Evil West: Everything We Know

Forget the Plaga Parasite and the Uroburos Virus — that's yesterday's news at this point. Right now, in this very moment, it's all about zombies, vampires, and gun-toting cowboys that make Van Helsing look like Mickey Mouse. Or to be more specific, it's all about Evil West, a ridiculously intriguing third-person shooter that is set to launch at the end of November on all major platforms.

But what is this game we speak of, exactly, and why are we so stoked to play it? Well, here's everything we've scraped together on it to date. Let us know down in the comments below or over on our social media if we missed anything, or if you'll be picking up a copy come launch day. Without further ado, though, here's everything you need to know about Focus Entertainment's Evil West.

What Is Evil West?

Evil West is an upcoming third-person shooter that draws a hefty portion of its inspiration from 2018's God of War, and Devil May Cry, two jam-packed hack and slash sagas that have unintentionally taken the world by storm. Developed by Flying Hog Studios and backed by Focus Entertainment, Evil West will take you to an alternate version of the American frontier, a place in which vampires have assumed control of its oppressed regions.

Story

Unfortunately, neither Flying Wild Hog nor Focus Entertainment have mentioned a great deal about Evil West's story. What we do know, however, is that it's being led by Jesse Rentier, a surviving member of an underground vampire hunting society that's based in an alternate version of the Wild West.

As one of the final cowboys on the American frontier, you will patrol the borders and drive back the vampire armies that claim it. To do so, you will of course need to onboard new and totally revamped skills, weapons, and strategies, all of which will be fully upgradeable as the story progresses and the enemies grow stronger. In short, Evil West is a mixture between Van Helsing, Gears of War, Devil May Cry, and, I don't know — Clint Eastwood's Rawhide. It's weird, wonderful, and evidently barbaric.

Gameplay

It goes without saying that Evil West will be mostly based around action-packed wall-to-wall combat and in-your-face combos a la Devil May Cry. Although not technically confirmed, its trailers have indeed made this abundantly clear through the mindless chaos and demon-punching cutaways. And this is barely scratching the surface to what the game in its entirety will entail.

The good news is, Evil West will not only feature a single-player campaign, but an entire online two-player co-op mode, too. According to the developer, the story itself will take anywhere from 10 to 15 hours to beat. And this is subject to change, of course, what with the idea of future DLC eventually coming to flesh it out still very well in the cards. But as it stands, though, Evil West will be an online/offline third-person shooter with a short but surprisingly meaty narrative full of demons, weapons, and epic clashes to save the US frontier from signing its own death warrant.

Development

The first we saw of Evil West was back in 2021. Specifically, during The Game Awards, at which point Focus Entertainment revealed a sneak preview to give potential buyers a quick insight into its development. And as it stated at the time, the game was set to launch on September 22, 2022. This was later delayed, though, with Flying Wild Hog making it clear that it needed a little extra time to cross the t's and dot the i's.

At the time of writing, Evil West is set to launch on November 22, 2022 on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. For more updates on the game's current development status, you can check the official social feed here.

Trailer

Evil West was first introduced to the public at The Game Awards 2021, during which the developer teased curious fans to a relatively short but oh so gripping trailer. In the trailer, as well as the one that followed several months after, a protagonist who goes by the name of Jesse Rentier fills the boots as one of the last remaining vampire hunters of a secret society. And if that doesn't sound like enough to whet the appetite, then we don't know what will. But of course, you can check out the trailer above and put your own spin on it.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Evil West will launch on November 22, 2022 on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. At present, neither the developer nor the publisher has mentioned anything about the game coming to PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass as a day-one exclusive. This is subject to change, of course, but given the fact that we're only a couple of weeks from launch, it seems highly unlikely at this point.

You can pre-order Evil West in one of two editions: Standard Edition, and Signature Edition. You can see what comes included in each version down below.

Standard Edition — $49.99

• Evil West (Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC)

Signature Edition — $99.99

• Evil West (Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC)
• Exclusive wooden artwork, signed by artist (Gabz)

So, what's your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Evil West later this month? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.