“Red Dead Redemption 2” is a game brought to us by Rockstar Games, famous (or infamous, depending on how one sees things) for the “Grand Theft Auto” games, which are characterized by unabashed use of crime and evil in the day-to-day lives of its characters. It is interesting that a company priding itself in that guilt-free lifestyle would follow up with something as thought-provoking and humble as “Red Dead Redemption 2.” It is a game that takes itself slow and seriously, but not serious to the point of being pretentious.
The game takes place during the dying days of the wild West, where the Van Der Linde gang lives out a life of crime and robbery. The player takes control of Arthur Morgan (Roger Clark, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”), a senior gun loyal to gang leader Dutch Van Der Linde. The plot starts with a somewhat picaresque approach, revolving around the gang moving from town to town and causing trouble as the stakes around their family slowly rise. Special care was given to the characters, particularly the lead, Arthur, who can be both charismatic and a jerk at the same time. His wit and the spark of humanity that he carries might cement him as one of the best video game characters to date.
The game crafts its narrative by cleverly mixing its story with the gameplay mechanics. The player will commonly find themselves in various random encounters throughout their trek across southern rural America, letting them decide what kind of man Arthur Morgan will ultimately become. These can range from donating money to the impoverished to helping a stranger deal with a snake bite, and an ambush from one of the many opposing gangs and bounty hunters. Many of these encounters will be remembered, as players might find a man they saved hours ago back in town offering to buy them something for their troubles or a family member track them down for vengeance. The honor system from previous games also makes a reappearance, giving players a reasonable moral compass to follow.
A strong emphasis was placed on realism, with the player storing all of their weapons on their horse, eating regular meals and maintaining their hygiene. Thankfully, this is mostly a side attraction and avoids the more irritating parts of survival games. In fact, many of these things will be done during the time the player spends at the Van Der Linde camp, which provides a good time to slow down the pace, get to know the rest of the gang and modify clothes. Some might find the slower pace to be a bit annoying when compared to the gunslinging shooting fun of the missions, but these moments serve to give the action stronger context.
The only thing that brings the realism down is the oddly out-of-place resilience Arthur has toward having hot lead tearing through his torso. The player has a very large margin for error that can make the game too easy at times. This is only complimented by the fact that the player has no option to make the game easier or tougher throughout the adventure.
Despite that, the combat itself is good fun. It captures the feeling of Western gun battling, with an amazing soundtrack inspired by the era it takes place in. It feels a lot like the combat in “The Last of Us,” having players ducking behind cover while using crafted weaponry to outwit a very intelligent artificial inteligence system. Enemy bandits will dive into cover, make plans to sneak up, coordinate ways to seal off escapes and clutch their wounds. It helps lend the game a sense of realism that keeps the gunfights engaging even if the fights themselves are not all that difficult.
The deadeye system also makes a return from the last game, allowing Arthur to focus on his targets, plan his shots in slow motion and then fire them off with cinematic flair. Each gun in the game will grow in combat proficiency the more they are used, leading some starting revolvers to fire wildly at the beginning but then become pinpoint accurate as time goes on.
There are also a lot of side activities that expand the world and provide extra content. The characters in these side episodes are just as engaging as the main story, and one might find themselves wandering around New Hanover hours before looking at another story mission. An example is where someone may find themselves miles away from their horse and find dynamic action simply trying to walk home to camp, separated from their lifeline. What might be annoying in other games is a set up for a new story in this one.
“Red Dead Redemption 2” is a game that should inspire open-world games in the future, with its amazing characters, natural storytelling and living, breathing world that reacts to the player. Rockstar’s newest game is one that should not be missed.
