm typically terrible at roguelikes but I fell in love with this one and actually beat it.

Here's a trailer. You can get it on Steam, Switch, Xbox, Playstation, wherever.

I'm going to kick-start this community with my favorite Weird West work. Darkwatch had everything I wanted from a Weird Western: a vampire gunslinger shooting monsters at night. Sure, the gameplay could've been better (a lot better) but the world-building was so fun I loved it anyway.

I don't know if I could handle playing the game again today; it got mediocre reviews even when it was released and the game mechanics are even more dated now. But I'll always have a soft-spot for it and would love a sequel in this world.

Here's a trailer showing just how ridiculous the game was.