My Issues & Impression of Hard West II

[AeroFunk80]

So, I really want to like this game, and I noticed the devs are doing frequent updates... so I'm hoping for some improvements. Wanted to take the time to post what I really dislike about the current state of the game right now:

1. There's really no support class. It feels like all characters are just out for themselves. We can't heal each other, we can't buff allies, we can't revive our posse when they've fallen... we just... shoot, have one offensive ability... and can heal ourselves (if we have an item). This game really lacks in making each character feel unique and different.

2. Items heal us (makes sense). Each character can heal themselves if they have that item (makes sense). However; they cannot heal a posse member if they're standing next to them (makes ZERO sense). I should be able to use my healing item on a companion.

3. No revive abilities. I'm not saying we should be able to revive our fallen posse members constantly... but maybe once per encounter? When a companion falls... they're out of that battle for good. This could really help balance combat since it's always 4 VS... well... a LOT. OR an item that lets us revive... unless there is one, and I just haven't found it...

4. There is NO leveling or skill trees. You don't even learn new abilities. Each character has ONE special attack. Just one. That's it. A "tactical strategy" game with just one ability per character? What? Your options are shoot with one gun or shoot with another, use your one ability... that's it. You have a melee option, if you hold that type of weapon... but this game is really lacking in unique combat options and abilities.

5. Combat gets boring quickly (see #4 above). You do the same thing over, and over, and over, and over, and over. Go into battle... shoot enemies as quickly as possible... and that's it. There are no special missions (or any that I've encountered, at least). No rescue missions, no gather missions, or reach a check point by a certain time... you just... go in, fight, survive, and you're done. This game is lacking in different combat objectives...which causes it to get stale and boring very early on.

6. Story is... meh. You appear to have choices... but there's no success or randomness to the decisions you make. You simply choose something to make another companion happy and increase their loyalty. This may unlock other options in certain situations... but this causes side missions to be... just... bland. Find the bandit in a cave... if you use an item, or if a companion likes you well enough... they'll complete it for you, but there's no skill check... % of success or battle that plays out. It's just... you can complete the mission or not. Side missions are very lacking in this game.

7. The overall game itself is just... OK... in all areas. Nothing is really bad but nothing is great, either. The story is ... meh. Combat is fun at first but gets boring quickly. Side quests are simply boring dialogue with choices that don't really seem like choices. Characters are only partially voice acted. Graphics are OK. Nothing in this game really blows you away, and it doesn't excel in any particular area. It's just... OK...

Sorry. That's just my personal opinion. I don't, obviously, speak for everyone here. I'm sure there are plenty that love this game, but I also see it's sitting at MIXED reviews only weeks after release. Figured I'd stop in and explain why I didn't give this a thumbs up. I'm not opposed to changing my review if some of the popular complaints are fixed. Right now... I don't enjoy the game though.

[hilfazer]

There are rescue missions - 2 in chapter 1 and 1 in chapter 3.

[drusca]

well I loved every minute of it and I hope they will release some expansion-DLC at some point. I loved the combat (for me it never got boring because it's almost like a puzzle), I loved tinkering with the cards and gear and I also loved exploring. I would have like the world to be bigger.

[AeroFunk80]

Originally posted by hilfazer:

There are rescue missions - 2 in chapter 1 and 1 in chapter 3.

I don't recall any rescue missions... but maybe I didn't get that far in.

I stopped playing and moved on to another game, but I may pick it up again after a few more updates. It's not a horrible game, but I'd rather play Xcom, Wasteland, or another turn-based tactical game. I really dislike how we only get ONE special ability per character and you don't level them up... at all.

[mk11]

#1, #2, #3 the game is about a posse of outlaws and quick aggressive fighting. The idea of someone acting in the support role seems a bit off from that.

#4 card hands replace levelling and skill trees.

#5, #6, #7 if you are not paying attention to the card hands then that might being add to this but some games are just not for everyone.

Following your second comment I think you are missing the importance of the card hands.

[AeroFunk80]

Originally posted by mk11:

#1, #2, #3 the game is about a posse of outlaws and quick aggressive fighting. The idea of someone acting in the support role seems a bit off from that.

#4 card hands replace levelling and skill trees.

#5, #6, #7 if you are not paying attention to the card hands then that might being add to this but some games are just not for everyone.

Following your second comment I think you are missing the importance of the card hands.

