Does Evil West Have Good Replayability?

The short answer is yes – Evil West does offer solid replay value. While not as extensive as some of the most replayable games out there, key features like New Game+, co-op, collectibles, and enjoyable combat will give you reasons to jump back in for second, third, and beyond playthroughs.

Defining Replayability in Games

First, let‘s discuss what makes a game replayable in the first place. Replayability refers to how much playtime and enjoyment you can get out of a game by playing through it multiple times. The most replayable games have variability, secrets left to uncover, multiple story branches and endings, randomized or emergent elements, and other features that make each playthrough fresh.

Open world RPGs like The Witcher 3, Skyrim, and Fallout: New Vegas are prime examples – hundreds of hours can be sunk into side quests, exploration, character builds, and alternative story routes. Games with short, linear levels can also offer replayability through speedrunning, collectibles, scoring/ranks, and especially New Game+ modes that let you carry over progression. Popular examples include Devil May Cry, Hades, and Doom Eternal. The key is that the core gameplay loop remains engaging, even when the content is familiar.

Evaluating Replayability in Evil West

So how does Evil West, a supernatural linear action game, stack up in terms of replay value? Here are the key factors that encourage jumping back in for repeated playthroughs:

New Game+ Mode

After completing Evil West‘s 10+ hour campaign, a New Game+ mode unlocks that carries over all of Jesse‘s unlocked skills and weapons. This lets you fully upgrade every item and provides a fresh challenge by cranking up the difficulties – you can even enable permadeath mode for the ultimate hardcore experience. Reviewers recommend playing on New Game+ to get the most out of the combat.

2-Player Online Co-Op

The entire Evil West campaign can be played cooperatively with a friend online. 90% of third-person shooters don‘t offer campaign co-op anymore, so this is a huge bonus. Teamwork gameplay shakes up the experience – you can revive downed teammates, pull off combo moves, and tailor your loadouts to complement each other. GamesRadar calls the co-op a "brilliant" addition that adds "endless replayability."

Lore Collectibles

Evil West contains 97 lore items to discover, scattered throughout the levels. These provide background on characters, locations, enemies, and the wider mythology. Hunting down all of these sets like the Wanted Posters offers strong incentives to re-explore and provides small narrative rewards. Typical playthroughs will only uncover 75-80% of collectibles.

Customizable Combat

Across a campaign, you can unlock 10 weapons like shotguns, rifles, and lightning gauntlets. Each weapon has 4 upgrades to apply, like fire rate and reload speed, along with alternate firing modes. With over 40 skills to acquire and limited skill points per playthrough, you have to tailor Jesse‘s abilities around your preferred weapons and playstyle. This build variety makes each playthrough distinct.

RPG Progression

Evil West features a detailed leveling system – defeating monsters earns XP to unlock new skills and upgrade weapons. But with skill points limited per playthrough, you have to plan character builds. Normal playthroughs will let you acquire about 60% of total skills. New Game+ lets you push further. Experimenting with different builds is key to replayability.

Short Level Design

Evil West is very linear, but most story levels only take an average of 30 minutes to complete. This means replaying chapters doesn‘t feel like a slog. Combined with the combat variety above, short and focused levels reduce repetition in repeated playthroughs. Compare to longer mission-based games like Mafia, where replaying 10+ hour chapters can feel tedious.

Replayability Compared to Similar Games

Compared to other linear third-person shooters like Gears of War, Evil West sits in the middle for replayability. It has less content than huge open world RPGs but more varied incentives than short 4 hour shooters. The 10-15 hour length also hits a nice spot – long enough to have progression, but not so long that replays feel daunting. Reviews agree there‘s enough here to justify coming back for a second playthrough.

Maximizing Your Replay Enjoyment

To really get the most out of Evil West‘s replay value, here are some tips and strategies I recommend based on completing the game multiple times:

Try New Playstyles

On your first playthrough, pick two weapon types and focus your skills around them. On the next, respec your skills at the Hideout and build around different weapons – be a gunslinger or melee brute. This dramatically changes the combat flow.

Crank Up the Difficulty

The highest "Desperado" difficulty is no joke – enemies deal 3x damage and can kill Jesse extremely quickly. Combine this with permadeath for the ultimate challenge. New Game+ lets you push the difficulty higher, keeping the gameplay tense and demanding.

Play Co-Op with Friends

Team up online and strategize your character builds and gear to complement each other. The revival mechanic and team combo moves add great co-op dynamics. Playing co-op is easily the most fun way to experience Evil West.

Hunt Down All Collectibles

There are many lore items in obscure spots and hidden rooms. Grab a collectible guide and scour every corner to get 100% completion. Compare with a friend to see who found the most!

Try Challenge Runs

Impose limitations like only using the knife, no upgrades, or permadeath to test your skill. Or speedrun levels to beat your best times. Self-imposed challenges keep subsequent playthroughs spicy.

Recommended Loadout for New Players

For your first playthrough, I suggest picking the Crossbolt and Coach Gun as your primary weapons, while also investing in the Bullet Barrage and Lockdown skills. This loadout provides a balanced playstyle to learn the combat systems.

Conclusion

While Evil West doesn‘t provide endless replayability, the well-implemented New Game+ mode, entire co-op campaign, satisfying combat, and wealth of skills, upgrades, and collectibles give you plenty of reasons to jump back in for seconds. Targeting different character builds, playing on higher difficulties, and co-op offer the most mileage. Compared to similar linear action games, Evil West hits a nice sweet spot of replay incentives. I highly recommend giving New Game+ and co-op a try to experience everything Evil West‘s vampire-hunting adventures have to offer.