Far West is one of those games that, at least on paper, seem to be born from an almost crazy accumulation of ideas: westerns, magic, cowboy robots, cooperative missions, boss fights, persistent progression, perk cards, collectibles, final extraction, roguelite builds and a PvE structure designed for groups from one to four players.
The risk, in such cases, is always the same: to have many interesting mechanics but little mixed together. And instead, surprisingly, Far West is already able to build a clear identity today. Not everything is finished, not everything is balanced and not everything has the depth it deserves, but the ludic base is much more solid than you could expect from a title in Early Access.
Developed by Evil Raptor and published by Fireshine Games, Far Far West presents itself as a cooperatives PvE shooter roguelite from the rapid, colorful, chaotic and strongly oriented rhythm to the team game. At the date of the 5 May 2026, 12:00The title counts on Steam 15.745 reviews, with over 96% positive reviews: important numbers, which suggest a welcome far higher than average for a game still in early access.
But the numbers, alone, are not enough. The real question is another: Far West is already a game to recommend today, or is it better to wait for version 1.0?
A short review: two minutes to understand Far West
Far West is a co-op PvE shooter roguelite set in an alternative far west populated by robots, skeletons, absurd bosses and devastating magic. The game works mainly in company, where the chaos of missions, the combinations between spells and weapons, the freedom to explore without timer and shared progression build an extremely fun experience.
His greatest value is gameplay loops: you start from the hub, you select a mission, you explore a map, you complete main and secondary goals, you face a boss and you get out with the flying train. Everything is simple to understand, but laminated enough to be engaging for many hours.
The flaws are there: the variety of enemies is still limited, some builds seem already too strong, the solo experience is less convincing and the number of maps and missions will have to grow a lot to support the game in the long term. However, to be a Early Access, Far Far West is surprisingly finished, stable and pleasant.
In summary: If you are looking for a new PvE cooperative to play with friends, Far Far West is already one of the most interesting surprises of the year. If you want a complete, balanced and content-rich experience, you might prefer to wait for some updates.
History and setting: not a classic plot, but a world that knows how to communicate
Far West is not a traditional narrative game. You should not expect a linear campaign, a cinematic plot, long dialogues or characters written with particular depth. The narrative is much lighter, environmental and functional to the gameplay.
The game prefers to tell through its world: saloon, the initial village, vendors, maps, bosses, collectibles, secondary missions and small details scattered in the environments. It is a choice consistent with the nature of the project: Far West does not want to stop the player to explain everything to him, but he wants to put it in a recognizable, strange and funny context.
The first major identity element is the saloon. As soon as you enter the game, you find yourself in this space that is not only a masked lobby, but a real social environment. The entrance animation immediately gives personality to the session and transmits the feeling of having just arrived in a inhabited place. All players appear at the same point, functional but improved choice: in the future it would be much more scenic to see the members of the team spawning in different positions, maybe sitting at the tables, leaning at the counter or interacting with the environment.
The saloon contains simple but effective details: the minigame of darts, the piano, the possibility to explore some areas and the direct connection with the progression systems. They are elements that may seem secondary, but in cooperative games make a huge difference. The time spent in the lobby, in a title like this, must not seem a passive wait: it must become part of the experience.
Far West makes a smart choice. The saloon is a place where to joke, wait for friends, try interactions, prepare for mission and build that small social ritual that in the best cooperatives becomes part of the charm of the game.
Leaving the saloon, you access a western village that acts as an external hub. Here too the atmosphere has succeeded: the environment is colored, caricatured, full of objects, buildings, vendors and small points of interest. The game constantly suggests that there is something to discover, even when not always that something is already fully developed.
The story, therefore, is not the main engine of Far Far West. His strength is rather in the tone: a Western fantasy-sci-fi absurd, where robots, elemental magic, skeletal creatures, flying trains and bosses over the lines live without being out of place.
Gameplay: the heart of the game already works very well
The gameplay is undoubtedly the most important point of Far West. The whole experience is based on a structure on cooperative missions, designed to be repeated several times without becoming immediately monotonous.
