Good time of the day to all my fans and subscribers! This week Red Dead Redemption 2 managed to get to the Stem’s top ten most popular games once again, and I think it’s a great time to talk about this open-world western masterpiece once again. Not a long time ago, I finally managed to finish the story of the game. Now I’m finally ready to deliver a substantial review where I would like to talk about gameplay, concept, the most peculiar features, and, of course, the game’s high aesthetic values. The current blog will feature no (or almost no) spoilers, so if you haven’t played the game yet, you can still enjoy this review without any apprehension.
RDR2: Precursors, Influences, and Other Open-World Games
From the very beginning, I would like to start with some other games that may have influenced the RDR series or can be compared to them to describe all the peculiarities and features of its gameplay.
Of course, the first game that comes to mind when we talk about the RDR series is the 2005 Gun developed by Neversoft Entertainment. At that time, this company was mostly known for its Tony Pro Skater series, which brought them the lion’s annual income share.
The 2005 GTA-type open-world game called Gun was a pretty unexpected turn in the developer’s style and direction. However, the game was increasingly successful and highly praised for its gameplay, story, and design. It was strange enough that the developer never actually planned to develop the sequel to Gun, and this precious concept of a Western-themed GTA game was practically abandoned for many years.
The other game that comes to mind when I think about RDR2 gameplay is the latest Elder Scrolls installment. Actually, if you have played this game, you would probably agree that both games have much in common. Each game is an ambitious multi-million project that features an enormous open world. Both feature many RPG elements and a character development system. At the same time, the mechanics of the worlds are also pretty alike.
Nevertheless, the 7-year gap between those releases becomes very evident when we start paying attention to details. All model animation flaws that were among the biggest weaknesses of Skyrim world are no longer a concern for RDR2 players who can experience an over-realistic, highly interactive gameplay that gives the player many unique options within both missions and free roaming.
Also, it’s almost impossible not to compare RDR2 to the latest GTA game released three years prior. I won’t probably be the first one to suggest that this time RDR really grabbed the biggest piece of the pie leaving much less to its elder brother. The prize for the finest story and dialog goes to RDR2 this time, which feels fresh, witty, and entertaining even though you can always feel a signature Rockstar style, humor, and hooks in most of the heroes’ lines.
RDR2: The Place Where The Open World Ends
For now, RDR2 is the place where the open world ends because it is arguably the greatest and the most expensive game of this kind right now. The open-world mechanics that became so popular these days has its own indisputable advantages and noticeable disadvantages. Luckily, in RDR2, the open world features such a variety of NPC behaviors that they won’t start to annoy you even when you manage to finish the story and all the side quests. This obsessive, detail-faithful strategy of Rockstar developers is really worth the effort in the end.
At the same time, RDR2 is still mostly an action rather than an RPG. Its gameplay can easily turn into a blasting Rambo-style Western if you are the player who cares a little bit less about side quests, character development, and world exploration. RDR 2 gameplay is strongly fueled by accidental skirmishes with freely-roaming NPC gang members, typical micro-quests, and, of course, the abundance of the RDR2 wildlife with which you can interact in many different ways.
Finally, let’s talk about RDR2 aesthetics and design, one of the game’s strongest points. You probably heard the stories of prankers that supplied official media with RDR2 screenshots claiming that they are the actual photographs of American nature. And if you haven’t, you may be surprised to know that many of those pranks were actually successful because the RDR2 graphics are really that good.
But it’s not only graphics and animation that we have talked about; the essential role is also played by the sounds that were all recorded especially for the game. The soundtrack of the game features melancholy melodies mostly recorded on an acoustic guitar, which gives the whole gameplay a unique cinematic feel making the open-world roaming even more enchanting and atmospheric.
