World to the West (Switch) Review

Unsurprisingly, the Nintendo Switch continues to be a vibrant platform for indie games. There have been several stand out hits on the system like Stardew Valley, Celeste, and Overcooked, but there are quite a few games that can easily slip under the radar. This makes coming through the many releases on the console a ton of fun as it feels like there could be a true gem, just waiting to be found. World to the West expands the world and lore established by indie darling Teslagrad, but doesn’t quite hit the mark and is likely not an ideal game for most players.

For those that really enjoyed Teslagrad, World to the West might be a great purchase if that world was really interesting to them. Aside from that though, there are few similarities. Instead of the 2D platforming of Teslagrad, the gameplay has become a top-down adventure game revolving around four characters that each have their own skills, personalities, and goals. Although, players that enjoy classic Legend of Zelda games might find some fun in the setup and general feel of World to the West.

When it comes to gameplay, there isn’t a ton of uniqueness or mechanics that haven’t been seen before in other games. Players will slowly work their way through the story, steadily seeing different perspectives as they cycle through one of four characters. Eventually, one can switch to a different character to tackle puzzles or areas designed around those skills, but much of the beginning is weaving through areas with one character.

Actually switching characters has to be performed at totem poles that show the faces of the heroes. These double as save points and fast travel points that are scattered generously throughout the game’s world. However, there is one fatal flaw to this design. Players will often have to play through an area several times to get their heroes to those points. I was hoping for a system more akin to Donkey Kong 64, where one can just switch to whatever character is needed at that location, but that wasn’t the case here. This mechanic alone slows down the overall progression to often frustrating levels, especially when going through the same areas up to four times.

The slowness of the game isn’t helped by the plethora of load times on the Switch. I’m not sure if this is the case on other systems, but on Switch they are long enough to notice. World to the West loads between every area, making exploration way less interesting than it ought to be. What doesn’t make sense is that the game adopts an extremely simple, stylized art style and areas loaded can sometimes be fairly barren of objects. This just seems like poor optimization and is an issue that could likely be patched out in the future, but those picking it up sometime soon should be aware of this flaw.

Artistically the game is fairly drab feeling. Incredibly basic character design combined with uninteresting environments can make any given moment of the game feel similar to what’s been played immediately prior. Yet, the main characters can be pretty fun and I did enjoy steadily unlocking abilities and unweaving areas that required those skills. This is where World to the West shows some real promise as an adventure game.

For example, there is the strongman Lord Clonington who is just hilarious to watch and play as. His bravery is unmatched and he has the most combat prowess of any other character. Clonington rushes into danger, takes out monsters with his bare hands and then gloats all the way. Learning how best to use his abilities to break down walls or climb ledges can make his approach straight forward, which is the exact opposite of say Miss Teri, who is a psychic, scarf wielding treasure hunter.

Teri’s gameplay is all about controlling local creatures to reach new places. Each of those monsters all have their own skills, making it feel a bit like Mario Odyssey at times. Even the simple obstacle of an elevated surface can lead to some clever problem solving and knowing exactly what Teri and the other creatures are capable of can be a lot of fun when moving through an area. Although, there are some moments that can be irritating, as while she is using her mind control, she is vulnerable to attacks.

While there is a lot of world building, there wasn’t much that I found to be particularly interesting. One of the main characters, Knaus, has some interesting moments as he lives underground, with a group of other kids that believe they’re on the moon and refuse to believe otherwise. It can lead to some endearing story beats, but overall, I found the game’s slow progression detrimental to the enjoyment of the game’s lore. For those that enjoyed Teslagrad’s story though, there could be a lot to enjoy here.

Where I think World to the West really stands out though is the game’s soundtrack. While I did find myself not enjoying much in the game, each song added to the immersion that was almost good enough to pull me in. The excellent melodies at work combined with clever theming makes for a music score that may outlive the game. Seriously, this music makes for a perfect study or focus mix.

Control wise, the game is fairly straightforward and will be familiar to anyone who’s played a top down adventure title. Different powers are mapped to various face buttons, move in eight directions, and hold a shoulder button to see what powers are available, since it’s easy to forget. Aiming certain powers can be a pain though and there are a few puzzles that are hit and miss when trying to bounce energy balls off of angled walls, but generally the controls work well enough.

Overall, it’s really hard to recommend World to the West. Anyone who enjoys the top-down classics of the past will just find themselves frustrated with the game’s shortcomings. It feels like a slightly longer development period would’ve done this title well, as there is just a mix of flaws that keep it from being pretty good. Even with those fixes though, I think it would remain at pretty good, never quite reaching great or even memorable. Teslagrad has a ton of fans and the hero has even become an icon of the indie scene, yet I don’t believe that World to the West will reach those heights, not even close.

World to the West is available on PC, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. Find more information on the official website.

A digital Switch copy was provided for this review.

For another indie review, check out Joanna’s take on the world of The Red Strings Club.