Six minutes of Wild West Online gameplay hit the internet on Monday morning, courtesy of developer 612 Games. Our first look at the upcoming Western MMO offers plenty of information about WWO before the game hits PC later this year. However, we also have some concerns about the amount of content we’ll see in Wild West Online at launch.
The preview opens with a brief look at the game’s character creator. Players can choose to create male or female cowboys with a small selection of hair and skin tones. Several towns will dot the game’s map, each with their own saloons, stores and stories. Players can purchase a variety of cosmetics from clothing stores, including iconic accessories like cowboy hats or red bandanas for less-upstanding citizens to obscure their visage. Saloons serve as gathering places, of sorts, where players can take on new quests, gamble a bit or even accept the bounty for a troublemaker in the WWO community.
Local newspapers will be the best way to stay abreast of everything happening in that part of the map. At launch, 612 Games says newspapers will mostly be used for world-building during the first first few months. And the papers may also provide the occasional nugget of information about a current quest. But the studio also says newspapers will eventually incorporate news items about the accomplishments of the Wild West Online community, like the capturing of an elusive bandit or a high-stakes robbery that isn’t broken up by local law enforcement.
And there are tons of other small reveals in the Wild West Online gameplay preview. The studio confirms crafting will play a role in the game. How big, we don’t know. There will also be a fast travel mechanic, tied to “rest cabins”, and players will also be able to rest, access their private stash and more from those nodes. But our favorite reveal was probably confirmation that we’ll be able to shoot through tents, which means the best bounty hunters probably won’t even show their faces until the bad guys are tucking themselves in for the evening.
For an early look at Wild West Online, take a few minutes to watch the debut gameplay trailer from 612 Games. Then head down to the comments and let us know what you’re hoping to see in Wild West Online when the game debuts later this year.
Wild West Online is in development for PC and expected to debut before the end of 2017.
Be sure to check back with Player.One and follow Scott on Twitter for more Wild West Online news in 2017 and however long 612 Games supports Wild West Online after launch.
