No small detail is overlooked. It is the collection of countless minor details that makes _ Red Dead Redemption 2 _ so captivating. It is unbelievably satisfying watching horses trudge through miles of deep snow en route to a mission, only to find the same player-made snow trail upon returning to the mission’s point of origin. Throw a corpse into the river, and the body will continue on until it gets stuck, or flows into a lake at the mouth of the river. And last, but not least: hats. Hats easily fly off in the heat of a shootout or during a bar fight, but any hat can be picked up and worn by Arthur. Collecting hats across the western frontier might be one of the most satisfying, unofficial mini-games within _ Red Dead Redemption 2 _ . In fact, as of this writing, the topic of hats was actually trending for the game on Twitt
Red Dead Redemption 2 ‘s scope when it comes to depth and detail aren’t just apparent in its Open World games Story guide and storytelling but also in its gameplay, as the game delivers just as much in action and combat as it does in bringing players a sense of place and immersion. Expanding on many of the systems that we saw from Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto V , Red Dead Redemption 2 ‘s combat expertly delivers the kind of spectacle that its Western setting provides. Throughout the game, players will engage in a variety of missions alongside the rest of the Van der Linde gang ranging from bank heists to train robberies and more, and while I don’t want to spoil any of the surprises in store at all, it’s easy to say that Red Dead Redemption 2 features some of the most thrilling action sequences and set-pieces that I’ve ever experienced in a game; they’re moments that truly make the game feel like a classic Western come to life.
These moments, as small and inconsequential as they may seem compared to the larger story being told, were really what made Red Dead Redemption 2 ‘s world and setting feel unlike anything that I’ve played before. As a game that’s been worked on by Rockstar for nearly 7-8 years — basically since the release of Red Dead Redemption in 2010 — the time and attention to detail put into its world and setting by the studio are on an unprecedented level. With the force of all of Rockstar’s teams behind it from around the world, the studio has called it their most “ambitious” project leading up to its release, and that might just be underselling it. Based on what I’ve played from the game so far, the level of interactivity, mechanics, and systems available to players make Red Dead Redemption 2 as close as we can get to the living, breathing Western world that Rockstar is aiming to deliver, and I can’t wait to explore more of it.
Throughout these two hours with Red Dead Redemption 2 , we certainly got many questions answered about what is arguably the most anticipated game of the year. The story, action, and spectacle that we saw from the game (so far) shows that Rockstar Games is firing on all cylinders to deliver what I’m already confident to say is going to be an unforgettable experience, combined with its world that is full of detail and immersion. The degree to which Rockstar is crafting the world of Red Dead Redemption 2 to its full potential is simply incredible, and I can’t wait to see what more that it has to offer. Thankfully, there’s just a few more weeks left until we can all ride out West and discover it for ourselves.
In the story sections that we played of Red Dead Redemption 2 , it’s already clear that Arthur’s relationships with the members of the Van der Linde gang will play a crucial role across the whole game, on larger and more personal levels. Right at the beginning of the demo, those relationships came into play as Arthur and the gang were preparing to rob a train under the ownership of the oil tycoon Leviticus Cornwall, which started with Arthur assisting Bill Williamson to blow up the train tracks and derail the car. Naturally, after that plan went awry, Arthur and several other members of the gang instead raced to the top of the nearby mountain path to hop on top of the train. In the midst of the action, we saw that Arthur can issue commands to the fellow gang members as they pushed towards the conductor car, making the action feel that much more involved when executing the heist alongside his other fellow gang members.
From what’s been shown of the story so far, Red Dead Redemption 2 will take place over a decade prior to the events of Red Dead Redemption ; where John Marston’s story chronicled the imminent “end of the Wild West,” Arthur Morgan’s story follows the Van der Linde gang at the height of their notoriety, and is the so-called “beginning of the end” for this volatile period in the American West, according to Rockstar. While playing as Morgan, his role in the game will be to guide the gang through their journey across the West and evading the law on their tail, while also helping the gang set up camp across various locations, and aiding them to gather food and other supplies to maintain morale.