Out of all the games I've played this year, Far Far West is the one that caught me completely off guard. I went in expecting a goofy roguelite shooter about robot cowboys fighting ghosts and aliens - something fun but kinda throwaway - and instead I found myself completely addicted to it. Because underneath all that goofiness is a surprisingly deep shooter that only gets more interesting the longer you play it.

So what exactly makes it so good? And does the Early Access version already have enough content to justify jumping in, or is it better to wait?

Video version of this review (~11 minutes) 

What Makes it Special

A big reason why Far Far West hit me like a steam train is that despite being a game about robots and ghosts, it has a ton of heart. You can tell the developers genuinely cared, and so the game feels like Helldivers 2's cousin after a few rounds of cactus moonshine - and I mean that in the best way possible.

Because of this you get missions where you're building a bomb or launching a nuke, but all of it has gone through a cartoony, over-the-top filter - so you're combining chilli peppers and old shoes to make toxic gas. Magic isn't just a fire and forget kind of thing. Instead each spell has a variety of synergies that range from 'oh that's neat' to 'oh shit, that's a giant fire tornado!'

But the movement is where Far Far West really won me over. Instead of simply running around and shooting at enemies, you can build up so much speed and momentum you can straight up pretend you're playing Quake - bouncing halfway across the map with each jump. And once you actually get good at it, there's really nothing else quite like it.

Three bundles of dynamite will definitely be enough to make a home-made nuke

A Game With Heart

And all of this is held together by visuals that are simple but absolutely packed with personality. This is obvious from the very first moment - from the second you press play and get up from drinking cactus juice, the weird world of Far Far West springs to life.

Everything from the robot pigs to the cardboard cutout cactuses, from the bizarre Steam gunslinger to the old sheriff napping in his chair, from the bounty hunter's murder-shack to the super-secret fan art cave - everything about Far Far West feels weird yet... just right. And in a world full of 'design by committee' art, I really love seeing that weirdness in action.

Which has led me to an interesting realization - if a game has an awesome hub world, does that basically guarantee it's going to be great? Because every game with a cool hub like the Normandy in Mass Effect or the space station in Deep Rock Galactic is fantastic. So is this an actual indicator of quality, or have I just mentally suppressed the bad ones?

That weird tangent aside, there is one small piece of bad news about Far Far West's presentation - the early levels kind of blend together. The jungle and the snow-swept northern map easily stand out, but the deserty ones all look like... well, deserts.

I love these goofy lil' guys

Helldivers 2 Influence

But is that a big issue? Not really, given that the maps are absolutely full of interesting places to go, people to explode, and all sorts of fun little secrets to find - some of which give you new power ups, and some of which are just references.

This is also where the game is at its Helldiveriest. Each map has two main objectives you have to complete before you can extract, side-objectives to help satisfy your lust for loot, and red rings of death full of the nastiest enemies in the entire game. It's a tried and true formula, but hey - why change something that works?

And yet, Far Far West did change something - something quite major. The maps aren't procedurally generated. The objectives and enemies are, but the maps themselves are static, which is a rather interesting choice for the genre. On the positive side this means they're far more detailed and carefully designed, with just the right distribution of health and ammo to keep things exciting without ever feeling unfair.

On the flip side, once you've run each map a dozen times, you pretty much know exactly what to expect. So was the whole thing worth it? Honestly, I think so. It might mean that Far Far West won't last you quite as long as Helldivers 2, but what's there is genuinely memorable.

Who doesn't love giant mystery bones?

A Tale of Bullets & Sorcery

But what will stick with me the most is the combat, because good lord does Far Far West feel fun to play. Once you get a few upgrades under your belt - and more on those in a moment - it genuinely feels like one of those oldschool arena shooters. You can bounce around at ludicrous speeds and carve through enemies like they're nothing, yet you're never invincible. You're always one or two missteps from becoming snake chow, and that keeps the combat nice and grounded.

The weapons are also all satisfying to use, with just the right balance between punch and power. Though I'm not sure why all of the main weapons are so... ordinary given everything else going on. You've got a rifle, a shotgun, a minigun, a lever-action rifle and a sniper. They're all fun, but also just kind of generic FPS fare. Meanwhile the sidearms are completely bonkers. You've got a boomerang that embeds itself into enemies, or my personal favorite, shurikens shaped like sheriff stars which just feel sooooooooooooo good to land headshots with.

But even more than shooting, I like bathing enemies in magic. Why? Because Far Far West made the brilliant decision to let spells combo off each other. So an acid bubble thrown into a firepit will create a gigantic fire tornado, while a bolt of lightning thrown at a cactus turret will explode with such force you'll think Thor has just descended to earth. Bonus points if you can rope a friend to play with you, because that's where the combos get really, really silly.

But no combat system is truly complete without its other half - so what are the enemies like? Pretty good... mostly. The basic enemies are basically perfect. They're easy to avoid if you're paying attention, but more than happy to tear you into shreds if you slip up. And since higher difficulties throw a hundred of them at you at once, mowing them down feels just right.

My only issues are with the specialists - the snipers and snakes. The snipers have way too much range for a game where standing still is a death sentence, while the snakes are hilarious... until you get stunned five times in a row because you can't see them mixed into the bonezone. The good news is that both of these feel like Early Access 'rough edges' rather than fundamental problems that would haunt the game forever. So if I was a betting man, I'd wager a patch will sort them out sooner rather than later.

Right as I uploaded the review, a patch launched with a bunch of those fixes!

What's the Progression Like?

Which does bring up a question - what are you actually fighting for? Well, like any good robot cowboy - the answer is mountains of gold, and whatever the equivalent for souls is. Pretty much everything you do earns you one or the other, so even if you lose the map, you'll still come home with a nice bounty.

With it you can upgrade your character and weapons, though there is a catch. Your upgrades are gated by level, so if you want to power up your gear, you'll actually have to use it first. Now this is a very cool idea, but it does have problems. Because if you're mostly playing on higher difficulties like I am, this means you either suffer by using underleveled gear, or just stick to your old favorites. Not ideal either way.

But what I do think is pretty dang neat are the jokers - a sort of secondary upgrade system, both in and out of missions. They offer everything from the simple +10% movement speed to the 'oh god, what have I done' effects like literally increasing the game speed or perks that make you an actual giant.

You'll find most of them by completing objectives or bonking enemies on the head, but you can also bring a few favorites into the mission with you - which is why most of my footage looks like I'm playing Quake.

And much like everything else in Far Far West, it's a simple system that just feels very satisfying to interact with. Because even if you're only getting the 'boring' numerical upgrades, they're big enough that they end up making an actual impact. And for a roguelite, that sort of thing goes a long way.

Is Far Far West Worth Playing?

So... would I actually recommend you get into Far Far West right now? The game is good, that much should be obvious, but is it chunky enough to keep you entertained for a while, or just a passing curiosity that still needs a couple of updates before it's truly ready?

While it could definitely use a few more primary weapons to spice things up, I think Far Far West is already in a better spot than most roguelites I've played this year - finished or not. Everything here is well polished and genuinely fun to play, which is why I'm already nearing the 30-hour mark despite only starting last week.

So yeah, if you're in the mood for a wacky roguelite about robot cowboys, and especially if you have friends to tag along for the ride, Far Far West is a blast!

[Note]: If you're looking to jump into Far Far West yourself, I've also released a Beginner's Guide covering the things I wish I knew before I first started.