We have been waiting for it for years and finally the moment has come, like a duel at noon, long awaited and feared at the same time, a moment that can change a person's life, and in this case the existence of video games themselves: Red Dead Redemption 2 has finally come to us.
The epic deeds described by the new title of Rockstar, in a Wild West now at the end of its freest and outlaw era, towards a more civilized and "modern" world, we are enchanted hour after hour of play. Let's try to tell you why in this review.
Red Dead Redemption 2: l’essenza del Western
If we were to describe Red Dead Redemption 2 with an adjective this would be "immersive". After a first session that introduces us to the main mechanics of the title, we find ourselves in a huge and alive world, of which we are an integral part, without however being the invincible protagonist around which everything revolves.
Although our character is already predefined by the plot, it will be up to us to decide every little nuance of his character based on the behavior held with the other characters, our attitudes in every situation of both danger and calm and so on. Red Dead Redemption 2 really allows us to live our character and not only through dialogue choices that change history or reputation, but really in every small daily gesture of everyday life. We can decide to be ignorant rude people who have not washed for days, with an unkempt beard and a tendency to get nervous and beat the first one who looks at us badly, or to become outlaws of honor, elegant and composed in every situation, who only use violence. when necessary. Such a level of immersion in the world of play has never been seen before and after a few hours of play we felt sucked into the Old West, as if we were living in a marathon of the best films of the genre with all their nuances and their clichés.
Another really important and innovative thing is the behavior of NPCs, no longer simple soulless puppets put around to make color, but this time really inserted into the game environment thanks to the possibility of interacting with them in different ways, from the kindest to the most violent. Each of our actions will have consequences and all those we meet, and who have heard of us, will behave accordingly, based on our previous actions. If we are used to causing fights, people will avoid us, or, if we are too violent, bounty hunters and people will come who want to do themselves justice by eliminating us: the possibilities appear truly endless and we can't wait to analyze this even more in depth. aspect of the game.
Usually the open worlds offer many secondary activities that distract attention from the main story, causing you to end up randomly wandering around the map, taking care of something else than what you should be doing. It doesn't matter if the world is about to end, there will always be time to find an old lady's hens lost in the woods.
In Red Dead Redemption 2 this concept is expanded beyond belief and you will not be able to make the road that takes you from one point to another without running into bandits who want to rob you, poor men who need a hand for the most varied reasons. and ferocious animals that lurk you. The world is alive and even the importance of the main quest does not give that sense of breaking the narrative continuity, if you decide to stop and explore a certain area. There are so many things to do that we would not be able to list them all: discovering them on your own will give you much more satisfaction, because every hour spent in the Rockstar western will lead us to discover something new, revealing a truly enviable variety.
Also the main story shines for its narrative. Currently we cannot evaluate it in its entirety, but what we have seen so far shows us a truly accurate and profound structure, with dialogues that frame an era that is changing, highlighting the desperate attempt to resist the inevitable mutations. The Dutch gang, of which our Arthur Morgan is a part, is made up of the most disparate characters, between typical western movie clichés that have every right to be there and really well-built and charismatic characters, starting right from our boss and mentor Dutch van der Linde, which on this occasion we learn to know more deeply than in the first chapter, following his philosophy of life. Currently, therefore, the plot is thrilling us a lot and we can't wait to get to the epilogue to understand how Arthur's story will evolve.
The fastest gun in the West
The shootings obviously cannot be missing in a title set in the lawless lands of America at the end of the 800th century, and our Arthur knows how to use any type of weapon well, from revolvers to shotguns, up to knives and fists. The third person combat system it is perhaps the most classic part of the production: we will have to move from one cover to another and aim precisely, possibly at the head, to quickly eliminate the enemies. These too will tend to cover up and not charge us into suicide attacks, but they will put a minimum of strategy in dealing with us. The guns are numerous and varied, although using a six-shot pistol to take out a large group of enemies always has its charm, a charm that only fans of Clint Eastwood will be able to grasp. The Dead Eye, the system that allows us to slow down time and aim accurately at enemies, distributing our shots on the unfortunates, who will be riddled with bullets as soon as the slowing phase ends. The shootings are therefore very satisfying and fun, fully recovering the essence of lethal duels from a western film.
Also the horse system it's a great addition. Our steed will play an important role in the game and taking care of him will be essential so that he is as efficient as possible in dangerous situations. The bond that will be created will be stronger and stronger with the progress of the game, so much so that, in our case, it was difficult for us to part with a steed that has accompanied us for a long time to choose another one with better statistics. Obviously these can also be improved by using your horse more and more, which will grow in parallel with the events that you will experience within the title, no longer being considered simply as a means of transport.
From the point of view technical, Red Dead Redemption 2 is certainly the high point of this videogame generation when it comes to open worlds. The graphic detail is something incredible with natural postcard settings. Cities are alive and full of detail and color, making the game world alive and pulsating. The animations are also beautifully done, with regards to both the main characters and the animals. The whole thing has a granite frame rate, without slowing down to 30 fps for a manual job.
La colonna sonora heard so far is incredibly suggestive, with pieces that seem to come out of a composition by Sergio Leone placed to underline the most important passages of a scene or the ferocious shootings that we will find ourselves experiencing in the game. The whole has a dubbing exclusively in English, well acted, obviously with Italian subtitles.
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Conclusions
Our journey to the Wild West of Red Dead Redemption 2 is still far from the end, but what we have seen so far has us left speechless. The care for every smallest detail implemented by Rockstar is manic, and the desire to innovate the open world genre, now too closed on some abused systems, is felt in every part of the gameplay. For the moment we can tell you that Red Dead Redemption 2 is definitely a title to be experienced firsthand, if only to understand how much the world of video games can go further, but to the final judgment unfortunately we will have to make you wait a little longer. In the meantime, let's get back on our horse to experience other epic adventures in the Wild West.
