Review Fix Exclusive: Inside West of Loathing

Review Fix chats with Zack Johnson, Creative Director for the upcoming “West of Loathing” game, who discusses how the game was born and how its humble look actually plays a massive role in the deep and emotional gameplay.

About the Game:

Don’t let its humble look deceive you — West of Loathing is a massive open world adventure brimming with stories, saloons, and silly side quests. Customize yer hero with 3 character classes (Snake Oiler, Beanslinger, and Cow Puncher) and more than 50 stylish hats. Pick up random junk to boost yer skills and gain an advantage in combat. Befriend or be-enemy the other travelers you meet along the way. Shovel cow patties. Drink whiskey. And whatever you do, keep yer face off the Sherf’s wanted posters… no good ever comes of that.

Review Fix: How was West of Loathing born?

Zack Johnson: In 2003, I made a web-based MMORPG called Kingdom of Loathing. It developed a dedicated fan base, and their support allowed me to hire a few people to help me maintain and add to the game, which we’ve been doing ever since. After more than a decade of working on KoL, we were excited at the prospect of making a game that wasn’t bound by the constraints of a web browser. We had recently been contracted to make a kid’s game in Unity, and that experience convinced us that we had it in us to make a new Loathing game using more contemporary tech.

Review Fix: What was development like?

Johnson: We did an initial proof-of-concept scene to make sure that my art was going to translate well to a 3D game. Then we spent a few months doing the initial system design and building the backend tools for making the content. Then we hired our lead programmer to start working on the real game engine. For two years we refined and enhanced that engine while chugging away on the final game content. Now everything is in place, and we’re just testing and polishing and testing and polishing until the game comes out next month.

Review Fix: What makes this game special?

Johnson: I think its sensibilities, both visually and in terms of the writing and humor, are pretty unique. If you’re into what we’re making, I don’t think you’re going to find anything like it anywhere else.

Review Fix: What games influenced this one the most?

Johnson: The Quest for Glory series is a huge touchstone for us. Like those games, West of Loathing is an adventure game with RPG elements, and your class and character development choices determine the ways in which you tackle the game’s challenges, puzzles, and fights. Paper Mario is also a big influence in terms of the 2D/3D diorama style, the balance between combat and noncombat segments, and the sense of whimsy.

Review Fix: As an indie studio, what do you think you guys do differently than the big studios?

Johnson: I think the real difference between us and most studios is that we are a close-knit team that has been working together on the same style of stuff for nearly 15 years. We are capable of producing a tremendous amount of content, in a very consistent style, in a relatively short amount of time. This has allowed us to make a game that we think will surprise people with how big it is.

Review Fix: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

Johnson: Y’know, the most remarkable thing that I can think of is that we never got into a single serious disagreement about anything the entire time we’ve been working on this thing. Maybe I’m just getting old and sentimental, but looking back on development, I mostly remember having a great time making something with my friends that I’m very proud of.

Review Fix: How does this game disrupt the video game landscape?

Johnson: It disrupts it slowly and surely, one dad joke at a time.

Review Fix: Who will enjoy this game the most?

Johnson: People who like puns and wordplay, and who are open-minded enough to look past the low-fi graphics and explore the thousands and thousands of dumb jokes we’ve filled this world with. People who play or have played Kingdom of Loathing in the past will find plenty to love about it, but we’ve been careful to make sure the game makes sense to people who aren’t already familiar with our stuff.

Review Fix: How do you want this game to be remembered?

Johnson: As the beginning of a glorious second act in the history of a venerable indie game studio.

Review Fix: What are your goals for the game?

Johnson: I would like for it to bring a little more goofiness and joy into the world. And I’d like it to sell well enough that we can keep the team together to make another one.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Johnson: We’ve got plenty of ideas for other games of this scale set in the Loathing universe, and the engine we’ve made is incredibly flexible and easy to work in. We’d love to do a few nice chunky bits of DLC for this game and then move on to the next one, which will give us the chance to explore a totally different genre and setting.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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