Review: Red Reckonin’ [The Wayward World Chronicles 0.5] by D.B. Rook

Rating: /10

Callus & Crow fans rejoice, there’s a prequel in town with Red Reckonin’! DB Rook brings us back into the Wayward World Chronicles with a fresh spin on the series.

Red Reckonin’ is an exclusive grimdark western available via the Unearthed Stories app. In it, the reader takes on the role of Callus meeting the Reverend Wilf Berkeley, the man who becomes a firm friend and mentor of sorts. Your choices have a bearing on how this prequel ends, so in a way you can shape your own piece of Callus & Crow lore. I particularly liked the parallels between Callus’ relationship with Wilf Berkeley and his later relationship with Crow in Callus & Crow.

As a standalone, Red Reckonin’ gives shades of a Frankenstein movie directed by Sergio Leone. We see Callus wrestle with his tribe’s curse that sees him sensitive to sunlight, craving blood and resurrecting day upon day. Playing as the “monster” Callus (ok ok, cursed tribesman rather than monster) is a thrill. You can feel his anger and bitterness that stems from his cursed affliction with each choice.

Rook’s penchant for grimdark is on display throughout the interactive story. There’s just the right mix of gruesome and macabre amongst all the reckonin’, although I also found an opportunity to have Cal hurl a roast dinner in a fit of pique which was incredibly satisfying.

I was a huge fan of the Lone Wolf series, still am, so it’s great fun to take that style of choose-your-own-adventure stories and do something fresh. That’s where Unearthed Stories comes in. I enjoyed the mood lighting throughout. Flames appearing as a still during the final act (no spoilers but the final act is bleak) was a neat touch and led to an immersive experience. Certainly Red Reckonin’ gave me enough to warrant further playthroughs to make sure I saw every moment and ending. 

Given this story is free for app users – you just have to watch an ad – there’s really little downside to taking this weird western for a whirl. If you enjoyed yourself Red Dead Redemption and have a fancy for a little more viscera in your spaghetti western then Rook’s Red Reckonin’, and Callus & Crow for that matter, are for you, pardner.

You can get the Unearthed Stories app here: ‎Unearthed Stories App – App Store

DB Rook is a drummer, a gamer, and a dreamer who loves to spend time in other worlds, as well as this one. He has spent recent years working in the charity sector whilst occasionally visiting the Wayward World to stretch his legs and feed his soul.

ALSO. DB is one quarter of the Four Beardsmen of the Bookpocalypse podcast. DB and the other three quarters, including yours truly, can be found on YouTube.