Far Far West Preview

A while ago, I had the pleasure of previewing Far Far West, an indie co-op extraction shooter from developer Evil Raptor and publisher Fireshine Games. While I found the game to have potential, it was still early days, and it was still very much a work in progress. While this hasn’t changed per se, the robotic Wild West shooter is now gearing up to be released onto Steam Early Access, and we were given a chance to see how things have progressed in the interim.

The game is mission-based, allowing players to select from several contracts spread across different playable areas. Once chosen, it’s time to hop onto the grav-train and jump into the action! Each mission consists of three main phases: creating a way to draw out the quarry du jour, fighting said boss, and then getting the heck out of Dodge before the unending waves of enemies add the rough-riding robots to their numbers.

Completing these shenanigans will then enable the players to enter the second phase: actually taking on the boss of the area. These fearsome foes can take a multitude of forms, ranging from deadly necromancers to haunted saloons and poltergeist trains, all very fitting for the Wild West theme and also unique battles in themselves!

Once the target is eliminated, it’s time for phase three: head for the hills! As enemies begin to swarm toward the player's location, they must make their way to the extraction point and ring a bell, signalling the grav-train to come pick them up sharpish. This is, without a doubt, my favourite part of any mission, as the players must hold out for a bit before their rescuer is inbound. As the deadly hordes close in, the music swells to this epic and heroic score that can make anyone feel like a gunslinging hero!

When the train finally arrives and the weary bots hop in, it’s mission complete! The players can then choose to head out for a new contract or take five in the Saloon (more on that in a bit).

Now, these jobs are more than just linear adventures, instead consisting of an open area for the players to freely explore. This is where I feel Far Far West has improved the most since my last foray, as the areas feel much more alive. In addition to the odd side objective and a bit of gold to collect, the maps now offer questlines to follow, secrets to uncover, and all kinds of weird and fun events. For example, the players may find a wandering merchant, find a forge with the ability to create a Weapon Fragment, or a mysterious trainwreck to investigate.

The quests themselves are a great addition, as they add both some variety and extra challenge to the experience. Our rootin’ tootin’ heroes may find themselves fixing a turret or eliminating nearby enemies for colourful characters. Additionally, completing every quest for an NPC will often result in the player unlocking a new area or gaining a cosmetic skin, which is a fair incentive.

Taking on hordes of the undead is no easy feat, so it's good that these mechanical mercenaries are armed for the task. The player starts off with a repeating rifle and a revolver, in addition to five flavours of magic to pick two from and a utility item. Though the starter guns are on the basic side, they get the job done and even gain experience as they are used! Gaining levels will allow the player to upgrade the weapons independently, customising their stats, such as damage and rate of fire, to customise their play style.

In addition to the starting armaments, players can unlock more options by collecting Weapon Fragments from missions. The starting repeater can be switched out for a shotgun, the pistol can be replaced with a boomerang, and so forth. Defeating a boss always nets the player one fragment, though they can also be earned from special events during missions.

The spells are good fun, as they offer a good bit of versatility! Divided into different “schools” — Pyro, Elec, Acid, Voodoo, and Cactus, respectively — each option starts off with a single incantation. Upon use, the magic type will gain experience and slowly unlock more powerful variants, making for some truly devastating attacks. Even better, some of the spells have synergistic combos, like Pyro attacks being able to detonate any residual Acid goop still lying around.

A further modifier to the general gameplay are Jokers, special items that enemies sometimes drop and can be gained by completing side objectives. Jokers come in a few types and rarities, with more common cards offering both a boon and a bane, whereas the rarer ones are mostly beneficial. The bonuses may, for example, give an additional jump or an increased rate of fire when looking down the sights.

Even the common cards can be a fun twist, even with their drawbacks, as the positive effects are often worth the trade-off. I deal more damage, but falling damage is much worse? Sign me up! The game also has a bit of a sense of humour, mixing in some cards that do absolutely nothing but add a little visual or audio gag, like the player's shoes squeaking or confetti flying everywhere whenever a weak spot is hit.

Though I imagine some players would absolutely hate these, I found them charming, and they fit the tongue-in-cheek of the game in general very well. Thankfully, Far Far West does label the sillier cards as “Useless”, so the player can only blame themselves if they pick it up.

Outside of missions, the players can hang out at the Saloon, a small area filled with both fun little activities, such as playing darts or testing out weapons at the firing range, and vendors to upgrade stats and purchase new gear or cosmetics.

The Saloon is a nice little location, with all kinds of nooks and crannies to explore if the player finds themselves restless while their buddies do their shopping. Far Far West also incentivises taking a break every now and again, as challenges and daily rewards can only be received upon returning to the watering hole.

Regretfully, my main gripe with the first preview is still an issue: single-player still feels unbalanced and less fun. When alone, the player will lose a mission the instant their health drops to zero, with no chance to recuperate. In multiplayer, the same situation would only result in the player in question becoming a floating soul that can be resurrected by a buddy! There were also some objectives and side content that dragged on needlessly due to the lack of players.

I understand that these kinds of games are meant to be played with friends and shine brightest with a full party, but as long as the game is going to be advertised as suitable for one to four players, I am going to expect a fair single-player experience.

Regardless of it being a bit less fun alone, Far Far West is still a blast to play. The movement feels great, the combat is challenging and fast-paced, and the general humour and fun of the world does a lot to keep me hooked. I want to especially commend the sound design and music, as they are both top-notch. Weapons sound satisfying, enemies are distinguishable by their grunts and giggles, and the music makes me want to buy a ten-gallon hat.

The game has come a long way from my first look into it, and it seems to have quite a bit more in store! Promising new enemy types, events, maps, and weapons, it seems Evil Raptor still has plenty of aces up its sleeves. If you’re looking for a fun shooter to play with friends, this is definitely worth a look! If nothing else, that extraction theme is enough to warrant playing a mission or three.

Far Far West is set to release on Steam Early Access on the 28th of April.