The game cycle is clear:
- you enter the Hub;
- you control vendors, weapons, skills and upgrades;
- you select a mission;
- departs with the flying train;
- explore the map;
- main and secondary objectives are completed;
- you face a boss;
- you reach the extraction point;
- back to the hub with resources, experience and progress.
It is a structure that inevitably recalls titles as Helldivers 2 and Deep Rock GalacticBut Far West is not just copying them. It takes some recognizable ideas and reworks them in a lighter frame, more free and more experimentation oriented.
The flying train: a successful thematic choice
One of the most characteristic elements is flying train, used as a system of departure and return from missions. It is not just a scenographic menu: it is an aesthetic and functional choice that strengthens the identity of the game.
The fact that all players should approach the train creates a small collective ritual. It is a detail that helps make the start more memorable than a simple loading screen.
However, there is an improved aspect: the selection of the mission is still too linked to the creator of the lobby. In a cooperative game, especially with random players or public groups, it would be very useful to introduce a voting system. It would avoid situations where only one player decides for everyone and would make the choice more democratic and consistent with the cooperative nature of the title.
Missions: freedom, objectives and timer absence
The missions of Far Far West are based on a simple but effective structure. Each game revolves around a main objective, usually divided into two stages: a first preparatory part, in which you have to activate or build something, and a second part centered on the clash with the boss.
Next to the main objective we find secondary missions, optional activities, resources to be collected and collectable. The result is a map that is not perceived as a simple corridor to the boss, but as a space to explore.
The most important difference compared to many other extraction shooter or co-op PvE is the absence of a hard timer. This choice radically changes the rhythm.
In Far Far West you do not have the feeling of being constantly pushed out of the map. You can decide to point straight to the goal, quickly complete the mission and extract, or you can stay much longer to collect gold, search collectables, complete secondary and get more rewards.
This freedom is one of the most enjoyable points in the game. It allows groups to adapt the game to their own style: speedrun, full exploration, farming, secrets search or simple chaos among friends.
That said, it must also be honest: the absence of the timer is a value, but it could become a limit if it will not be balanced with stronger escalation systems. In many games like this, time pressure creates interesting decisions. Far West replaces that pressure with freedom, but in the long run it will have to make sure that staying too long on a mission still involves increasing risks and significant choices.
Secondary missions and puzzles: more interesting than expected
One of the most surprising aspects of secondary missions. Often, in cooperative games, these activities risk becoming simple fillers: press a button, defend a point, collect three items and repeat.
In Far Far West, on the other hand, many optional activities have a small identity. Some require puzzles, other minigames, other memory, observation or coordination. They are not revolutionary mechanics, but they work because they break the rhythm of the shooting without interrupting it completely.
The value is balance: secondary missions are understandable and rapid, but not completely stupid. They require attention, but they do not become frustrating. In a co-op PvE, this is fundamental: too long activity would break the rhythm, too trivial would seem useless.
The management of collectors is also very good. The fact that objects such as tombs, medallions, musical fragments or other elements are considered collected also between different runs eliminates a huge frustration. You do not have to complete everything in a single perfect match: you can go back to the same map, explore better and recover what is missing.
It is a respectful design choice of player time.
Combat: weapons, magic and controlled chaos
The combat system of Far West it works because it is not limited to the classic cooperative shooting. Firearms are just part of the experience. Next to them we find magic, skill, perk, temporary cards and support tools.
Weapons have an immediate feeling. They do not seek realism, but reactivity. The game wants the player to move, shoot, throw magies, rest, slaves, help his companions and continue to read the battlefield even when the screen fills with effects.
Primary and secondary weapons are unlocked through project parts that can be found on mission. It is a system that gives value to exploration, because it is not enough to accumulate currency: it is also necessary to actively look for what it takes to expand its arsenal.
Each weapon can be upgraded through use. The more you use a certain weapon, the more you unlock improvements related to damage, charger, charging and other parameters. It is a simple but effective progression, because it encourages to specialize without completely blocking experimentation.
