Red Dead Redemption II
Believe it or not, I do play more than just Nintendo games. One of those is 2018’s Red Dead Redemption II, and I have to say that this is one of the most marvellous, detailed, and surprisingly heart-felt games I have ever played.
The game is a sequel to Red Dead Redemption (no surprise there), but I haven’t played the original. To add to the confusion, RDR II is in fact a prequel, and it takes us on a journey through a fictionalised United States, in the twilight years of the cowboy. You play as Arthur Morgan, and you have a great deal of freedom with many of the character’s choices, as he and the Van der Linde gang seek to find one last big score, to escape their lives as outlaws once and for all.
Like its predecessor, and the Grand Theft Auto games for which studio Rockstar Games is famous for, RDR II doesn’t shy from violence. The dangerous, chaotic nature of the era is brought to the fore, with random ambushes, other gangs, and deadly wildlife all lurking, waiting to take advantage of any given situation. The player can make choices based on these encounters, and these choices can affect Arthur’s honour, in turn impacting how he is received by other characters. There are story missions and side missions, and a variety of mini quests (you can rob trains, take on bounties, and do all sorts of things whenever you choose). There is also running commentary about society, much of which is relevant to today’s world.
The game was the most expensive ever made at the time of its release, and it shows. The graphics, especially on the PS5 version, are as sharp as anything I have ever seen, with dynamic weather, incredibly-detailed character movements, and a physics engine at the top of its game. The sound effects are equally as impressive, leaving you to believe you really are in the Wild West, experiencing everything the era had to offer. In fact, the beauty of RDR II inspired Nintendo in their development of Tears of the Kingdom.
This game makes you want to complete it, not for the sake of beating it, but to conclude the story. The fate of Arthur and the Van der Linde gang became important to me, and I wanted to know what would become of them. I knew certain things had to happen, because I knew this game was a prequel, but even so, there are some poignant moments to overcome.
Will there be a third game in this series? Well, Rockstar Games are busy making Grand Theft Auto VI, and with all their focus being on that game, it seems unlikely we’ll see Red Dead Redemption III any time soon. What I hope for is some acknowledgement of the Red Dead characters in GTA VI, since the games are said to be set within the same universe. Whether the studio makes this obvious, subtle, or doesn’t bother, is as yet a complete unknown. What I do know is that Red Dead Redemption II is a masterpiece.
9/10