Review: El Paso, Elsewhere
El Paso, Elsewhere isn’t really a game I’d expect from Strange Scaffold. The developer is largely known for their bizarre titles like An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs and Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator. They’re games that feel like a big middle finger to the mainstream. I wasn’t expecting to see a game from them that pays respect to an old standard.
Yet, El Paso, Elsewhere has been in development for a while. And while its gameplay is rather conventional, there’s a lot more here than meets the eye.
El Paso, Elsewhere (PC [Reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: Strange Scaffold
Publisher: Strange Scaffold
Released: September 26, 2023
MSRP: TBA
El Paso, Elsewhere is the story of pill-addict James Savage trying to stop his ex-girlfriend from destroying the world. His ex, you see, is the biggest vampire of them all, Draculae. She’s holed herself up in a nowhere motel and has commenced the ritual to bring about the end of the world. Typical cry for attention.
In order to stop her, James dives into the void that stretches beneath the motel. Carried downwards by a rickety old elevator, he has to rescue the hostages being held on each floor for sacrifice. To clear each floor, you have to save everyone and then find your way back to the elevator. While you’re at it, do some sick slow-motion dives.
It’s no secret that El Paso, Elsewhere borrows a lot from Max Payne, billing itself as a “spiritual successor.” The first one, I mean. It’s been a while since I last played its inspiration, but the controls were immediately familiar to me. Likewise, James monologues to himself. After playing Lies of P, I’m sensitive to a game that is too starkly similar to its inspiration, but even though El Paso, Elsewhere feels very similar,
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