Red Dead Redemption 2 Review

Red Dead Redemption II - Review

Red Dead Redemption II is a western themed RPG that puts you in the shoes of Arthur Morgan who is a member of a posse fleeing from a robbery gone wrong in the city of Blackwater. In an attempt to escape the law, they travel East, but quickly find themselves not only running from the Pinkertons, but enduring brutal winter elements.

The story begins in the snow-covered mountains, where the group is recovering from a failed bank heist, trapped in the mountains for the winter, they had little to no food or medicine and the cold was grueling. After rescuing a woman and enduring the season, they were able to continue their travels to Horseshoe Overlook which was supposed to be the beginning of a fresh start for the gang.

The leader of the group, Dutch, can't let go of his grudges and quickly finds himself dragging the crew back into robbing and killing, unleashing an entire chain of events that would ultimately lead to the demise of several members of the gang, and hundreds of otherwise innocent strangers. At every turn, Dutch would proclaim that they were one move away from accomplishing what they set out to do. Escape the law, establish a camp, and live life free from running, and a chance at following a more honorable path. Yet every time, things would go sideways and everything around them comes crashing down.



Thoughts:

Though the ending (unspoiled) is a tragedy, the story itself was beautifully written and executed. The character development throughout was clearly carefully planned and told so that everything that happened had a connection with the audience. There are deaths that hurt, there are ones that bring relief. There are spontaneous occurrences that happen while simply strolling around on your horse regardless of the time of day. If you stayed on the game in one area and watched your surroundings, you'd almost certainly never see the same thing twice. This means you never know what to expect while playing the game, as any random event could happen at any given time. Incredible ingenuity by the developmental team. The graphics for this game are incredible, with maximum settings there are very few games that can match the quality this game brings.

The map is massive, but includes fast travel so you wouldn't have to endure hours of riding horses to your locations. However, there is a feature for cinematic travel, where you can begin moving your horse and at the press of a button, the screen will switch to Widescreen cinematic view and essentially auto-pilot you all the way to your destination. This allows you to experience all of your surroundings while traveling without the distraction of actually steering. Beyond this, there is also a train that constantly loops around the map, and riding it can take you to most of the main locations. It's a great thing for a game to pay so much attention to details regarding mobility and navigation to make it an enjoyable experience for both patient and impatient people.

All in all, this game in my opinion is one of the best role playing games ever produced, and with the potential for a third part to this franchise, there is only so much more to wonder about what is to come.

Overall Rating:

Graphics: ★★★★★
Gameplay: ★★★★☆
Characters: ★★★★★
Multiplayer: ★★★☆☆
Story: ★★★★★