It’s hard to describe Red Dead Redemption, especially when so many other reviewers have done so, some to a better extent than others. Why is it hard? Well, it’s tough to describe something that perfectly captures the essence and feel of a location without babbling on like an annoying, slide-show wielding relative returning from a holiday.
Rockstar San Diego have taken little details from every Western you can ever think of. The tumble weed rolling across the barren cactus covered plain, the vultures circling overhead as you loot the corpses of the bandits who misjudged you, even the eyes watching you as you push open the tavern doors; the old man playing tunes on the piano while the girls amble over to you, asking if you want a “good time”.
This is a game where I took time out from my adventure to ride up to a vantage point and watch a sunrise. And it was amazing.
There is more to Red Dead than sight seeing, though. It also has a great story with some of the best characters in recent years. You play as John Marston, an old fashioned ex-bandit living in a dying world. Industry is creeping in, automobiles are becoming popular and the Government is making changes that no one seems to like. Through means that are out of your hands, you’re forced to track down some old friends; bandits who betrayed you and left you for dead.
This journey will take you from open plains to bleak deserts, stunning vistas and snow covered mountains. Most importantly, it does this without feeling too contrived. You step from one location to the other with the belief that you have travelled a great distance. This is aided by two things, two very clever additions that add so much to that aforementioned feeling: the wildlife and the weather.
Red Dead boasts 34 different animal species, all wandering freely around the environment. From cattle, dogs and pigs to wolves, boars and bloody great bears – your first encounter will be special. What they do is create something that feels truly dynamic, made even more so by the weather. In other sandbox games, weather just happens, sun turns to rain and back again with no real graduation. In Red Dead however, storms build up and move across the plains – at one point the storm passed over from where I was and then I caught up with it again on my travels – and the sun lazily creeps along the desert in the morning.
Of course with all these animals and all this land Rockstar are going to find ways to make you use it. And kill it. Besides the main story there are many different quests that will have you hunting and skinning the local wildlife and traipsing round every corner of the map picking flowers and herbs. It does sound mundane, I know. But in doing these missions – as well as the bounty hunting, treasure hunting and marksman challenges – you get to see so much of the land.
These missions do make you repeat your footsteps, and even though there are quick travel options I rarely used them, instead loving to gallop along the dusty trails. The journeys are far from uneventful as they are filled with unique events. Well, unique until you’ve seen them all. They can stem from chasing down horse thieves to rescuing damsels in distress. And if you don’t want to do them then just ride on by, leaving the poor sods to their fates.
Yet it’s only when you put the pad down and watch the world around you that you begin to see how much life there is in the game. For example, I was waiting for the new Wanted poster to spawn in front of me in traditional gaming fashion, but when the sheriff walked across the street and unfolded the poster, carefully placing it on the wall before pulling out a hammer and a nail and actually putting the thing up himself, I was blown away.
Red Dead does things like this on numerous occasions. Just throwing in little details that help ease you into the world and forget that you’re actually playing a game. The music also goes a way creating a compelling world, adding fear to bear hunts and excitement to Mexican stand-offs.
The weapons all feel great, with the tell tale revolvers and rifles to the more extravagant sniper rifles. Combat uses a simple cover system that can be a little clunky to leave, but the exhilaration you get when your rattling shots off at a bandit across a valley, both ducking away behind your rocks, is fantastic. The combat rarely pushes you with the majority of the fighting being relatively easy, it’s the options at your disposal which go a long way to making firefights feel special.
You can pick people off with your rifle from afar, moving from tree to tree, before rushing the stragglers with your revolver. Or you can charge in with your shotgun, emptying both barrels into anything that moves. And most importantly, you can gallop in on your horse, getting involved in exciting chases and escapes. The horse controls very well, easily being the best representation in videogames. It can be a little sluggish on tight corners but what do you expect, it’s a horse.
If you want to be truly sadistic you can use the expert targeting mode, a wild west variation of bullet time, and knee cap a bandits horse, sending him tumbling over the dying animals neck and leaving him free for an easy kill – or maybe you can hogtie him with your lasso and drag him off to justice.
There is just so much to see and do in Red Dead Redemption. I spent close to 40 hours gaining the 100% completion achievement but there are still things I have not experienced. Even when I have found every little easter egg and got that last tedious achievement I still think I will be playing it. It’s just that special.
VideogameUK verdict: 10/10
