Hard West takes the most tried-and-true elements of turn-based combat classics like XCOM and Jagged Alliance, and dunks them in a spooky rendition of the Wild West frontier, often referred to as the Weird West. If the sub-genre can be said to have a formula, Hard West nails it. The setting is the familiar dusty frontier, but with the addition of otherworldly legends and a tinge of steampunk-meets-sci-fi trappings.
The basic structure of Hard West mimics old-school tactical combat games, right down to the inability to save progress on demand, which can be a pain in longer missions. You operate a small party of cowboys and cowgirls, each with traditional core stats (Aim, Defense, Movement, Sight, Luck, and Health are used here) and inventories to manage. Every scenario pla…