Rockstar Games has been around for decades but they’ve rarely put out a game that hasn’t been a hit. Rockstar has brought us Manhunt, Bully, Max Payne, and Grand Theft Auto. They’ve also brought us the Wild West version of GTA in the form of Red Dead Redemption. How has its sequel, Red Dead Redemption 2, stacked up to its precedecessor?
Let’s take a look at a Red Dead Redemption 2 quick review!
Ride On, Cowboy! An Immersive Story!
In Red Dead Redemption 2 you’re following a man named Arthur Morgan, who is basically the pixelated John Wayne of video games. Arthur is part of a gang known as the Dutch Van der Linde gang. You’re walking around twelve years before the first Red Dead Redemption. The 19th century is ending and America is quickly expanding and finding its identity. The type of lawlessness found in the Wild West is slowly disappearing.
The story is surprisingly linear for a game that boasts itself as an open-world wonder. You’re going to be spending a lot of time on the main story because you’ll be drawn off into different side-quests that somehow tie into the game itself. The main story alone is over sixty hours!
The Beauty of Quests – Main and Sides
Video game side quests normally don’t feel like it has anything to do with the main plot of their games at all. Fortunately, the side quests in Red Dead Redemption 2 feel like they actually tie into the main story and the world around you. Every one you do contributes to the expansive world and sometimes ties right back into the efforts you’re making to keep your gang afloat.
Even if you’re tired of hijacking trains or robbing banks, you can still go hunting and gathering to keep your gang’s stomachs filled. The best part about the side quests is they aren’t just something you accept by walking to a non-playable character with an exclamation point above their head. You come across the side quests naturally in the game and this makes you feel like you’re fully immersed in the plot.
Of course, it’s not the Wild West if you’re not rolling around on horses! These trusty steeds are your main source of transportation across the land. Unfortunately, they can die in battle if you’re not careful. Fortunately, you can hold on to many different horses in your stables. When the world is falling apart around you, your horse is the only loyal creature by your side. Just be careful when you’re exploring the world because the Wild West is no longer as lawless as you remember it! One small mistake and you’re going to have law enforcement on your tails (you, and your horse’s!)
Seeing Beauty in Every Graphic!
Let’s now go over the best aspect of the game: the graphics! If you’re not entirely impressed with the story, then you’re going to get lost in the thick forests, snowy mountains, lush wide-open plains, and rustic buildings that make you feel like you’re part of the environment. The folks at Rockstar really did a good job of giving us an open living world where it’s almost as if every piece of grass is rendered. Red Dead Redemption 2’s beauty even goes as deep as the wrinkles on the skin on the characters!
Graphics play a big role in the game’s immersion because a lot of Red Dead Redemption 2 is unscripted. A lot of your adventure, like it was in Grand Theft Auto, would happen off the beaten trail.
Be in the Game, Heart and Soul!
Red Dead Redemption 2’s music is just over an hour. The music itself is very immersive because it makes you feel like you’re in the Wild West or watching a Western movie. Imagine the atmosphere you feel when being out in the sand-filled American frontier. It is brought to life with haunting scores and resonating vocal work with a mix of different instruments that bring you emotionally into the game. Hundreds of musicians and composers played a part in bringing Red Dead Redemption 2’s music to life and it is one of the best aspects of the game next to the graphics!
Final Thoughts
You can’t find a game as pretty as Red Dead Redemption 2. Depending on the screen or platform you’re playing on, you’ll be immersed in beautiful lighting, spectacular sunsets, and harrowings mists. Everywhere you look makes Red Dead Redemption 2 feel like it was made by hand.
If you’re playing on the right PC, it will almost look and feel like you’re watching a movie. It’s a pity that its predecessor, the first Red Dead Redemption, probably won’t make it onto the PC. So, be sure to enjoy the second game as much as you can! This Red Dead Redemption 2 quick review believes this will easily be one of the top games of the decade!
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