Setting matters, but rhythm matters more. Here is how the different flavours of adventure role-player on our shelf actually feel to play, and why the scenery is only half the story.
Why the frontier feeling travels so well
Wild west games and fantasy adventures look worlds apart, but they share a core fantasy: a lone traveller in dangerous country, building a reputation one deed at a time. That is why a reader who loves The West often enjoys Tanoth, and why a pirate game like Seafight sits comfortably beside them. The costume changes; the itch stays the same.
What really separates these games is how they structure your time and your choices. Some are built around jobs and quests that run while you are away. Some put you in direct control of every swing and shot. Some are about one character, others about a whole community or a ship. Understanding those differences will help you choose far better than the setting alone.
Below we break the six games on our shelf into the patterns they follow, so you can see where your own preferences fit. Think about your evenings as much as your tastes in scenery, because the best world in the world is no use if its rhythm clashes with your life.
The job-board rhythm: slow, steady and sociable
The West, Shakes & Fidget and Tanoth all lean on tasks that take real time to complete. In The West, jobs across the territory build skills and income; in Shakes & Fidget, tavern expeditions use up thirst; in Tanoth, quest-board jobs resolve over elapsed time. You make the decisions, and the game does the waiting.
This rhythm suits busy people extremely well. A few minutes at a time is enough to keep progressing, and the game never punishes you for having a life. The trade-off is that you rarely get the rush of hands-on action, and progress can feel slow if you expect instant gratification. Patience is the price, and for many of us it is a pleasant one.
Within this group the flavours differ. The West is the most sociable, built around towns and fort battles. Shakes & Fidget is the funniest, carried by its webcomic roots and characterful classes. Tanoth is the calmest, a straight-faced storybook fantasy. Pick the mood you want to come home to.
Hands on the reins: real-time action and naval duels
Drakensang Online and Seafight ask for your full attention. In Drakensang you steer your hero through isometric fights, timing abilities and positioning against packs of monsters. In Seafight you captain a ship in battles against monsters and other players. Skill and reflexes matter in a way they simply do not in timer-led games.
These games are at their best in proper sessions. An hour in Drakensang’s dungeons with friends, or an evening on Seafight’s waters, delivers a kind of excitement the job-board games cannot. The cost is time: if you can only spare ten minutes, they will feel cramped and unrewarding.
They also tend to be more competitive. Duels, group fights and ship-to-ship battles mean you will meet stronger players, and losing is part of learning. If you enjoy that kind of challenge, these are your games. If it sounds stressful, the job-board rhythm will suit you better.
One hero or a whole camp: scale and strategy
Most games on our shelf centre on a single character, but WildGuns breaks the pattern. You lead a nation’s camp rather than a lone gunslinger, gathering raw materials, building, trading and fighting across contested ground. It is strategy first and role-playing second, and that changes the whole experience.
Strategic games reward planning and patience. Choices about which buildings to raise, which neighbours to befriend and when to strike have consequences that unfold over weeks. If you enjoy thinking ahead and seeing a plan pay off, it can be deeply satisfying. If you want a hero to dress up and grow, a role-player will feel more personal.
There is overlap, of course. The West’s towns and fort battles add a strategic, communal layer to its character growth, and Seafight treats your ship almost like a base to develop. But WildGuns is the purest example of the camp-builder approach on our shelf.
Company on the road: towns, guilds and fleets
Every game on our shelf is social in its own way, and the shape of that society is another useful difference. The West organises people into towns that build together and march on forts. WildGuns sets whole nations against each other, so neighbours matter as allies and rivals. Shakes & Fidget, Tanoth, Drakensang Online and Seafight lean on guilds.
What a group asks of you varies too. A town in The West or a guild preparing for a Tanoth boss fight rewards turning up at agreed times. A Drakensang Online party wants you there for a full dungeon run. Shakes & Fidget asks very little beyond friendly chat. Think about how much commitment you can offer before you sign up anywhere.
Matching the setting to the evenings you actually have
Put it all together and the choice becomes simpler. If you want the wild west and a community, start with The West. If you want the wild west and strategy, try WildGuns. If you want short, funny sessions, go for Shakes & Fidget; short and calm, Tanoth. For hands-on action, Drakensang Online; for the sea, Seafight.
Be honest about your week. A wonderful game played in frustration because it demands time you do not have is worse than a modest one that fits neatly into your routine. Many of our readers in the UK, for example, find timer-led games perfect for the commute and save action games for weekends.
And remember that you can change your mind. Nothing here costs anything to try, and the lessons you learn in one game, finding good company, working with timers, spending carefully, carry over to the next. The best frontier is the one you keep returning to.