Should I play West of Loathing before playing this?

[Iwen]

So I've never played both of them but I've taken interest in Shadows over Loathing (which is a successor to West of Loathing) which makes me wonder if I have to play WoL first to understand the whole tale

[King Will]

You only really need to play WoL if you wanna get all the references, other wise i'd say its safe to play this.

[Kaitri]

i think both games have their pros and cons.
i enjoy both but i like the wild west theme personally more. so i guess west of loathing is the one i prefer.
but i still recommend both

[Du-Vu]

Yeah, they're pretty standalone. West is a bit more nonlinear and wacky, Shadows has more of an overarching plot and is spooookier

[Trindalas]

there are some references you wont get if you don't, plus one you wont get if you don't watch Markiplier, but otherwise it isn't necessary. I would still recommend it though as it is also a fantastic game.
You could also watch Markiplier's series on it if you just want the story and some laughs plus understanding the reference, if you wanted. Frankly i suggest both watching and playing because they are both hilarious, lol.

[cattykins]

west of loathing is an amazing game, and the game and its dlc are like half price compared to shadows. i think you should just buy it first, see how you feel about the game, and decide from there. both games are very similar considering they have basically the same artstyle, combat, and mechanics.

[GAMING_Alligator]

Both games are great fun, but don't worry about needing to play them in order. If you finish Shadows and want more though, definitely play West.

[Chilkoot]

Shadows is not a direct sequel to West, and there's no need to play West first to fully enjoy Shadows.

In Shadows, there are a few scattered references to the events in West (it takes place a few decades later), but the story does not rely on you knowing the events in West in any way at all.