West of Loathing has been sat on my wishlist so long that a sequel has beat me to it. Now I’m kicking myself for not getting to it sooner. I do have some experience of Kingdom of Loathing but it’s a distant memory now. All those old fashioneds couldn’t have helped. However, it means you get a perspective on Shadows Over Loathing without any comparison to or knowledge of it’s predecessor.
Despite all that, returning to the most elaborate world of stick figures, frankly how does such simple art work so well, is quite exciting. Shadows Over Loathing is set in the 1920s with a horror theme, lots of trippy stuff, an open world with many side quests, and a load of ludicrous enemies.
This is the part where I’m supposed to say it’s hilarious, but the major vibe I get from Shadows is comfy. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been laughing throughout so far. Whether it’s running around eating everything as a dream dinosaur or the Doughboy gangs endless bread based puns. Come to think of it, the many many puns in general. Plenty of meta like the text box teasing me about a possible secret entrance. The gas station staff file was a great gag. Even the worlds invisible barriers are fun, as it tell me ‘There’s nothing in that direction except tetanus.’
But why that comfy feeling? I’m not even sure. The world feels consistent and complete in it’s bizarreness such that I’m a part of it and enjoy wandering. The comedy has a timeless feel not bogged down in trends and will probably give Shadows a longevity that puts it in the company of the best games the adventure and RPG genres have to offer, simultaneously evoking feelings of those experiences. I guess I find that comfy.
The turn based combat is the kind of number crunching that appeals to me. Tracking hit point stats and prioritising targets based on their threat level and who they are planning to attack. There’s a large number of combat items and buffs, can’t help thinking it’s mostly to write all the ridiculous descriptions. I’ve gone down the class route of well dressed moxie, although it looks like I’m going to need a mix of stats to progress rather than going hard down one branch. There are definitely different ways to solve problems via force or smarts. I loved outwitting a gang leader so that I could take over. Hard to say much about replayability at this point (I’m in Chapter 2).
Shadows is full of neat touches like changing your facial expression in mirrors, and that shoes only function is to make you walk silly. Being able to fish for loot in almost any body of liquid is a favourite of mine. That Stardew fishing addiction is still looming. And there’s no shortage of locations and mysteries, like what’s the deal with the inept fortune teller who describes my present state as ‘in a fortune teller’s tent.’ I’m sure it’ll work out if I throw enough meat at it all. And I’m confident I’m gonna enjoy this through to the end.
Available from Steam.
mishmash 