Westward IV Review

Westward IV: All Aboard continues this series adventure/strategy gameplay with a cast of charming characters and intriguing story. Step into the shoes of either Henry Turner, the family grease monkey with dreams of running his own rail line someday, or Anne Turner, the prettiest girl in the West whose favorite pastimes are lassoing jackrabbits, blasting old bottles with her trusty rifle, and helping out with the family railroad. Join them as they rebuild the family farm and search out the disappearance of their railroad mogul father.

Intriguing Story and Characters

One of the main draws to Westward IV is the rather intriguing story and characters that can't help but draw you in with their unique charm and hilarious antics. This all unfolds through some rather interesting gameplay and an easy to use interface. The gameplay is slightly different than other strategy titles in that you mainly control your main character to build houses, fight off bandits, and repair rail lines until you can recruit citizens to work for you.

Easy to Play

The interface is incredibly simple and pretty much all actions are controlled by the mouse, making it quite easy for new players to get into the action. The graphics are also greatly improved over previous versions and yet still retain the cartoonish charm that the series is known for. Also, you can zoom and rotate the camera around which is quite useful once your town gets really bustling.

A Bit of a Slow Start

The only downside to Westward IV is that it can take an hour or so for the action to really develop since the first several missions only give you control over your main character and perhaps a few extra townsfolk. This means that some of the mission objectives can take awhile, especially collection quests such as getting enough gold and wood to save a struggling wagon train. Without the option to speed up the game speed, such objectives can be a bit boring and could turn off some players if they don't stick with it to reach the later levels.

Conclusion - Fun Wild West Adventure

Overall, Westward IV provides a rather fun and entertaining adventure/strategy game. You get a sense of nostalgia with its version of the Wild West that is bright and colorful, full of friendly characters, and where the hero always prevails. Its characters and their tandem quests are interesting and engaging with plenty of quirks and some hilarious moments.

With its simple controls and interface, it is a great game for players new to this genre of gaming and can be enjoyable for even more experienced fans.