The risk, if anything, is that some weapons are less satisfactory than others. An interesting point emerges from the document: it would be useful to try weapons in a test area before investing resources, because not all unlocks are equally interesting once obtained
The spells: the most characterizing system
Magies are probably the most original element of the combat system. Fire, lightning, acid, voodoo and cactus are not only visual effects, but tools that change concretely the way of facing the fights.
The possibility of combining them creates extremely fun moments. Some combos, such as those based on acid, fire and lightning, can generate significant damage and transform entire waves of enemies into a spectacular sequence of explosions, status and concatenate blows.
Here Far West shows its greatest potential, but also one of its future problems: balancing. If some combinations become too effective too soon, the player could stop experimenting and always rely on the same formula.
For a roguelite, this would be an important risk. Such strength is not only in allowing powerful builds, but in making it desirable to try many. Far West will therefore have to work not so much to “make fun”, as to ensure that more combinations are valid, spectacular and tactical.
Progression: gold, souls, levels, prestige and perk cards
Far Far West's progression is laminated and already quite interesting. There are several resources and systems that intertwine each other.
Thegold gold is collected mainly during missions, also through the collection of pepite in maps. The call to Deep Rock Galactic It's obvious, but it works. Mining, collecting and continuing to fight adds a small tension to the game: each deviation can bring rewards, but also to waste time, ammunition or health.
Gold serves to unlock or improve various aspects of character and arsenal. Next to it we find the Souls, obtained by eliminating enemies and also used to interact with the card system.
The character's statistics can be upgraded, improving parameters such as life, ammunition, movement speed and other fundamental features. The presence of a system of prestige every 100 levels, up to tenth prestige, suggests that developers have already thought of a long-term progression.
Perk cards and roguelite components
Perk cards, or temporary modifiers, introduce the most clearly roguelite component. During a mission it is possible to obtain cards of different rarities, capable of affecting the single run with specific effects.
Some may change gravity, charging speed, mobility, damage or other parameters. They are temporary bonuses that make each game slightly different and encourage adaptation.
The system is promising, but it could become much more interesting if it was developed in a cooperative key. At the moment the cards influence the individual player. In such a co-op-oriented title, it would be fascinating to introduce shared cards or team bonuses.
Of course the balance would be delicate: a perk applied to the whole group could become too strong. An elegant solution could allow the player to choose between:
- full individual bonuses;
- reduced bonus but shared with the team.
In this way the system would become not only deeper, but also more consistent with the cooperative identity of the game.
Cooperative: Far West gives the best with friends
Far West can be played alone, but it would be wrong to judge it mainly as a single player experience. The game is clearly designed around the cooperative.
With two, three or four players, the title changes face. Missions become more dynamic, goals can be divided, players can cover each other, spells combine, emergency moments become more memorable and general chaos acquires sense.
The beauty of co-op is not only “having more power of fire”. It is the creation of unpredictable situations: a companion who is saved to the last second, a boss managed badly but still defeated, a desperate escape to the extraction, a combo of magic that cleans the screen, a secondary mission completed while the rest of the group keeps occupied a horde.
These emerging moments are the real value of the game.
In itself, however, Far Far West remains playable but loses part of his strength. The clashes become more methodical, the management of the heavier objectives and the lack of synergies significantly reduces the variety of experience. It's not unplayable, but it's less brilliant.
This is not necessarily a defect: many cooperative games work better in group. But it is important information for those who are evaluating the purchase. If you are looking for a title to play especially on your own, Far West may not yet be the ideal choice.
Boss fight: good ideas and good rhythm
Boss fights are one of the most successful times of missions. They don't seem simply enemies with more points of life, but real climaxes of the run.
The boss arrives after a preparatory phase, so the clash is anticipated, built and inserted in a fairly clear arc. This greatly helps the rhythm of the mission: exploration, accumulation, goals, escalation, boss, extraction.
The clashes are legible and often intense. The difficulty increases in a perceptible way, above all going up to the level. The game offers more challenges, from easy up to ♪, and the increase does not seem to be limited to a simple numerical increase.
The higher difficulties also change the types of enemies, the resistance of opponents and the overall complexity of the game. It is an important choice, because a good difficulty should not be limited to making fights last more, but should change the way the player interprets the mission.
