I finally finished the main story of Red Dead Redemption II, and so now, I can finally post my thoughts about the game. Red Dead Redemption II was a fantastic experience, and ranks among my favourite games published by Rockstar, including the first Red Dead Redemption game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and Grand Theft Auto IV. I will try my best to avoid mentioning any spoilers, as I am making this a spoiler-free review.
The best thing that Rockstar created for RDRII better than any other video game is their creation of musical scores. In particular, Rockstar has masterfully paired musical scores with certain instances and situations in the story and the missions you play. These musical pieces are nowhere near as memorable as the compositions from video games such as Mario, Zelda, or Final Fantasy, but each musical piece felt individually crafted for each part of every mission in the game. This is outstanding attention to detail. With the game being set in the fading embers of the Wild West, to make solitary musical pieces that not only had to fit the missions, but also had to fit within the context of the setting of the game is a monumental achievement, and greatly enhanced the gaming experience.
I enjoyed the in-game ecosystem of random characters and events throughout the area. Every interaction I had with a minor character and every minor event I have witnessed felt memorable, and made the game have a bustling, thriving community, which contributes to the freshness of the game. Actions that you take with a random character or event either can positively or negatively affect you later in the game. I will give you an example. Early in the game, I was riding on my horse down a dirt path; until I came across an afflicted man who was suffering from a snakebite and needed medical attention, so I gave him some medicine, (there was also the option to suck out the venom, which I did not choose). He felt better, offered his thanks, and went on his way. I did not think anything of this event until I rode into town the next day. The gentleman, sitting in the front of the gun store, calls out to me and tells me that I can buy anything from the gun store, as his way of saying thank you for saving him. The moment wowed me, and of course, I went to buy a rifle at his expense. I appreciated the game more because of moments like these.
I also enjoyed the gorgeous landscape of the area in this game. I would ride up to the top of a plateau or mountain, and just take in how far the land stretches past what the eye can see. It was breathtaking. The main story was also well crafted (if not slightly wacky), although I preferred the story from the first RDR game. The best thing about the story was character development, and in particular, the relationship building and dialogue between everyone in your camp.
I did have some criticisms about the game. The controls felt somewhat clunky, especially when you pull up your weapon/resource wheel and you had to do things like switch your weapon, eat some food to gain health, or conceal yourself so no one could identify you when committing crimes. The missions themselves were great at the start, but later in the game, they started to get repetitive because of the cookie-cutter structuring of the missions, as well as the shooting mechanics. The majority of the missions involved you riding somewhere to a certain place, shooting a bunch of outlaws, and as you ride away on your horse, more outlaws come riding on their horses trying to chase you, and so you have to shoot them as well. The aim assist mechanic made the shooting a little too easy, but I would imagine having the aim assist off would make the game quite difficult.
Overall, Red Dead Redemption II is a near-perfect masterpiece for a publisher that specializes in creating the best video games money can buy. It is beautiful, witty, and emotionally stirring, all wrapped up in two discs. It is an obvious recommendation from me to buy this game and experience the splendor that it has to offer.
Incredible post.
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