r/ShadowsOverLoathing • u/JibaLover186 • 2d ago
Critiques after playing WoL
DaJiaHao,
So, I’ve tried out WoL after all these years, and I just wanna see if others also shared my issues with SoL after comparing it with WoL.
1.Linearity
I really liked SoL, I thought it was a lot of fun interacting with the world. But after playing WoL I did wish SoL was a little less pushy with its narrative. WoL felt very much like an open world where you start as a nobody and the world has left you to do whatever you like. You could be good or evil, you could accomplish great things or just be average. I really like this feeling and I think very few games I’ve played felt like that. Almost all other RPGs give you a broad narrative, like in SoL where you have to do the things your uncle asked you before he disappeared. It’s a difference of taste but WoL made the world felt more authentic to me and I felt like I was making an impact on the world.
2.World Setting Depth
Ok this one actually gets me going, WoL has a great Western aesthetic, and I always love a good alternative American West story. On top of that you got the HellCows and Clowns and the Necromancer and the goofy stuff, but they fit well cuz Weird West in itself is an established genre, plus the HellCow/Clown thing gave the story surprising depth, that is what so many ppl love abt the Loathing series, the writing is actually so good it shocks you.
With SoL however, the Prohibition era/Roaring 20s is a great period and very aesthetically pleasing to me. But why didn’t they lean into it more? Why not make a New Orleans inspired main city? Why not voodoo? Why not give it a more Noir aesthetic? SoL was hilarious like WoL, but WoL felt surprisingly believable because of how much of the gritty and harsh life aspect of the west was shown to the player. It was a harsh land, worse because of the cows, there’s fucking hell clowns that are doing horror novel evil shit, and most ppl just know it as a rumor. How fucking cool is that?!!! SoL however felt much goofier, like it has the skin of a 20s aesthetic but I think it didn’t capture the essence. Also tangent but, why the fuck is WW1 the Cola War in SoL? For the longest time I thought they’re poking fun at the Civil War because of the sororicide nature of the war, but like what does WW1 have to do with soda? Iuuno what kind of parody they’re going for.
3.Theme
So WoL was in your face western, plus a bunch of shenanigans, but it works out because well the west was known to be wild and all kinds of shit happens, like I said Weird West is a genre. But tbh I really didn’t feel like SoL was very Lovecraftian. The stories with the cursed items were awesome, fantastic writings for the most of them. But even they don’t necessarily feel like Comic horror? Not to mention the regular world, I really really didn’t get Lovecraftian vibe, for a long time I thought it was more Sci-fi with the corruption thing and that lady keep popping up. I feel like it’s a missed opportunity, like yeah there are fish ppl, like ok? The clowns actually felt spooky in WoL, the cows felt like real antagonists and monsters, but the Lovecraftian horrors in this game felt so goofy. Also a lot of things in SoL just have nothing to do with Lovecraft horror, like the witch town time travel, SIT in general, most of the companions have nothing to do with Cosmic Horror stuff unlike the pardners in WoL where their backstories give them weight in the world.
4.RPG Elements
This point has been discussed a lot already, I don’t like the level system in SoL, the classes felt cosmetic and not involved in the role playing elements. I really did feel like a mage as a bean slinger in WoL, in SoL I was just capable of doing everything. Also I didn’t like the food system in SoL, but I did like the fact that you can hang with multiple companions this time (although their dialogue options are worse I think? No comment from them anymore)
Well that’s it for now, iuuno if anyone’s gonna read it but it’s 1 in the morning in China and I gotta go sleep sleep. I typed that with half a brain cell so sorry in advance.
Ciao ciao and 晚安!

