“What's on offer here is one of the most refined and articulated examples of the art form that I know of."
PC | PS5 | SWITCH | XBOX SERIES |
HOW I PLAYED: I played on PS5 with a physical a physical copy of the PS4 remaster
STORY — 20/20
INTRO
I've only ever got this feeling a handful - less than a handful of times - in all my years of gaming. Like a tingling sixth sense - "nerd chills" as Artosis famously refers to them. The impression that you're about to experience something truly epic. Right from the opening cutscene I was getting these vibes.
A simple train ride with dialogue and credits is all it took. Very little is told to you during this time; only some suggestions and the rest you piece together as the game unfolds. I don't really know why but it was kind of mesmerizing.
CUTSCENES
To sum it up: the cutscenes are phenomenal. I've seen Blockbuster movies with worse acting. The characters are so well written. This might be the single best example of casting, voice acting and directing I've even seen in a game. Everyone matches their character flawlessly. The cutscenes can be lengthy at times but they were never ever dull.
WORLD BUILDING
The game takes place during the decline of the American frontier in the year 1911. A staggering amount of effort went into building this world and enriching it with activities, NPCs and environments that portray this era. Side quests don't just sent you out on meaningless errands - they add to the lore and bring value to the world. Nothing feels like it was left to chance. When you grow tired of tracking down criminals to shoot you can play cards games, arm wrestle or go to the cinema just to name a few. The towns are full of detail and NPCs behave with a personality.
OVERALL STORY
While I do wish that the setup to plot had been explained a bit better; what unfolded over the next 16 hours or so what nothing short of incredible. What really struck me most of all goes back to the characters I met along the way. They were remarkable and so entertaining.
Like in pretty much every RockStar game you start off with basically nothing and slowly create your empire. The revenge, the betrayal, the irony, it's all here in spades.
GRAPHICS — 20/20
CHARACTER MODELS
Characters are expressive and vividly detailed. Sweat stained shirts, bad teeth, cracked lips and filthy hands are on full display in this grimy western.
ENVIRONMENTS
You'll spend a majority of the time in desert settings that are rich with cactuses and aloe vera plants. Mountain ranges and sandstone formations frame the landscape and are simply gorgeous. Forested areas, swamps and snowy cliffs all play a role in the masterfully crafted game world.
SPECIAL FX
If you move the camera towards the sky in a storm, raindrops fall on the screen. I don't know why but this made me so happy; puddles will form on the ground shortly after as well. Blood splatters on the screen when you skin an animal. There were so really cool FX.
ANIMATIONS
Everyone in the game moves and behaves with so much personality; their body language tells a story all on its own.
AUDIO — 20/20
AMBIENCE
Sometimes you just hear insects and birds chirping, but the lack of any noise actually works so well. You might hear some argument in spanish in the distance or a drunken NPC stumble out of a bar or fight with a prostitute. Giving the game a chance to breathe like this actually creates the atmosphere as opposed to attempting to fill it with music constantly.
BOSS MUSIC
The games don't exactly have bosses but there are missions that carry more weight and end chapters for example. I always felt like the music fit the action even if it was subtle - it created a vibe and the experience is what matters not how loud and epic the score tries to be.
SOUND DESIGN
You can hear the leather rub together when you mount a horse. All the weapons go off with a powerful bang. Navigating the menus and confirming choices is satisfying. I really, really liked the sound design.
VARIETY
The moment you cross a bridge into Mexico the sounds change - much like entering a new area in Elden Ring for example. They're mostly just sound as opposed to full-fledged productions. But they create the vibe so well. At the beginning of each chapters there's a full on song with lyrics that plays and these were so perfectly matched with the mood of the game.
GAMEPLAY — 38/40
CONTROLS
The various weapons you'll use throughout the game are awesome to control and complimented by an auto-lock mechanic which will snap to the nearest enemy. This makes taking out multiple foes on screen at once quick and efficient. You'll also control stationary guns on turrets which are very fluid and intuitive.
You'll spend a great deal of time on horseback which is really dialed in and fell well tested and polished.
The one gripe I have with the controls is actually controlling John Marston himself. Its not quite as bad as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order , but keeping in mind that Souls games exists; its not great either. The camera is fine, but its the responsiveness of moving around that is clumsy and a tad frustrating.
MECHANICS
There's so much to do in Red Dead Redemption and its all really well thought out and executed.
