{"id":7047076,"date":"2026-08-25T07:53:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T07:53:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/hard-west-present-perfect-gaming\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T07:53:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T07:53:41","slug":"hard-west-present-perfect-gaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7047076","title":{"rendered":"Hard West – Present Perfect Gaming"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Contents<\/strong>:<\/h2>\n

The Intro<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Game<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Replay<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Verdict<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Intro<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Title:<\/strong> Hard West<\/p>\n

Release year:<\/strong> 2015<\/p>\n

Developed by:<\/strong> CreativeForge Games<\/p>\n

Genre:<\/strong> Turn-based tactics<\/p>\n

Platform replayed on:<\/strong> PC<\/p>\n

Wild. Style.<\/p>\n

Hard West<\/em>, a turn-based tactics game set in the American Wild West. A game with style.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Hard West\u2014back in the days when the West was wild.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I first played Hard West<\/em> a few years after it was first released, but it\u2019s been a few more years since I\u2019ve last spent time with it. What has stuck in the back of my mind since playing it is this word, style.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Hard West looks great.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But what do I mean by \u201cstyle\u201d? It\u2019s such a subjective term anyway.<\/p>\n

Was it the foreboding, monotone narrator that speaks to you as you play? Was it the narrative itself, a violent Wild West tale of struggle and revenge, with a supernatural twist? Was it the visual style? Or was it the luck-based mechanic and poker-style character upgrades?<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Poker card mini game<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Perhaps it was the overall presentation of Hard West<\/em> that conjures up these recollections.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Stylish presentation and narration in Hard West<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But style without substance does not a good game make. It\u2019s got to have good gameplay, and it\u2019s got to be fun to play.<\/p>\n

Is Hard West<\/em> the complete package? Does Hard West<\/em> deliver on the substance, as well as the style?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to grab your six-shooter and saddle up as we head west into Hard West<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Aces high, but will your luck run out in Hard West?<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Game<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Hard West<\/em> is a turn-based tactics game at its core, but before you get anywhere close to guns blazing, this is the Wild West, and there\u2019s a tale to be told.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
The start of the \u201cHard Times\u201d scenario<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The story is ever present in Hard West<\/em>, with a narrator not only introducing the story and missions, but providing commentary throughout.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Setting the scene<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hard West<\/em> begins with a six-year-old Warren on the Oregon Trail with his parents.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Happy trails, or\u2026<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Life is a struggle, and Warren\u2019s father ends up on the wrong side of a band of outlaws and the whole family is captured. Breaking free, Warren\u2019s father sets out to find his wife. This is where the tutorial mission begins, and you get your first opportunity to load up and let loose some rounds on the tactical map.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
The OutlawTorn<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hard West<\/em> splits its time between the tactical map, where the gunfights take place, and the strategic map, where you can explore locations and undertake side missions. Anyone familiar with the XCOM<\/em> series will feel at home with Hard West<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
The strategic map in Hard West<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You have the standard action points when on the tactical map, and for the most part, it\u2019s all about movement, cover, shooting, and reloading.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
All about the action points in Hard West<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hard West<\/em> differs from other tactical shooters with its shooting mechanics. Where other games take into account conditions such as range, shooter skill, weapon type, and cover of target to determine the chance to hit and then randomly generate the result, Hard West<\/em> takes out the randomness by using a target\u2019s luck.<\/p>\n

Wait, luck?<\/p>\n

Intuitively, this doesn\u2019t make sense at all, until you understand how luck actually works.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
The shot misses, but luck is running out for the target.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Basically, each time a shot is fired at a target, the target\u2019s luck total is reduced by the shooter\u2019s chance-to-hit percentage. But you don\u2019t know what the target\u2019s luck total is. You just know that if you keep shooting at the same target, their luck will run out eventually. When luck is reduced to zero, the shot hits.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Luck runs out<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a quick example, if you have a 75% chance to hit a target, but their luck is 80, you\u2019ll miss. But their luck will be reduced to 5, so anyone else shooting at the same target that turn will hit them.<\/p>\n

