Red Dead Redemption 2 - Review

 

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a sweeping Western narrative of devotion, conviction, and the cost of infamy, charting the inevitable fall of a motley group of Wild West outlaws defying the inexorable march of civilisation and industrialisation. There are so many things to do, so many people to meet, and so many places to explore in Rockstar's most authentic and lived-in open world yet that it's giddily overwhelming. Red Dead Redemption 2 isn't only Rockstar's most ambitious project to date; it's also a game so devoid of compromise that it's difficult to know where to begin.

So let's get this party started: The year is 1899, and outlaws in the United States are becoming extinct. After a bungled heist in the developing town of Blackwater, Dutch van der Linde and his gang are on the run and have retreated high into the mountains, where they are being pursued by a terrible blizzard. We strap ourselves into the spurs of Arthur Morgan, a calm and capable bandit who was discovered by Dutch as a child and nurtured on the wrong side of the law, and settle in for a 60-hour adventure.

The Big Country

More what a world it is: vastly larger, more gorgeous, and varied than the one we saw in Red Dead Redemption in 2010 (though sections of the map from that game are featured). There are snow-capped peaks and wetlands teeming with alligators. Forests abound, as do open plateaus. Plantations and charming homesteads. Great lakes and narrow streams. Dark tunnels and dusty gulches There's Valentine, a muddy livestock village with wooden buildings and rustic charm, and then there's Saint Denis, a dirty and booming metropolis with contemporary extravagances like electric trams, paved roads, and Chinese restaurants. The huge array of ecosystems and environments that have been perfectly sewn together is nothing short of amazing.

Red Dead Redemption 2 also does a fantastic job of gradually rationing out reasons to visit every area of its vast universe. Even at the end of the 60-hour main storyline, I was still led to parts of the map I hadn't seen before. The delight of finding new sections of the planet is maintained throughout because so many cards are held up its sleeve.

In a Valley of Violence

Red Dead Redemption 2's slower pace, as opposed to something like GTA V's somewhat faster pace, played a huge role in encouraging me to take in everything the world has to offer. Bodies must be manually looted, which requires Arthur to physically manhandle a body. Before firing, single-action handguns must be cocked. Arthur's guns, which he is not currently carrying, must be retrieved from his saddle. Before consuming coffee, it must first be brewed.

Red Dead Redemption 2's slower pace, as opposed to something like GTA V's somewhat faster pace, played a huge role in encouraging me to take in everything the world has to offer. Bodies must be manually looted, which requires Arthur to physically manhandle a body. Before firing, single-action handguns must be cocked. Arthur's guns, which he is not currently carrying, must be retrieved from his saddle. Before consuming coffee, it must first be brewed.

Some people would find this kind of thing tedious, but I actually enjoy it. There's something meticulous about it that truly helps Arthur feel grounded in the environment rather than skimming through it. For example, I enjoy the slow and mechanical process of cycling a new cartridge with a lever-action rifle by pulling the trigger a second time — you can even halt midway through for dramatic effect. Rockstar's designers didn't have to take that into account, but I believe they do because small, nearly insignificant instances of subtle control like this instinctively immerse me even more in Arthur's world.

The leisurely rate with which slain opponents are checked for loot is an intriguing design decision, but to be honest, I like the risk versus reward loot loop. Do I dart around and pickpocket a dozen dead men, or do I just flee? They're repercussions you'll have to endure either because your attention is diverted elsewhere or because loitering near a crime scene increases your chances of being detected. Bounties aren't always inexpensive. Was there a gold nugget in one of those guys' pants? Maybe you'll never find out.

My only significant logistical complaint is that the weapons I used to carry are frequently swapped out for new ones. It's fine if you go into a task with a scoped rifle or bow when required because it's plainly mission-related. More aggravating are the times when I end up with mismatched guns for dual wielding, and the game ignores my preference. The admittedly minor amount of time it takes to switch back elicited a few grumbles from me.

How the West Was Won

The primary narrative High-stakes heists, fatal shootouts, frantic rescues, and thrilling chases are all part of the missions, along with a long variety of other activities. Many of them serve as natural means to introduce us to new side hustles and interests, such as selling stolen horses or playing poker or fishing.

It's all quite enjoyable to play, and it's very similar to its immediate predecessor in many ways, but with a slew of additional animations and numerous layers of engagement. It asks a lot of a controller's limited number of buttons, but once I figured out which instructions require a tap and which require a press-and-hold, I had few issues. Thanks to loads of gun smoke and the same sort of on-the-fly, ever-changing death animations that have characterised Rockstar titles since GTA IV, shootouts are incredibly theatrical. You can even shoot off other people's hats and retrieve them afterwards.

I believe there is a prevalent misconception that Red Dead Redemption is simply Grand Theft Auto on horseback, although this is a bit reductive. Certainly, the GTA DNA is present, but gun conflicts are more intimate and chaotic with considerably more basic guns at your disposal. I enjoy hunkering down behind cover and exchange lead with foes who are often only yards away, or battling it out in bareknuckle skirmishes. It's exciting and enjoyable. Combat on horseback is equally well-managed, and it's always a gory delight to witness hapless saps go limp and tumble from the saddle in an almost infinite number of ways. I believe Arthur is slightly heavier than the other members of the GTA V trio, but I wouldn't call him heavy.

Once Upon a Time In the West

Red Dead Redemption 2 is an undeniably beautiful game in every way. I love how it manages Arthur leaving weakly-lit rooms into the temporarily blinding sun outside, especially in dark, misty circumstances where shafts of moonlight pierce through the woods, and I love how it handles Arthur leaving weakly-lit interiors into the temporarily blinding sun outside. Sunsets are particularly beautiful, and they seem to change depending on the weather system. Some are cold and hard, while others are soft and warm. From the way blood spreads on Arthur's shoulder after carrying a kill to the way individual strands of his majestic mutton chops quiver in the breeze, the facial motion is a considerable step up from GTA V, and the level of granular detail is nearly insane. The way mud becomes caked on waggon wheels.

Everything feels finely created, no matter where you look. Every consumable item is clearly labelled and may be picked up and examined. Every retail catalogue is jam-packed with unique text and pictures pointing to things for sale or vintage adverts. Hallways are adorned with framed photographs that I've never seen anywhere else in the globe. Remember, this is the game in which the horse's testicles shrink as the temperature drops. The musculature and skin creases on my horse's butt were hypnotising me on several occasions. That's an odd sentence, but you're going to be looking at a horse's buttocks a lot. It has the potential to impress you.

Johnny Guitar

The audio is equally outstanding, from the sound effects to the voice work to the vast music selection. The satisfying metallic crunch of a reload, the famous twang of a Hollywood Western ricochet, or the subtle squeak of a hotel floorboard are all present and correct. Bullets fired from atop a mountain reverberate with a cracking echoes that are utterly unlike the sound of bullets fired indoors. The squeak of detonator wire being unspooled or the clink of bottles in the rear of a moonshine waggon are just two of the many unique noises that have been recorded to appear only once or twice throughout Red Dead Redemption 2. They're all continual reminders that very little appears to have gone unnoticed.