The defining mechanic of the game is "Dead Eye" which will let you slow down time and lock onto enemies. The screen will temporarily go yellow and little red X marks will appear where you chose to lock-in your shots. This was so damn fun and grows in complexity as the game progresses, allowing you to increase the amount of targets you can engage.
Your actions in the game are tracked through a set of mechanics called Fame and Honour. Completing missions will increase these as the game progresses but you can also alter them in various ways.
Unlike honour, fame cannot go down; it can only go up. Killing innocent people or cracking a safe will lower your honour while defending a stagecoach from bandits or completing a hideout side mission will raise it.
Helping strangers, finishing jobs and winning duels will raise your fame.
Both mechanics will also affect how NPCs interact with you.
PACING
You essentially dictate the pace of the game yourself. Missions are offered to you and are marked on your map but you can essentially go anywhere and do anything you like at any time.
The game's actual storyline was captivating and full of memorable moments, and of course incredible characters.
UI/UE
At first I was a little sceptical of the games menus but they grew on me and I ended up admiring how they aim to honour the games period and rugged aesthetic.
The UI is really clean and I loved how free it was of unnecessary information; letting me appreciate the scenery.
BOSS QUALITY (MISSION QUALITY)
John Marston is essentially a gun for hire so a huge chunk of the missions just involve you going to a location and taking someone out. However, some of them are escort missions, others involve and race on horseback or horse-drawn carriage. While the variety wasn't massive, the execution was always flawless and kept me entertained.
ENEMY VARIETY
You'll essentially be fighting against enemies on foot and enemies on horseback. Most of them will shoot at you with guns but some carry dynamite or other flammable projectiles. Enemies range from various types of outlaws to soldiers and gang members strapped with bullets.
I can't really fault the game for having a shallow pool of enemy variety because they have to fit within the lore and the world - were not in Hyrule here or Ivalice here - these are human beings. This was also never a quality that I felt was missing in the game and certainly didn't hinder the overall experience.
Out in the wild its a bit of a different story. There are all kind of animals and creatures that wander around and if you get too close will charge in your direction. They ranged in size and movement speeds from wolves and wild boars to Grizzly bears.
GAMEPLAY VARIETY
I mentioned the mini-games a little bit ago but beyond this there's also a foraging mechanic which involves picking wild herbs and plants. You can shoot birds out of the sky to increase your rank as a sharpshooter and sell a huge variety of loot at shops. There was never a dull moment.
REPLAYABILITY
With the ability to play with the Fame and Honour mechanics to alter the world around you, all the side quests to partake in, property's to purchase, hunting and foraging, the immensely rich world is sure to keep you entertained for multiple playthroughs that unfold in different ways.
OVERALL — 98/100
INCREDIBLE
Red Dead Redemption As much as I'd heard about this game over the years; being called everything from a masterpiece to a classic, it actually managed to exceed my expectations. Even though I had no interest in anything to do with westerns and the whole sub-culture that goes with it, I found myself invested and carrying about the game's characters and it's story. Who is this game for? Anyone. I visited my parents recently and my mom learned how to ride a horse on the same day she learned how to hold a controller. My wife spent hours just watching and admiring the scenery. And for gamers - what's on offer here is one of the most refined and articulated examples of the art form that I know of.
PROS
✅ Captivating story and characters
✅ Immense gameplay variety
✅ Incredible sound design and visuals
✅ Mechanics and gameplay are superb
CONS
❌ Movement could be tighter
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TLDR: 98/100 (INCREDIBLE) Red Dead Redemption is the pinnacle of video game artistry, delivering an unforgettable experience through its captivating story, richly developed characters, and meticulously crafted world set in the fading days of the American frontier. From the opening train ride to the final mission, the storytelling is immersive, enhanced by phenomenal cutscenes, top-tier voice acting, and a world teeming with life, personality, and purposeful detail. The visuals impress with gritty realism, from weather effects to character expressions, while the audio—from ambient soundscapes to impactful music cues—deepens the atmosphere. Gameplay is robust, featuring diverse missions, fluid controls (with minor character movement gripes), and rewarding mechanics like Dead Eye, Fame, and Honour. With near-perfect scores in story, graphics, and audio, and only minor flaws, the reviewer concludes that the game not only lives up to its legendary reputation but exceeds it, appealing to gamers and non-gamers alike as one of the most refined examples of the medium.
PICK UP (RED DEAD REDEMPTION) HERE:
PlayStation: https://a.co/d/0zpKV5T
Xbox: https://www.xbox.com/en-CA/games/store/red-dead-redemption/BWKLFHWT7DHC
PC: https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/2668510/
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