Bestiary and enemies: good bases, but needs more variety
The beast is one of the most interesting aspects but also more acerbic of the game. The idea of unlocking information about enemies after eliminating a certain number is good, because it transforms combat into an indirect form of discovery.
At the moment, however, the content of the beast still appears a little poor. It would be nice to see richer descriptions, details of praise, resistances, weaknesses, tactical advice and curiosity. In a game that points so much on repetition of missions, knowing better enemies could add an additional level of involvement.
The variety of enemies is another important knot. Skeletals and robotic creatures work well in the visual context, but in the long term it will be necessary to expand the roster a lot. New factions, new behaviors, enemies with more distinct roles and creatures capable of forcing the group to change strategy will be fundamental for longevity.
From the docx emerges just this as one of the most recurring limits: the current beast is functional, but still too narrow to support hundreds of hours without substantial updates
Graphics: a colorful, readable and very personal style
Visually, Far West is one of the most pleasant titles among the recent PvE co-ops. The style recalls part Borderlands, with saturated colors, caricature shapes, strong contrasts and a deliberately aesthetic over the lines.
The comparison with Borderlands does not mean that the game lacks personality. On the contrary, Far West manages to build a recognizable look thanks to the fusion of westerns, robotics, magic and desert settings.
The initial maps, between desert, canyon and western villages, are pleasant to cross. They don’t seem simple empty arenas: they contain points of interest, collectibles, resources, secondary missions and environmental details that push the player to look around.
The desert communicates well the idea of vastness, the canyon introduces verticality and movement, while the more western spaces return the charm of the border village reinterpreted in absurd key.
Visual effects were very successful. Magies, explosions, special blows and abilities create a continuous show. However, this wealth can become a problem in the most intense moments. When four players activate spell, perk and heavy weapons at the same time, the screen can become difficult to read.
It is not a devastating defect, but it is an aspect to be finished. In chaotic cooperative games spectacularity is important, but readability is even more.
Audio: Successful atmosphere, enemy feedback to improve
The audio section is well accompanied by the experience. The soundtrack recalls the classic western, with guitars, spaghetti western accents and a good general energy.
Weapons have satisfactory feedback and magic add sound variety to the clashes. Overall, the audio supports the tone of the game: light, enlivened, spectacular and never too serious.
The main problem is sound signals of enemies. Some opponents are legible thanks to clear asses, but others can approach outside the field without communicating quite well their presence. In a game full of effects, explosions and rapid movements, this can create moments of frustration.
When the player is hit by an enemy who has not perceived, the problem is not only of difficulty: it is of communication. To improve the sound and visual asses of the enemies would therefore be an important priority, especially to the higher difficulties.
Optimization and performance: Early Access, but already very solid
Technically, Far West surprises positively. On our configuration — AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 3080 10 GB and 32 GB of DDR5 RAM — the game behaves very well, generally maintaining high performance even during the most crowded clashes.
With the right settings, the title can stay above 100 FPS in most situations. Considering the amount of enemies, effects, bullets, magic and screen objects, it is a very convincing result.
Graphic options are good and allow you to calibrate the experience well. Our advice is:
- deactivate the V-Sync if you use an external frame limiter or monitor;
- set a FPS limit consistent with your screen;
- deactivate the motion blur;
- use NVIDIA DLSS on Balanced, if available
- deactivate the room shake if you are sensitive to movement or you want more legibility.
Very positive also the presence of accessibility options such as the removal of the shake room and the Italian language, with a surprisingly curated translation.
Lobby management works well. Create a public, private or friendly session Steam is simple and fast. You can also search for matches from a list, an important element for a title that wants to live in community.
During the tests, the multiplayer proved to be stable. There are no serious problems of lag, disconnection or instability. This is fundamental: a co-op can have all the best ideas in the world, but if the connection does not hold, experience collapses.
Accessibility, Italian language and quality of life
One aspect not to be underestimated is the care for some quality functions of life. The tutorial is simple, direct and effective. It does not overwhelm the player with unnecessary explanations, but quickly provides the basics to leave.
