- Dev Vlog 10 - Environment - 10 September 2026
Hey everyone!We’re back with another behind-the-scenes look at The Dark West. This time, we’re diving into the game’s environment design with our Environment Artist, Piotr. He shares his background and tells the great story of how a surprise message from an old friend led him to take a leap of faith into a brand new role at the studio!In this video, Piotr walks us through his workflow and the immense freedom he has when shaping the game's visuals alongside the team. He gives us a behind-the-scenes look at an abandoned mine level he is currently developing, showing exactly how he uses tools like Mesh Paint, PCG, and Foliage to bring the world to life. He also shows how adding the right lighting, and a little bit of gore, perfectly captures that classic The Dark West atmosphere!Thank you for all the support as we continue to build this world. See you in the frontier!Wishlist us here: Join…
- Important Update: Demo Going Offline Sept 1st - 28 August 2026
Hello everyone! A massive thank you to everyone who played The Dark West demo and shared their feedback! Your support over the last two months has been incredible. To ensure we deliver the absolute best experience for the upcoming Steam Next Fest, we will be temporarily removing the current public demo on September 1st. We're taking it offline to give it a proper overhaul, but don't worry, you'll be able to play a fully updated version during the October Next Fest! While we work on these improvements, we’ll keep sharing behind-the-scenes looks, dev vlogs, and sneak peeks at what's coming next. Thank you for helping us shape the game!
- Dev Vlog 9 - Illustrations and Concept art - 27 August 2026
Hey everyone!We’re back with another behind-the-scenes look at The Dark West. This time, we’re diving into the game’s visual development with our Illustrator and Concept Artist, Polo McPrieto. He shares his background and tells the amazing (and funny) story of how he joined our team, only to discover his art was already being used as a reference for the game!In this video, Polo walks us through his creative process, the freedom he has in shaping the game's visuals alongside our Game Director, and how he incorporates deep inspirations like Zdzisław Beksiński into his work. He also gives us a sneak peek into what he's currently designing, including the custom poker cards for the game, and leaves a very encouraging message for fellow artists in the industry.Thank you for all the support as we continue to build this world. See you in the frontier!Wishlist us here: Join the community Discord…
- The Road to Early Access: Thank You for the Demo Feedback! - 14 August 2026
Hello Everyone! First off, we want to give a massive thank you to everyone who took the time to jump into The Dark West demo and share your experiences, videos, and incredibly detailed feedback on our Discord, on steam community forum, even on YT comment section.The recent re-release of the demo brought some fantastic results, especially on the technical front. We were thrilled to see that the optimization and stability improvements held up, allowing so many of you to explore the weird west without any major technical hiccups.It has been immensely rewarding to watch our core vision resonating with the community. We're glad that the immersive atmosphere hit the mark for so many of you, and it was amazing to see all the praise for the Poker Card system. Knowing that you are enjoying these core pillars, alongside the challenge of our Trauma Bosses, tells us we are on the right track.Howeve…
- The Dark West Demo - Demo Patch v0.0.102s - 6 August 2026
Hello everyone!We have released a minor update (build v0.0.103s) to address several known issues within the demo. Changes & AdditionsImproved blood visuals.Improved Black Bill abilities VFX and transformation visuals.Bug FixesFixed an issue where it was impossible to rebind abilities.Fixed a waypoint VFX memory leak.Fixed Lucky Shot not displaying on the HUD.Fixed embedded charge issues.
- The Dark West: Live Developer Q&A! - 1 August 2026
Hey everyone!We're back with another Q&A for The Dark West. Lighty and Woolie will be hosting, answering your questions about the demo, the future of the game, and everything in between! When: We'll be going live at 4 PM PST | 7 PM ET | 12 AM UTCWhere: Our Twitch Channel Please drop any questions you have in the Twitch chat. We're going to do our absolute best to get through every single one. See you there!
- The Dark West Demo - Demo Patch v0.0.102s - 31 July 2026
Hello everyone!We have released another update to address several known issues within the demo. Changes & AdditionsAdded a grace period for knockdown and knockback.Replaced masterwork icons.Improved shotgun VFX.Increased Blackbill damage by 16%.Reduced Acolyte cast time to 0.5s.Removed the 1.5s cooldown before the Acolyte attack.Ricochet by default now has only 1 chain.Sharpshooter III now applies a 3s Blitz.Desecrated text no longer triggers when the effect happens.Removed Harrow T2 collision on death.Removed damage increase on hold.Removed the Raise Heck notable.Bug FixesFixed a random crash due to sound middleware issues.Fixed a crash when upgrading a skill tree node.Fixed a crash related to Ricochet.Fixed item tooltip formatting when resizing the game window.Fixed a rotation bug occurring when pressing U.Fixed a shader bug when changing graphics settings.Fixed various sound issues.F…
- The Dark West Demo - Demo Patch v0.0.98s - 21 July 2026
Hello everyone! We have released a minor update to address several known issues within the demo. Changes & AdditionsAdded settings to the main menu (the input section was intentionally removed).Removed auto-equip from settings (it is now ON by default).Improved the audio workflow on the credits screen.Removed the Shard of Xorcaris Runestone.Bug FixesFixed a memory leak related to projectile effects.Fixed missing SFX for bullet impacts.Fixed a crash that occurred when shooting Hexshot with Hollowpoint and dying in the same frame.Fixed a quest state issue when teleporting to town after killing Black Bill.Resolved various tracked input settings issues.
