El Paso, Elsewhere's mix of emotional sincerity and over-the-top action result in a fairly unique experience; despite the game wearing its influences very openly on its sleeve. The gameplay loop provides plenty of fun fast-paced action as you traverse through some well-crafted maze-like levels, serving as a great representation of James's reflection on his failed relationship with Draculae. The writing and voice acting are both great, often shifting effortlessly between heartfelt monologues and witty one liners. The game’s visuals are striking despite the low-poly art style with vibrant effects that do a fantastic job of contrasting many of the gloomy mazes you’ll find yourself shooting through. The soundtrack can feel a bit hit or miss and I expect this may be a point of contention for a lot of players but I found it to generally do a good job of invoking what I perceive to be the heart of the game; the punchy hip-hop tracks pairing well with the chaotic action sequences and the more atmospheric, dissonant tracks complementing the introspective moments.

Unfortunately, the lack of enemy variety and unique environments result in the game feeling quite repetitive and unexciting at times. I understand that the game feeling drawn out may be at least partially intentional in order to really sell the feeling of drudging through James's seemingly insurmountable amount of baggage but I still can't help but feel that a portion of these chapters could have been cut, with the narrative feeling tighter and the pacing feeling more succinct as a result. That being said, getting through some of these rougher moments is well worth it as both endings are quite solid and memorable.