It’s been 8 years since the first Red Dead Redemption game came out to critical acclaim. During that time Rockstar had released the amazing Grand Theft Auto 5 which gave us one of the best open world sandbox games ever created. Red Dead Redemption 2 has learnt a lot from that experience and the team have delivered one of the most thought out experiences in video games to date.
The pacing to the story is slowed down considerably allowing you to really involve yourself in the world and all it has to offer. The game is just stunning and you’ll find yourself panning around to get a great look at your environments especially at sunset that almost make you want to get your phone out and take a picture. It does a fantastic job of immersing you in a violent gritty world based in a dark history and making it beautiful.
It’s all in the details with this game. You’ll see blood smears on Arthurs clothes after carrying a hunted animal, there is rust build up on your weapons and if you are watching closely enough in the snow your male horses testicles shrink from the cold. Even the newspapers that you buy on the streets report on your adventures. The world feels at all times like it is continuing to go on even when you are not there.
You will need to bond with your horse to survive, which is an interesting addition to the game. Each Horse feels unique and if they trust you then they’ll be calm enough to ride without kicking you off. You’ll need to brush and feed your mount to build that bond making it the most sophisticated tamagotchi in the world. One of the saddest things in the game is losing your horse. If it dies, there’s no bringing it back, so take good care of it and have the tissues ready for if that moment comes.
It’s a good idea to get the companion app for your phone as well, so you have access to the full map where you can pan and zoom, set waypoints and lot’s of other stuff to help you in your discovery of the world.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the best bang for buck games available right now as well. The main campaign will take you around 50 hours and there’s so much more to explore than that.
It’s so much more than GTA on a horse, it’s an evolved successor in every way; depth of story, graphics and pacing, make this game feel like it should be released on the next generation of consoles, it’s that far above anything else on the market right now.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a 5 out of 5 and my tip for Game of the Year.