- The Dark West Demo Is Here! Complete it for a chance to win a game key! - 20 July 2026
The Dark West Demo Has Just Released!Our team worked tirelessly to resolve the performance issues, and we can't wait for you to jump in and experience the demo for yourself!We want to thank you all for your support, especially everyone who participated in our internal playtest and helped ensure the demo ran smoothly across a wide variety of PC configurations.To celebrate, we're hosting a giveaway on our official Discord server, where two lucky winners will receive a key for the game when it launches in Early Access. To participate, complete the demo and post a screenshot in the designated channel. Submit your entry by July 27th. Good luck!And just like last time, we'll be keeping a close eye on our community and social media to collect your feedback and address any issues that may arise.Now, enough talking. It's time to kill some demons and cleanse Mercy's End of corruption!
- Demo Returns July 20! - 12 July 2026
First, we want to thank everyone for your patience while the demo has been offline. We know many of you have been waiting to jump back in, and we truly appreciate all of the encouragement and understanding you've shown us over the past few weeks. We're happy to announce that the demo will return on July 20! Since temporarily removing it, we've been hard at work addressing the performance and technical issues that many of you reported. We've made significant improvements to stability, optimized performance across a wide range of hardware, and fixed many of the bugs that affected the overall experience. Your feedback played a huge role in helping us identify what needed the most attention. All the reports and discussions have helped us make the demo better, and we're incredibly grateful to everyone who took the time to share their experience. It's hard to believe that this is only one ste…
- Demo Temporarily Removed - 11 June 2026
Hi everyone! First, we want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to play our demo and share their feedback. Reading your positive comments, seeing your reactions, and hearing that people were enjoying the experience genuinely made our day. The support we've received has meant a lot to our team. Unfortunately, we've also discovered a number of performance and technical issues that are preventing some players from experiencing the demo the way it was intended. Because of this, we've made the difficult decision to temporarily remove the demo while we work on addressing these problems. Our goal has always been to put our best foot forward, and right now we don't feel comfortable leaving the demo available when we know some players are having a less-than-ideal experience. We're a small but dedicated indie team, and we'll be working hard to improve performance, fix the issues that h…
- Thank You for 75,000 Wishlists! - 8 June 2026
We couldn't have done this without you. Every share, every comment, every bit of feedback, and every wishlist pushed us forward. If you've been following the game, you're part of this. Thank you for being on this journey with us. June is going to be a big month for us. In case you missed it, here’s the trailer for our demo, which will be available on June 10th:Our demo will also be participating in the upcoming Steam Next Fest, starting on June 15th at 10 AM PDT.Until then, you can dive deeper into our damned world in our The World of The Dark West series. See you all on Friday, and if you haven't yet, be sure to wishlist The Dark West now. Thank you!- Black Hand Studios
- Step into The Dark West – Demo Available June 10th - 3 June 2026
We're proud to announce that the demo for The Dark West will be available on June 10th! That means there's only one week left before you can jump into this world filled with corruption and try to keep your neck clean.Take a look at our demo trailer here:Are you ready to face the darkness?Make sure to wishlist The Dark West so you don't miss the demo launch:
- The World of The Dark West: Kane, The Gunslinger - 22 May 2026
Welcome back, everyone!Before we begin, we would like to apologize and address an issue in our latest post: the Masterwork was shown incorrectly (the item was generated incorrectly for the screenshots). We've since updated the post with the correct GFX.Now, it’s time to take a look at the playable class available in our upcoming demo: Kane, the Gunslinger.They say fortune doesn’t favor the brave, only the faster hand and the heavier iron. There’s just one thing between him and whatever he sets his sights on, and that’s the bullet already waiting in his chamber. He is the only bounty without a photograph, because no soul who’s faced him has lived long enough to describe him. Men swear he can draw twice before their fingers brush leather. Others claim that when shot, he simply unravels into shadow and steps back out of it moments later. Under the noonday sun, he casts none of his own, as…
- The World of The Dark West: Gear Up! - 15 May 2026