It seems counter-intuitive, as you see your percentage chance to hit, but then the success of the shot doesn\u2019t depend on a randomly generated result at all. Once you grasp this mechanic in Hard West<\/em>, it drives your strategy, as luck can regenerate. As a target, you can\u2019t stay in one place for too long, as if the enemy is able to see you, they will hit you eventually. Once a target is hit, their luck total is significantly replenished, and the cycle starts again.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Warren takes a hit\u2014but his luck goes up.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Taking cover is still a good tactical decision, as the lower the chance-to-hit percentage, the lower the hit the luck total will take.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Always stay in cover.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Visually, I like the look of the tactical missions in Hard West<\/em>. You can rotate your view, and zoom in, which is most useful when planning your moves to ensure you click the correct square on the map grid.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Planning movement<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gunfire produces great sounds and smoke effects, and the hits are suitably bloody.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Blood and gore in Hard West<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tactical missions in Hard West<\/em> are usually last-person-standing affairs, where the aim is to take out all of your enemies.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Simple objective: kill everyone in town<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is variation in mission design though, where some missions don\u2019t start out in combat mode. This leaves opportunities to move your team into good positions, search areas, attempt rescues, and subdue enemies prior to guns being drawn.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Stick \u2019em up!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The strategic map in Hard West<\/em> moves the story along, as you explore the territory you\u2019re in by visiting places of interest.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Traversing the strategic map<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Essentially, these excursions provide you the opportunity to develop your characters by acquiring new equipment. Better equipment will provide boosts to character statistics such as health, luck, movement, and aim.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Trading at a shady joint<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Character statistics are also impacted by boons and afflictions, which can come about from actions taken during the side missions on the strategic map.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Old Man Murray\u2019s inebriation affects his aim.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is also a thematic system for improving character statistics through the use of poker ability cards. Having up to five poker-card slots available, you can further boost the impact of individual cards by forming poker hands.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Play your best hand.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s a lot to like in the implementation of the strategic map in Hard West<\/em>, with the wide range of firearms and stat-boosting trinkets and consumables on offer, to the branching choices of locations to visit and explore.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
My first choice in firearms\u2014the Elephant Rifle<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hard West<\/em> does explore some challenging themes, as it\u2019s not purely a classic Wild West tale of revenge. I played through the first two scenarios in Hard West<\/em> (out of eight, which you don\u2019t have to play in order), and by the end had come across the occult, the undead, human sacrifices, and cannibalism (those latter two being optional).<\/p>\n

Hard West<\/em> appropriately falls under the \u201cWeird West\u201d genre, which mixes traditional Western stereotypes with horror and science fiction.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Hard West has some hard themes.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But before we get weird, I think it\u2019s time we rejoin Warren\u2019s father as he sets out on his own to find his wife and bring about some frontier-style justice for his family\u2026<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Better watch your back\u2026<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Replay<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The first scenario mission is a tutorial mission, but it doesn\u2019t hold your hand long. Once you\u2019ve learned how to move, take cover, and shoot, you\u2019re on your own.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
All alone in Hard West<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You lead Warren\u2019s father through the outlaws\u2019 camp and teach them that they messed with the wrong guy today.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Never knew what hit him.<\/em>..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Unfortunately for Warren\u2019s father, there\u2019s a grim discovery awaiting him once the last outlaw standing has breathed his last.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Warren\u2019s mother\u2019s head in a box<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s also the foreshadowing of the horror to come, as before the last outlaw died, he was rambling about some unholy obligation.<\/p>\n

More than a decade passes, as Warren and his father continue the struggle for survival. They turn to mining, as a gold rush comes their way, in the hope of making it to Oregon.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
There\u2019s gold in these here parts.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This leads to the strategic map, as you purchase some prospecting operations from \u201cThe Masked Man\u201d who controls the mining in the area.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Strategic map mining<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mining allows you to build up some cash reserves to purchase better equipment and engage with other side missions.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
The local gunsmith<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s an interesting experience traversing the strategic map, as you never know when you might need cash or what you might need it for. For example, following an attack on the homestead, you can opt to build an escape tunnel in case of further raids. If you don\u2019t have the cash, you can\u2019t build it, and even if you do have the cash, you won\u2019t know if or when you\u2019ll need this tunnel and what benefit it might provide.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Building an escape tunnel will use up most of your money\u2026but will it pay off?<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And speaking of the attack on the homestead, this becomes the second tactical mission. Warren is also further invested in protecting his territory, as he has fallen in love with a woman named Florence.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Warren and Florence in happier times<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So there\u2019s a love story in Hard West<\/em>. From a tactical perspective, Florence becomes part of the team. Turns out she\u2019s pretty handy with a firearm.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Florence preparing for battle<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The homestead mission sees you starting inside your house as bandits swarm in. It\u2019s a claustrophobic encounter with nowhere to hide. It\u2019s a tricky balance of moving from window to window, reloading, and taking out the invaders when you spot them.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
A homestead surrounded<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Following this homestead defence, Florence discovers her parents didn\u2019t survive the attack. It\u2019s at that point she decides to fight back.<\/p>\n

Warren also has other concerns, as his father has been persuaded by a mysterious and charismatic man to buy a lucky amulet. Warren\u2019s father is sick of the struggle, and has succumbed to the supernatural.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Snake oil salesman<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But Warren\u2019s father\u2019s frustrations will have to wait. The local Mexican crime lord has been demanding more and more of your gold mining profits the more successful you have become. Florence chooses to secretly parley on your behalf, and is promptly captured.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time for a rescue mission in Hard West<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Florence is gone!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This mission makes use of the subdue command, where you can use stealth and force enemies to \u201cstick \u2018em up\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Hands up!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Using this to your advantage, subduing a guard frees up the other member of your team to sneak into The Mexican\u2019s compound and steal the jail key.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
The \u201ckey\u201d to success is locking the guards inside.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This not only allows you to free Florence, but also lock some guards inside an area of the compound, thereby reducing the numbers in the final shootout.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Stealth mode is over\u2014it\u2019s shootin\u2019 time!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And there is a shootout, as soon as you free Florence.<\/p>\n

\"Hard
Vengeance is calling.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here\u2019s a gameplay video of the Florence rescue mission:<\/p>\n

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