I’m of the (correct) opinion that not enough games let you dive through the air in slow motion while shooting enemies with two pistols, so I was pretty hyped when I first saw the trailers for El Paso, Elsewhere.
A stylish, neo-noir horror influenced by the games of the early 2000s – most notably Remedy’s Max Payne games – with an original hip-hop soundtrack and gorgeous low-poly visuals - what’s not to love? So yes, I went into El Paso, Elsewhere with high expectations, which I find is usually a sign of oncoming disappointment.
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After the seven hours it’s taken me to complete the game, I can wholeheartedly say that I was right to be hyped. El Paso, Elsewhere lived up to my expectations, and then completely surpassed them. The game is absolutely fantastic, perhaps one of the best shooters to have been released in recent years, and it's a strong contender for Game of the Year.
We live inside a dream
You play as folklore expert and monster hunter, James Savage. James is a trenchcoat-wearing, pill-popping ex-addict who is traveling to a dusty motel in El Paso, Texas, to stop his ex-girlfriend, the vampire lord Draculae, from conducting a blasphemous ritual that will destroy the world. There's just one issue: the motel has somehow gained another 46 floors, all below ground, and is infested with vampires, werewolves, and myriad other ungodly creatures intent on stopping James from reaching Draculae in time. With an inventory full of guns, painkillers, and wooden stakes, he must descend into the nightmarish void and fight his way through the reality-shifting motel, all while attempting to keep a grip on his sanity.
There's a definite dreamlike feel to El Paso, Elsewhere. The motel is constantly shifting and changing, becoming a maze of interconnected corridors and rooms. As you descend, the floors become stranger and less natural, and before you know it, the landscape has changed in ways that should be impossible. On one floor, you might be fighting in an Overlook Hotel-inspired corridor, and on the next, you're suddenly in a haunted graveyard or a gross, meat-filled abattoir. This surreal aesthetic is backed up by some great lighting and visual design. Despite the PS1-era low-poly art style, the game is beautiful to look at, with sharp, colourful neon lighting straight out of a Nicolas Winding Refn film.
Talking of filmic influences, the vibe throughout is thoroughly Lynchian. I wouldn't be surprised if developer Xalavier Nelson spent a lot of time watching Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive for inspiration, as I was constantly reminded of the Black Lodge as I played. But it's not just the works of David Lynch that have influenced El Paso, Elsewhere. As I mentioned previously, the game wears its Max Payne influence on its sleeve - a game also inspired partly by Lynch - with protagonist James Savage's near-constant narration reminiscent of Max's pulpy inner monologue. As well as developing the game, Xalavier Nelson also provides the voice for James. He's nailed that James McCaffrey style of sounding almost disinterested and detached about what's happening but never coming across as boring or dull. It's a thin line to tread, and Nelson does it perfectly.
Shoot 'em up
The protagonist is not the only thing that has been inspired by Max Payne. The combat in El Paso, Elsewhere feels like hopping into a time machine and jumping back to 2001, and that's a good thing. The shooting mechanics and gunplay capture the essence of classic shooters from that era and offer a refreshing departure from modern shooters. It's a streamlined experience without all the complex skill trees and abilities that often bog down contemporary games. In El Paso, Elsewhere, it's never more complicated than just: shoot the monsters before they take a chunk out of you, and that's fine. When it comes to gameplay, it does one thing and does it extremely well.
You'll be making use of half a dozen or so guns as you search for Draculae. I won't spoil them all here, but they're the types of weapons that any shooter fan will be accustomed to. There are the dual pistols, perfect all-rounders for when you want to live out your John Woo action film fantasies. And of course, you've got the shotgun, which turns enemies into mincemeat at close range but has a sluggish rate of fire.
You'll collect more guns as you play, and you'll quickly figure out which situations work best with each one. If I have one complaint, I'd say that it's a shame that there aren't any real surprises when it comes to the guns in El Paso, Elsewhere. Being set in a supernatural world, I was hoping for something a bit more... unique? I mean, you fight evil knights at one point, and I would've loved to be able to use one of their swords when things got up close and personal.
You keep going
Weaved between the action of El Paso, Elsewhere are stylish cutscenes that reveal the story of James and Draculae and their complex relationship. Through these cutscenes, and James’s inner monologue, we learn more about these two and their past together.
The writing is top-notch throughout. By the end of the game, I was fully invested in James’s mission to stop Draculae and was genuinely surprised by some of the topics raised. Underneath the gothic supernatural narrative, there are themes of emotional abuse, toxic relationships, and lasting pain that those kinds of trauma can cause. All this is handled extremely well and maturely, never straying into the exploitative or crude.
It’s some pretty heavy stuff, and I was surprised how well El Paso, Elsewhere manages to keep a consistent tone between the somber themes in its narrative and the over-the-top action in its gameplay.
Reviewed on PC. A code was provided by the publisher.
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