While there has been something of a resurgence in ‘AA’ titles over recent years, games like Evil West still don’t come around all that often. Schlocky, violent, and just dumb fun, it’s a linear action game with a heavy focus on an ever-expanding combat system. It’s also got big early 2000s vibes, with characters that have cartoonishly proportioned limbs and creature designs that could have come straight from the mind of Spawn creator Todd McFarlane.

Structurally, Evil West is about as straightforward as it gets. The campaign is divided into chapters, each bookmarked by cutscenes, and levels are a balanced mix of combat encounters, corridors, and the occasional puzzle.

Perhaps surprisingly, the gameplay has a lot in common with 2018’s God of War. From the one-button, signposted platforming to the increasingly complex battle mechanics — and even the way that protagonist Jesse shimmies up big metal chains — Kratos’ Norse adventures have quite clearly been an inspiration. And while Evil West obviously can’t match the polish and scope of a Sony blockbuster, it does manage to capture that same, satisfyingly weighty feel.

The game’s backdrop sets it well apart, though. Once again proving that cowboys and horror go hand in hand, this is an alternate history America in which vampires pose a constant, unseen threat to the general public. Government agencies throughout the US keep these monsters under control through the use of steam and electric-powered weaponry, along with…