Welcome back, everyone!It’s every ARPG player’s favorite time: loot!Let’s take a closer look at the main criteria used to categorize your gear.ClassesThe class of an item refers to its category, ranging from weapons like rifles, revolvers, and shotguns to accessories such as rings, trinkets, and poker cards.AffixesYou're probably familiar with the term, but if you're not: affixes are modifier lines attached to an item. They can range from simple stats like Increased Attack Speed to more complex ones, such as Reduced Reload Movement Penalty.They are categorized into prefixes and suffixes, and each modifier can only appear once on an item. That means you cannot have another Movement Speed affix if your item already has one.Items also have a limit of six affixes, and they cannot have more than four prefixes or four suffixes. For example, if you're trying to add a new prefix to a five-affix…
- The World of The Dark West: Tarot Cards - 8 May 2026
Welcome back, everyone!This time, we’ll go through some of the Tarot cards that will be featured in our demo. They’ll be essential for creating specialized builds, tailored to your playstyle.We’re aiming to include 14 different Tarot cards in our first build, maybe even more!Tarot CardsIf you're not familiar with Tarot Cards, you can check out our in-depth article explaining them here:These provide unique bonuses that shape your playstyle. Combining them with Poker Cards will be your path to conquering the darkness. Here are some of them:The Red ChoirExpands your reach across the battlefield, making all area-based effects wider and more effective. Strong for builds that rely on zone control or overlapping damage fields. The Red Choir seems perfect for builds that focus on large areas of effect, hitting as many monsters as possible. It provides:(+20 to +35%) Increased Global Area of Effe…
- The World of The Dark West: Card Hand Bonus and Poker Hands - 1 May 2026
Hello everyone!This time, we'll go through some systems that will help you conquer the darkness of The Dark West.In addition to the usual gear setup (gun, gloves, coat, etc.), you will also be able to equip cards.Combining Poker and Tarot cards successfully will be the key to unlocking powerful and optimized builds.Poker HandsThe Card Bonus system grants powerful passive bonuses based on the cards you equip. Players can combine standard playing cards and special tarot cards to form poker hands. When a valid hand is created, it grants a bonus based on its rank. Only the highest-ranked hand currently formed will apply its effect. In addition to official poker hands, certain famous or folklore poker combinations (known as Unofficial Hands) can grant unique bonusesPoker CardsPoker cards are equippable items that provide stats from a fixed pool of affixes. Each affix is tied to a suit, and i…
- The World of The Dark West: Jackalope and Harrow - 25 April 2026
Hello everyone!We're back with more information about the enemies you'll be facing in The Dark West!As explained last week, enemies are divided into four tiers. Tier 1 features common enemies you’ll see roaming, while Tier 4 represents boss variants based on them. As tiers increase, enemies gain higher stats, additional talents, new skills, and even unique talents.JackalopeJackalopes are a common menace across the open plains of the Dark West, as familiar to travelers as dust storms and dying cattle. These wiry, horned hares move in sudden, violent bursts, vanishing into scrub and tall grass before reappearing just as quickly to strike. Their antlers grow jagged and uneven, often scarred, splintered, or blackened, and their mouths are lined with small, needle-sharp teeth that tear more than they bite. Though small, they are aggressive and territorial, favoring low lunges that gore and s…
- The Dark West Teaser Trailer - 24 April 2026
We just released our teaser trailer for The Dark West and we couldn't be more excited to finally share it with all of you! Since our first reveal, the team has been working hard to expand the world, and this new trailer gives you a closer look at the core experience. We’ve included a sneak peek at some of the new gameplay elements we’ve been developing. Watch the full trailer below:And if you haven’t yet, don’t forget to wishlist The Dark West!
- The World of The Dark West: Desperado and Buffalich - 17 April 2026
Hello everyone! As development progresses and we become more confident in the content we’re creating, we believe it’s important to share what the team has accomplished.To start, here are a few enemies you’ll encounter in the world of The Dark West.Enemies are divided into four tiers. Tier 1 features common enemies you’ll see roaming, while Tier 4 represents boss variants based on them. As tiers increase, enemies gain higher stats, additional talents, new skills, and even unique talents.BuffalichA Buffalich is a desecrated remnant of the great plains herds; once-mighty beasts now risen again through foul, occult interference. They are most often found where slaughter was heavy: abandoned hunting grounds, mass graves, or blood-soaked fields where herds were culled and left to rot. Drawn to this death, practitioners of the Damned bind lingering spirits back into the carcasses, raising them…
