El Paso, Elsewhere Review

When it comes to combining genres for any video game, it always turns out to be a somewhat arduous job. Not many developers manage to do it, and those that do sometimes have a few bumps in the road. But every once in a while, a game comes along from a small company that puts its heart and soul into giving us an original product combined with a tribute to one of the most iconic action series in history. That was El Paso, Elsewhere, for me during my game review. With a fantastic story, a throwback to the famous bullet-time gameplay, and a unique art style, Strange Scaffold has made a perfect amalgam.

El Paso, Elsewhere Review

El Paso, Elsewhere may look like a ridiculous game because of everything that happens. It doesn’t take long to face a horde of werewolves, vampires, mummies, and other unnatural creatures as you dive to shoot from the air in Max Payne fashion. And yet, outside of those layers of over-the-top action, there’s a lot of seriousness to the story it wants to tell.

El Paso, Elsewhere was fantastic to me as it is told as a neo-noir story that follows a very endearing character as he struggles to…exterminate his beloved. Again, it may sound ridiculous, but it’s one of the coolest and most fun things I’ve experienced this year.

Story: Love and Other Drugs

El Paso, Elsewhere is a neo-noir game. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s one of the most common styles in detective films from the 1930s to the 1950s, of which the most prominent features are a dark style, somber tones, and first-person narration. That narrative helps give El Paso, Elsewhere its unique tone because it shows us a desolate landscape not only in the setting but also in our protagonist.

James is a person who has struggled with his addiction to pills. But now, with a broken heart and hordes of creatures to eliminate, he has no choice but to return to it. Worst of all, and why you can understand why the character relapses, is because the creature behind everything happening in the poor motel where the game is set is his ex-girlfriend. If that wasn’t enough, the reason this vampire lady wants to destroy the world is because she is no longer in a relationship. Yes, she stopped being in love, but having nothing left, she is only left with destruction. If we were to reward the toxic relationships of 2023, this one would win.

Gameplay: Max Pain

El Paso, Elsewhere can be described at a basic level as Max Payne with vampires. This title takes a lot of inspiration from the aforementioned series with its bullet-time gameplay and narration. You have your health bar and, next to it, your bullet-time bar, which allows you to dive to dodge enemies while shooting. If you played Max Payne, you’ll know what to do as things don’t change much. Yet, new players will have a blast to live one of the most classic gameplay mechanics ever made.

Since bullet-time works like a superpower for James, which could also be due to his painkiller use, you must plan how to use it when fighting the hordes of supernatural creatures. Since the gameplay relies on you diving through the air to shoot your enemies, barricades, and columns will give you a moment of respite before you plan your next dive to shoot vampires and werewolves in the face.

As someone who only played one Max Payne title and loved it, doing my game review of El Paso, Elsewhere was fantastic because I couldn’t get enough of the bullet-time gameplay mechanic. The thing that heightened the experience for me was the game’s setting. Yes, shooting mafia members is fun, but nothing compares to diving outside of a column to shoot a fallen angel and a werewolf accompanied by some of the wildest and over the hip-hop tunes I’ve heard.

Graphics and Audio: We’ll be Burnin’ up Like Neon Lights

The graphics do not stand out the most in El Paso, Elsewhere, yet they are worth mentioning. This game takes a lot of references from Max Payne, and its look is like older games from the PlayStation 2 era. Don’t expect hyper-realistic 3D models; they are pretty simple. But the figures and clothes are well distinguished from the other objects, even in the darkest places.

The strongest point of this section is that El Paso, Elsewhere, has a magnificent use of its environment and lights in the neo-noir style. The unbridled action surrounded by neon lights will make you feel like you are in a John Wick, Blade Runner, or even Old Boy movie. However, the atmosphere, surrounded by a turquoise hell or a thick fog, will remind you that you are elsewhere, no pun intended.

Another strong point of this game is its music. It is obvious Strange Scaffold made an effort to give essence to this game, and it succeeded in doing so. The soundtrack of El Paso, Elsewhere features original hip-hop songs that match the feeling of the story or actions you perform in the chapters.

One thing I noticed is the use of synthesizers that we have seen in many other games or series like Control that help give that eerie and mysterious tone before starting a battle. This build-up of emotions is only possible because of the music the developers have created to give one of the most immersive environments I have experienced this year.

James’s voice actor, Xalavier Nelson Jr., takes you by the hand throughout the game with his narration. He gives you commentary on things like a glitched jar that even breaks the fourth wall and makes you feel like the character as you dig deeper into the story. This adds another layer of immersion that makes you feel like the character when walking through the 46 floors of this motel.

Conclusion

This El Paso, Elsewhere review convinced me that a game doesn’t have to last 500 hours to deliver a good time. Bringing old, fan favorite gameplay with a supernatural concept and an endearing character is enough to give us hours of fun. Undoubtedly, 2023 continues to be the year where small companies continue to prove that old gameplay styles can be brought into a new light. You can take an old concept and improve it to appeal to more people, and what Strange Scaffold has created is an experience that is full of flair, style, and a hefty dose of vampire slaying action.

El Paso, Elsewhere is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC (Reviewed).

Review copy given by Publisher.