Publisher Good Shepherd Entertainment and developer Ice Code Games have released a gameplay trailer for Hard West II to commemorate the launch of its open beta test, which is available from now until June 5 for PC via Steam. The full launch is planned for 2022.
Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:
About
Blaze a trail back to the dark heart of the West in Hard West II.
You are Gin Carter, a notorious outlaw with a reputation as dangerous as the frontier itself.
On the hunt for a big score, you hear talk that the legendary “Ghost Train” is heading your way loaded with federal gold. This is the one.
You swiftly assemble a posse of outlaws, some with guns, others with the kind of supernatural skills that make saloon bars fall silent in a split second.
Night falls and the posse rides out, silhouetted in the spectral light of the moon. Together, you transform the prairie into an ungodly land echoing with gunfire and the screams of the hunted.
But once on board the train, you discover it’s not named the “Ghost Train” for nothing. What follows is the fight of your life through the uncharted badlands of the Hard West, propelled by bullets, witchcraft, and your pursuit of personal salvation at any cost.
Chase down the devil himself and take back what he stole—your soul.
Key Features
- The Good, the Bad, and the Undead – Folktales of the far West collide with the darkness of the occult in an unforgiving land riddled with as many demons as there are bullets.
- Conquer the Dark Frontier – Explore the far reaches of the Wild West in a desperate fight to save your soul. Discover more about your posse as you wander the lands, from snow-covered vistas to frontier towns, struggling to survive in a merciless world. Make brutal choices and learn to live with the gruesome consequences.
- Show Your Bravado – Rack up kills to activate your Bravado State and replenish your Action Points, as you roam the land taking down anyone—or anything—that gets in your way. Chain together stylish kills of multiple foes to extend your streak and shore up your reputation as a legendary gunslinger.
- Supercharged Posse – Unearth mysterious playing cards to build your posse’s poker hands, and kit them out with punchier guns, explosives, trinkets, or just a square meal of beans and whiskey to keep them in top six-shooter shape.
- Unnatural Leader – Like it or not, responsibility for your growing posse of gunslinging outlaws, teleporting witches, and other mysterious beings lands at your boot-clad feet. But be careful who you listen to and what you ask them to do. The right choices lead to more Loyalty Points and useful new skills for those closest to you, but choosing poorly will test their commitment to your cause.
- Shootouts on the Move – With projectiles of lead and witchcraft, the turn-based combat happens in dynamically shifting environments, keeping your brain as busy as your trigger finger. Let your imagination of Westerns run wild, from chases on horseback to tense train hold-ups, as you hone your strategic skills to a fine edge.
Watch the gameplay trailer below.