World to the West

World to the West is a top-down action-adventure with light RPG bones, developed by Rain Games and released in 2017 as a loose follow-up to their puzzle game Teslagrad. You control four separate characters, each with a completely different kit, and the game expects you to switch between them to progress through a shared world. One character muscles through combat, another uses telekinesis, another digs tunnels, and another can charm enemies. None of them feel interchangeable, which is the game's biggest strength and its steepest learning curve at the same time. The structure is closer to a Zelda-flavored Metroidvania than a traditional RPG. Abilities gate areas, backtracking is constant, and the world is built around the idea that a path blocked for one character is open for another. When that clicks, it genuinely feels clever. You find yourself mentally mapping which routes belong to which character, and the moment a long-blocked area finally opens up carries real satisfaction. The four storylines weave into each other in ways that reward players who pay attention to environmental storytelling, though the narrative itself is lightweight compared to what the word "RPG" might suggest. Here is where I have to be honest about the gaps. The writing is charming but thin. Do not come in expecting meaningful choices, branching dialogue, or character arcs with real weight. The protagonists have personality quirks rather than actual depth, and the story resolves itself without demanding much emotional investment. For an RPG specialist like me, that stings a little. The combat is also rudimentary. It gets the job done, but it has no build variety, no skill trees, and no moment where you feel like you shaped your playstyle. The "RPG" tag on the Steam page is doing heavy lifting. What the game does well is its sense of place. The world has a cheerful, hand-painted aesthetic with genuine environmental variety, and Rain Games clearly put care into making each biome feel distinct. Puzzle design is the highlight. Some of the character-switching puzzles are legitimately inventive, and the best moments in the game come from figuring out a multi-character solution to a tricky area. If you approach this as a puzzle-adventure with action trimmings rather than a full RPG, your expectations will land in the right place. The mixed Steam reviews reflect a real divide. Players expecting a meaty RPG with narrative payoff will bounce off. Players who want a breezy, visually appealing adventure with clever spatial puzzles and a manageable length (around eight to ten hours) tend to come away satisfied. At its best it scratches a specific itch that not many games do. At its weakest it feels like a competent indie that undersells its own genre label.

Monika · Scout Team

RPGs

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