Tombwater | PC Review

Tombwater is a game that wears its inspirations proudly on its poncho. It’s a total love letter to Bloodborne in a way that makes it difficult not to bring up the comparison, and readers know I don’t often like to compare one game to another, preferring to ensure a game is judged on its own merits. But Tombwater even began its journey as a 2D demake of Bloodborne titled Yarntown, so it seemed appropriate to mention the comparisons here. Throw in a small dose of Zelda, toss it into a horrific wild west, and you get yourself something that ends up standing on its own.

The Hunt? The Blood? Or a Horrible Dream?

You play as a gunslinger, invited to the town of Tombwater by your old gang boss. Having parted ways after a job went south, he fixed his life up and became Sheriff, and thought kindly to invite you to have your own fresh start. Naturally, the whole town is in shambles when you arrive. The trains don’t run, most people have lost their minds, and we can’t forget the eldritch abominations wandering about here and there. A lot of the story is picked up in bits and drabs along your journey, and true to the genre, there’s a lot you could easily miss. I won’t spoil anything here, but I will say despite much of it being predictable, you won’t mind considering the fun places you’ll go.

At the start of your journey, you pick a class. Word of warning, the majority of the stats you choose here can’t be altered later, so do choose wisely. It helps you decide what to focus on for your build, although I desperately wished there was a gunslinging magical class like there is for melee and magic, but alas we can’t have it all.

Trick Weapons

I’ve never played a top-down 2D Soulslike, but I’m always excited to try something new. Unfortunately, I’m not sure the format lends itself well to the genre’s focus on melee combat. One of my favorite challenges in any Soulslike is mastering the enemies, and memorizing their various movesets. With a bird’s eye view, the enemy sprites don’t have the ability to suggest and feint attacks in the same way, so it relegates nearly every foe to the same strategy. Whack, whack, dodge. The bosses do fare quite a bit better, however, with a lot of unique attacks that ensure you have to be paying proper attention.

Thankfully, melee combat isn’t your only option in Tombwater. This is the old west after all, and who wouldn’t want to fill their hands with a trusty revolver? Ranged combat is also an option, and bullets are handled in a wonderful way. You have your set amount of bullets, and once they’re depleted, they can only be recharged by engaging in up close and personal combat. It does provide a nice rhythm if you’re a ranged player, such as myself.

There are also spells. So, so many spells. It is genuinely unbelievable how many there are, and the variety never ends either. Set a circle of teeth down to act as a trap, spawn a gun-toting wraith to assist in tricky boss fights, or sacrifice some health for a fast reload. It goes on and on, and I have no idea how Moth Atlas came up with so many ideas. Combine the absurd variety of melee weapons, guns, and spells, and the build diversity in Tombwater is out of control.

The Sweet Blood, It Sings to Me

Exploration is the height of any Soulslike, and that’s true here as well. There are massive areas of the game that are completely missable if you stay on the beaten path, and staying on that path will make it so you miss out on major items and narrative moments. Hell, fast travel is locked away in a random cave hidden behind a bush. This is one of my favorite aspects of the genre; this sense of mystery with true rewards. I explored thoroughly and still had two unnamed areas on my world map when I rolled credits. Tombwater shoots straight when it comes to exploration, clearly having learned from its inspiration.

The western setting is dreadfully twisted in this eldritch horror tale. Creepy carnivals, haunted mines, and abandoned towns are all present and accounted for. The truly stunning pixel art brings you into this eldritch west, and you’ll be excited to see what’s coming next. Watch out for those poisonous tumbleweeds.

The pacing is outstanding, as well. Every few minutes you’re encountering a new item, new enemy, new character, or new area. The bespoke dungeons are short enough to never outstay their welcome, and always culminate in a new boss fight or even two. You’re constantly rewarded for your curiosity.

It’s Eldritch Noon

Despite melee combat never quite feeling right against regular enemies, Tombwater otherwise excels. I’m still exploring even after finishing the game, and we all know that isn’t always a guarantee. What is a guarantee is that exploring these untraversed areas I have left will reward me with another half dozen new tricks. I may have finished Tombwater, but it would seem Tombwater isn’t finished with me.

This review is based on a PC copy of Tombwater provided by UberStrategists for coverage purposes. As of this writing, it is exclusive to the platform.