We tried Hard West 2: Ice Code Games tactical RPG

When it comes to so-called “dead genres” for the market, old-fashioned RPGs and turn-based strategists are always pushed into discussion by someone, as if their complexity automatically made it impossible to hit the most commercial numbers. titles.

However, anyone who has been following the landscape for a while should have realized without much trouble by now how exaggerated and overblown such obituaries are: even RPGs full of turn-based strategy, statistics and dialogue, and a host of other genres. the hardest to approach are alive and well, especially in a market where indie developers are trying in every way to infiltrate any flashy niche of panorama.

Video games, especially those built around turn-based systems, experience a kind of second youth, and this has shown that it is almost always possible to find a good audience, both by following the roots of the genre and trying to renew it. In a field where many classics are revived or renewed from year to year, but standing out isn’t easy, so it’s an excellent plan to tackle everything with good ideas to support your project.

We are aware of this I tried Hard West 2then a good tactical RPG Ice Code Games We are convinced that we are facing a business dedicated only to the biggest fans of this formula. Luckily we were wrong: the Hard West 2 beta was shorter than expected, but it was also very promising and should come as a pleasant surprise to fans of tactical games set in the old west.

The devil travels by train

There Premise The game is pretty simple and follows the laws of its predecessor, exploiting a western fantasy universe where mysticism and magic are not just superstitions.

Campaign puts you in the shoes of an outlaw named gin carterwho, along with his group, decides to attack a legendary ghost train, apparently filled with riches; When the guards in each wagon are eliminated, it is sad that Gin and her friends find a demon named Mammon waiting for them, and this demon “wins” their souls in a tricky game of poker (it’s not wise to play cards with the devil, Finally). Our bandit group, who escapes the train quite audaciously, therefore finds itself missing a man and a soul in need of healing. Ordinary management.

There are countless ways to develop a similar but unfortunately brief starting point. demo at our disposal, but did not allow us to grasp its evolution, which took several hours. some emphasis storytelling however, we noticed many new RPGs due to a close event management, thanks to a large number of options and more or less advantageous variations depending on the chosen one. Almost in a playbook style, you’ll find undead crucified or colorful characters essential to your progress, which can hide gifts, useful gadgets, or just an annoying way to take extra damage. In games of this type it is always a construct that has its own cause, and here it seems to be governed by criteria (without certain jumps in effects even on failure).

In the short time we had, we were also able to observe a secondary system. relationships between heroes; In fact, there is a possibility that this or that friend will intervene during dialogues to increase intimacy, and this will provide extra options during some future conversations. It’s hard to say if a close relationship with companions also brings changes to the main narrative or advantages in combat, but that would definitely be a welcome extra.

Bullets and magic, not to miss a thing

All these intersections are handled in one go. discovery phase On a linear map where exploration is often a matter of progression and not particularly free (even if we only saw the initial location available). It’s nice, but nothing special, especially when compared to the gameplay during battles, which we found much more exciting.

If, on the one hand, the campaign begins with an attack on horseback, which represents only a marginal variation compared to the positioning management of classical turn-based battles, on the other hand, the shots are doubled. main mechanic: rebounds and Bravado. The former, predictably, corresponds to the probability of projectile bouncing on certain objects (metal pots, chandeliers, signs, etc.) to get around hatches and increase the probability of hitting the target, while the latter is a core mechanic that guarantees additional actions every time you kill an enemy during your turn. . They seem like trivial things explained this way, but they allow you to fight and reposition yourself with significant flexibility in the middle of conflicts, as well as do real carnage in series if you calculate the damage done with your skills correctly. But be careful: Just like you can use these beauties, your opponents can too, so you don’t need to keep your head down in the middle of enemies without taking advantage of the cozy covers scattered all over the place.

Overall, we found the difficulty well-balanced, despite the rather dry management of enemy possibilities, it can inflict serious damage even during seemingly flawless strategies in battle. That said, we have to say that we only face fairly low-level enemies, with a few elite troops on maps that aren’t particularly difficult to eliminate and aren’t terribly complex (though more extensive than we expected from the first squads). However, we believe the potential is huge, not only because of the fun that comes with all the mechanics coming together perfectly, but also because of a development system Depends on poker cards scattered around the maps that unlock extra powers and useful passive abilities. Considering that at the beginning of the game each character already has a certain power – teleporting with the replacement of the witch Flynn is an absolute godsend on some maps, to give a clear example – strategies and structures can appear that are not unexpected. at the end of the adventure.

Finally not much to say about technical sector: the title seemed solid to us, with nothing catchy or striking, but also devoid of certain flaws. While it’s far from the most stylistically memorable games in circulation, it has a certain style, and that’s enough for today.