Undead West Review
Undead West blends retro sensibilities with Western flair to create a roguelite bullet hell.
Undead West. Credit: Deathless Games / Retrovibe
The premise of Undead West from Deathless Games and Retrovibe is classic revenge fare with a spooky twist: you’re a gunslinger brought back to life by Death, after a fateful duel with the Man in Red, tasked with collecting souls to pay off your resurrection debt. The story isn’t very important here, but it’s introduced by a killer lo-fi intro cinematic.
The gameplay follows the roguelite formula closely, with seven stages comprising randomized rooms and enemy spawns. You explore from a top-down perspective with twin-stick movement and shooting controls. You must dodge hazards and swarms of bullets while killing skeletons, demons, and more. Every kill earns you souls that you use to unlock new guns and whiskey, used as a power-up during combat. The weapon variety is a strong point, with revolvers, shotguns, and even bows and miniguns in the mix.
Undead West. Credit: Deathless Games / Retrovibe
The game suffered from some visual issues when I played on the Steam Deck docked to my TV. Often, there would be multiple aiming reticles on screen. The top and bottom of the screen were outside the viewable bounds on my monitor, beyond the HUD; important elements like dialogue from the Grim Reaper were cut off. I hope these issues are fixed soon—they detract from the experience.
Undead West has mostly monochromatic pixel-art visuals that give the game a ton of personality. The white-on-black art is punctuated with vibrant color highlights on bullets and characters. The game bills itself as “noir-tinged,” but I wouldn’t go that far. This isn’t noir, it’s just mostly monochrome.
Undead West. Credit: Deathless Games / Retrovibe
Undead West is a good time for fans of roguelites and bullet hells. It doesn’t break any new ground, but the unique setting and stylish visuals make it worth checking out.
Undead West is available now on Steam.
Overall Score: 6/10
Played on: Steam Deck
