by theygamesOur Verdict
A charming comic book aesthetic and a tight, satisfying gameplay loop make Wild Bastards a worthwhile FPS roguelike, provided you can bear its gratingly chatty cast and often underwhelming upgrades.
Roguelikes are dangerous. Booting a good one up for the first time basically guarantees an unhealthy takeout dinner, a pile of unfolded laundry, and a 2am bedtime as you squeeze in just one more run. Back in 2019, developer Blue Manchu released an FPS roguelike inspired by System Shock called Void Bastards. Set on cramped ships and lauded for its comic book aesthetic and tight gameplay loop, it was well received but, for me, didn’t quite take over my life in the same way as the genre’s best. Enter its follow-up, Wild Bastards.
This one trades the System Shock vibes for a vibrant sci-fi Wild West setting and stars 13 outlaws with unique, killer skills. Wild Bastards‘ chatty cast makes for an outwardly more story-driven roguelike game. All but two outlaws are dead at the hands of the Chaste gang, but with the help of a magical ship called the Drifter, you can jump from system to system resurrecting your buddies and adding them to your crew. The Chastes, however, doggedly follow you the entire time, trying their best to put the outlaws back in the ground.
While a novel concept, Wild Bastards spins a thin yarn. Each outlaw isn’t much more than a funny accent and a unique kit, and their quests are stretched too thin over a full ten-hour playthrough. Sadly, the endless bickering also starts to grate long before it’s over.
Wild Bastards fares better in the gameplay department. Each system is made up of several planets that have a handful of positive and negative variables along with collectible skills and items to power up your crew. You can choose which to visit on your way to the system’s final planet. Once on the ground, you navigate a board game-like map, collecting loot and triggering arena battles called showdowns against a mix of the 40 different enemy types.
The Chastes arrive to hunt you down before long, so it’s a rush back to the ship with whatever loot you managed to grab, then on to the next planet. A new outlaw joins your crew whenever you reach the end of a star system, with your newly acquired skills carrying over. There’s a real intensity as I rush to collect skills for my favorite character as the Chastes beam down planetside, avoiding them on the map as I return to my ship, narrowly avoiding triggering a nigh unwinnable fight.
The showdown shootouts are where Wild Bastards truly shines. The comic book aesthetic with 2D enemy sprites returns, making it one of the most visually charming roguelikes around. While there isn’t a ton of variety to the stages, the swamps, dusty cowboy planets, and low-gravity moons are all a treat to look at as you gun down shifty, dynamite-throwing bandits and prickly aliens.
The shooting itself is rudimentary: each outlaw has their signature weapon, a power move called a stunt, and sometimes a passive. They can run and jump – and that’s about it. You can only have two outlaws in a showdown at once, switching between them with the press of a button.
Each outlaw is useful in different situations, especially after unlocking certain skills. Smoky can spray fire around the map to keep swarming critters at bay. Preach’s gatling gun can mow down even bulky robotic foes but takes time to wind up. Spike’s stunt hacks into enemy turrets, turning them on their masters. Fletch’s bow tracks foes, but more importantly, you can learn a skill that has a 25% chance to turn an enemy into an ally.
I often wished that the outlaws had more utility when paired together. The outlaw waiting in reserve will periodically help out by offering some health pickups or a brief invulnerability window. Just don’t expect to see any special combo effects.
Most level-ups and items feel a little uninspired, too. Fun highlights such as explosive bullets are far outnumbered by dull damage reduction buffs. In conjunction with just how long a single run can take, Wild Bastards never reaches those roguelike highs where you luck into a ridiculously overpowered build.
While not irresistibly life-consuming, my second and third full playthroughs weren’t exactly easy to put down. Sure, I still folded all my laundry and only skipped one meal to play, and I’ll never touch the narrative mode again, but Wild Bastards is a solid roguelike with a gameplay loop that’s just about satisfying enough to keep me coming back for more.