Italian translation is another very positive element. In many Early Access, the location comes late or is superficial. Here, however, the presence of Italian makes the game more accessible to those who do not want to face systems, perks and descriptions in English.
Also very useful is the backup system, designed to intervene in case of crash, data corruption or compromised missions. It may seem a marginal function, but in a title with progression, collectibles and farming becomes extremely important.
Longevity: much potential, but still content to expand
Far Far West's big question is about longevity. The loop gameplay is strong, the co-op works, the progression is pleasant and the immediateness is great. However, after several hours, the limits of the current amount of content begin to emerge.
Available maps are promising, but not yet numerous enough to guarantee variety for months. Secondary missions are good, but they will have to multiply. Bosses work, but they'll need new meetings. The beast is nice, but still too limited.
That doesn't mean the game is poor. It means that his future will depend heavily on the pace of updates.
Announced or unlockable maps — as Woodlands, Area 41, Far North, Jungle and Hellfire — let us imagine a much wider future variety. The way some areas are linked to secondary or collectible missions is smart, because it transforms the unlocking of new places into a game goal and not into a simple menu item.
If developers can expand content, enemies, bosses, maps, builds and customization, Far Far West could really become one of the most interesting PvE cooperatives in recent years.
Community and support: a Early Access that seems already alive
One of the most encouraging elements is the relationship between game and community. The presence of direct links to Steam, Discord and feedback modules show a clear will: listen to players.
The board with the Google module to send suggestions and criticism is a very important detail. It's not just marketing: it's an opening signal. In a Early Access, the difference between a growing project and one that is often lost is precisely in the quality of dialogue between developers and communities.
At the moment, the community appears active and generally positive. This is essential for an online co-op. A game of this kind lives not only content, but also the possibility to find matches, groups, discussions, tips, builds and players with whom to share the experience.
Pregnancies and defects
Preferences
- Gameplay instant and immersive loop
- Excellent cooperative experience
- Total freedom in missions thanks to the absence of the timer
- Good persistent progression
- Fun and spectacular spelling system
- Promising perk cards
- Hub very successful and full of personality
- Excellent optimization for a Early Access
- Italian translation edited
- Good multiplayer stability
- Persistent collections between multiple runes
- Boss fight pleasant and well inserted in the rhythm of missions
Defections
- Experience in only less interesting
- Variety of enemies still limited (including in a Early Access)
- Some builds and spells look too strong
- Content still to expand (including in a Early Access)
- In-depth Beast (including in a Early Access)
- Visual effects sometimes too chaotic
- Improved enemies sound feedback
- There is no voting system for the selection of missions
- Perk cards could be more cooperative
Conclusion: Far Far West is already one of the most interesting PvE surprises of 2026
Far West It's a beautiful surprise. Not because it invents everything from scratch, but because it manages to combine ideas already seen consistently, fun and personal.
There is something Helldivers 2 in the cooperative structure of missions. There is something Deep Rock Galactic in the collection of resources and the importance of the group. There is a call to Borderlands in visual style. There is a roguelite component in cards and builds. Yet, the result does not seem like a collage without soul.
Far West has its own identity: a crazy, magical, cooperative and surprisingly accessible western.
The game is already fun today, especially with friends. The loop works, the fight fun, the missions have good rhythm, the Hub managed and the optimization is much more solid than you would expect from a Early Access.
At the same time, we must not ignore the limits. The variety of content will grow, the balance will be finished, the only play deserves attention and the beast must become richer. They are real, but not structural. They do not destroy the experience: they simply indicate where the game has to improve.
The most important thing is that Far Far West already has a strong base. It does not seem a project in search of its own direction, but a game that knows what it wants to be and must only continue to build on very promising foundations.
For now, Far Far West is promoted. Not as a definitive product, but as Early Access already surprisingly enjoyable, rich in ideas and with a huge potential.
If you have a group of friends to play with, the advice is simple: go into the saloon, go up on the flying train and leave. The Far West has never been so absurd.
About the Author
Biography
- Direttore di KotaWorld.itRecent Articles
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