It’s tempting to cite Red Dead Redemption as the sole inspiration behind the onslaught of Weird Western video games we’re seeing these days, but I think that would be overlooking the fact that the genre has been making waves in the literary world for a good long while now. Since video games have been quick to embrace genre-fiction influences, it was probably inevitable that the Weird Western would eventually get a foothold in the gaming world.
That said, Shot in the Dark looks freaking incredible. This is a brutal platformer with a Wild West setting that’s completely drenched in occult imagery. It has a black-and-white-and-red-all-over aesthetic that makes it stand out visually, and it’s loaded with pixelated demons and skeletons.
The game comes from Possum House Games, which has The Sword and the Slime and Heavy Is the Crown on its pixel-art resume.
Here’s a list of Shot in the Dark features, straight from a recent press release:
- Speedrunners beware! Unseen demonic challengers await you in the night
- Experience tense and deliberate battles in the shadows of the old west
- Armed with only your six-gun, the bandit will need sharp eyes and quick hands to fight the horrors lurking in the dark
- Explore dilapidated towns bathed in a stark black, white, and red occult aesthetic
This sounds extremely up my alley.
Shot in the Dark lands on PC on January 12, 2021. You can watch the announcement trailer below.