Well, a posse of outlaws and each match being about quick aggressive fighting gets old. The best part about other games of this genre are that missions have various objectives: kill all enemies, race to the evac zone/or a location in # of turns, locate a special item and get out, destroy an object in a # of turns before it explodes, rescue an important person/group... just because we're a posse of outlaws doesn't mean the game can't have other objectives during a fight than just... shoot and kill.

Card hands don't seem do much. Not from what I experienced.

I mean... the card hands give you an ability and then make that ability better... or do you eventually unlock more abilities with larger card hands. My issue with this game is that each character has just one ability. Most turn-based tactical games have various ways of defeating your enemy other than... shoot gun, hit, kill. The Bravado system is interesting... but that's about it.

I just find it odd that your posse has supernatural powers, and they each only get... one... special ability. Considering that... you'd think the devs would have been more creative with various abilities: buffing your companions, healing companions, improving accuracy, stunning/knocking over enemies so they miss a turn. It's just so boring. Go in... shoot guns... that's it. There's no real strategy, crowd control, or tactics to assist your posse. It's just... go in guns blazing... boom boom boom. Kill as many people as you can in one turn. That gets old after so many battles.

Some great games similar to Hard West that offer variety and just trump this by a ton: Xcom, Gears: Tactics, Dungeons of Nahulbek, Wasteland, Divinity: Original Sin, Phoenix Point, Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, Pathfinder... I mean... this genre is my favorite type, and this is, by far, one of the weakest turn-based tactical games I've played. Just my opinion, though... I guess. I mean... this game is sitting at mixed reviews, so a large portion of players feel the same way based on the negative reviews I've read.

Not trying to be a troll or insulting about this game. It does have some decent aspects, and you can tell the devs put a lot of time and love into this... but giving feedback (hopefully) helps them. :)

[Wondervice]

1.: If you want to do good at the game, you pretty much have to use your characters supporting each other. Each of your turns should be all the party members working together to set up one member to go on a rampage or to help each other get as many bravados as possible.
Also you have a priest who can heal other by literally taking their wounds and ailments on himself.

2.:Probably game balance, but I guess it would make sense.

3.:Game balance, the posse is already insanely powerful. Although I guess it would be okay.

4.:Different guns grant different attacks, you can further specialize by using cards.
No, I don't want one of the actually unique and interesting TBS games to turn into yet another shallow RPG with '+5 to shooty-shoot' and '+2 armor on a sunny friday if the enemy is using a dead possum as a weapon' type skills.

5.: There are all of those things. Most are side objectives, but still.

6.: Subjective, I like it. HW1 was better but this one has a certain charm to it.

7.: Again, your subjective opinion.

[elationtheory]

" The best part about other games of this genre are that missions have various objectives: kill all enemies, race to the evac zone/or a location in # of turns, locate a special item and get out, destroy an object in a # of turns before it explodes, rescue an important person/group..."

"you'd think the devs would have been more creative with various abilities: buffing your companions, healing companions, improving accuracy, stunning/knocking over enemies so they miss a turn."

variations of all these are literally in the game.

did you even play it?

[AeroFunk80]

Originally posted by elationtheory:

" The best part about other games of this genre are that missions have various objectives: kill all enemies, race to the evac zone/or a location in # of turns, locate a special item and get out, destroy an object in a # of turns before it explodes, rescue an important person/group..."

"you'd think the devs would have been more creative with various abilities: buffing your companions, healing companions, improving accuracy, stunning/knocking over enemies so they miss a turn."

variations of all these are literally in the game.

did you even play it?

Yes, I have played the game (clearly I didn't post in here without playing it LOL). I currently have all characters and roughly 10-15 hours of playtime. I don't recall any missions other than going in guns blazing.

And what variations of skills are in this game that I mentioned in terms of buffing?

Gin gets shadow barrage (offfensive), Bill gets Deadman's Revenge (offensive), LD gets Charge (offensive), Flynn gets Shadow Swap (this one is decent), Lazarus gets Transfusion (support), Cla'lish gets Deceptive Spirit (crowd control) but that's it. No buffs, no stuns, nothing that improves your characters DEF, ATK, Accuracy, or anything like that.

For example... LD's charge could potentially knock character's down... having them miss a turn. I know you can upgrade these abilities with card hands... so maybe eventually that is a thing... but the beginning of this game is so slow, I won't see it. I'm bored with this game, and there isn't anything overly interesting going on with it right now:

1. Story isn't that great or interesting.
2. Combat is repetitive. Same tactic over and over. Kill as many as possible with Bravado.
3. Side missions are boring and easy to complete.
4. The game holds your hand and shows you exactly where to go on the map.
5. One skill per character PLUS only 6 characters... so... that means this game only offers 6 unique skills in all. That's it.

I mean... I guess each guns does something different, but I wouldn't say it's anything game changing or much of a variation in terms of the lack of skills:

1. Trick Shot - this one is interesting and unique
2. Buckshot - shotgun spread... not bad
3. Shoot: This one is pointless. Maybe more accuracy, distance, or damage... but it's... "shoot..." LOL

Maybe there are other gun abilities later... but I stopped playing. Perhaps this game picks up, but not soon enough. For what I have played... nothing overly interesting has happened. Combat got boring for me, the story is just meh, character's aren't that interesting, side quests are bland and quick...

Like... side missions. You just go in.. and if you have a particular item or character loyalty... you complete it instantly. There's no battle, no % of success, no randomness... it's just... "Yay, you had the item... or Bill likes you enough... and you completed the side mission." I would have liked to see a % of success. Items or character loyalty increases that %... but if you fail the side mission... you get different outcomes. It's just... boring.

Either way... that's my feedback. I stopped playing the game and won't post in here anymore. I understand this game has fans, but both Hard West 1 and 2 are sitting at Mixed Reviews. Clearly the devs didn't make an amazing game and a large portion of players don't enjoy it. I'm one of those players. If you like this game and think it's unique and different. Good for you. I don't. Take care everyone.

[hilfazer]

Abilities aren't all active, there are passive abilities as well. In fact most abilities are passive.

As for Hard West 1 i see it sitting on positive reviews, not on mixed.

[elationtheory]

you mention clalish yet in order to get her, you literally have to go through a mission where you need to 1) kill all enemies 2) rescue an important person 3) do it all within a time limit.

luck and bullseye abilities are buffs. cards give buffs.

deer's wild run can daze enemies in a pretty big aoe.

the "repetitive" combat is no different from other similar games in the genre like xcom and phoenix point. both of which you mention as better games.

your point about how "The game holds your hand and shows you exactly where to go on the map" is utterly strange. this isn't an open world game.

i'm all for valid criticism/feedback, but your gripes about the game are kinda... non-constructive.

[LukanGamer]

its more about being a puzzle then a combat video game that is all that you missed by all this.
(Though would be funny to shove beans into your allies mouth :D --> since you said 0 sense to heal ally with item and that 1 the types of heal and would be what you had to do with it).

To each their own, I also hate this to point I got rid of the game as I way more then prefer if it was more like most other video games of this type, but it is what it is.

[Wantoomany]

Originally posted by elationtheory:

you mention clalish yet in order to get her, you literally have to go through a mission where you need to 1) kill all enemies 2) rescue an important person 3) do it all within a time limit.

Unless you are playing on nightmare, the clock stops the moment you get anyone to the central pillar. Its super easy and can be done in 4 turns or less comfortably. The mission itself is a cake walk, most of the enemies are melee. The only ranged enemies are 6 or 7 blackhearts and they are spaced out so you only need to fight one or two at a time.

[Coup d' oeil]

The preacher is a support class. Pretty OP. He’s like a black hole for damage and status’s . Once you get the ability to take health from enemies, turn limits are your only concern if you play halfway competently.

Devs needed to do a better job at stressing the importance of cards. They are the leveling.

[elationtheory]

Originally posted by Wantoomany:

Unless you are playing on nightmare, the clock stops the moment you get anyone to the central pillar. Its super easy and can be done in 4 turns or less comfortably. The mission itself is a cake walk, most of the enemies are melee. The only ranged enemies are 6 or 7 blackhearts and they are spaced out so you only need to fight one or two at a time.

none of what you mention has any bearing on what the OP complained about - "The best part about other games of this genre are that missions have various objectives: kill all enemies, race to the evac zone/or a location in # of turns, locate a special item and get out, destroy an object in a # of turns before it explodes, rescue an important person/group..."

[drusca]

Originally posted by hilfazer:

Abilities aren't all active, there are passive abilities as well. In fact most abilities are passive.

As for Hard West 1 i see it sitting on positive reviews, not on mixed.

so what? HW2 is definitely better than HW1. too bad it is not longer.