Read Dead Redemption II is in essence a high quality TV-show set in 1898 turned into a game. The game is incredible at reproducing the setting through visual and audio excellence while also having some of the best linear narration you will find in gaming. The game has an attention to detail that is extreme while also having a very large scope. The amount of money, effort and time that has been put into this game is very visible from the presentation alone. The writing and voice acting of its characters are all of a very high quality, and is one of the best aspects of the game. If you want a linear narrative driven game with a fantastic presentation Red Dead Redemption II delivers close to perfection, provided you do not mind the “show-stoppers” that can ruin the experience.
The game’s gameplay leaves a significant amount to be desired. It is functional for the purpose of telling the narrative the game wants to tell, but that is really it. You spend far too much time shooting when the shooting experience is not great, it gets repetitive and dull quite quickly. Every single gameplay element, including the shooting exists first and foremost to support the narrative. While the gameplay is not awful it is not good when separated from the narrative and presentation. It is frequently clunky, slow, tedious and repetitive. The game is set-up in such a way that if you enjoy the gameplay it heightens the narrative even further. If you manage to enjoy the gameplay I recon that Red Dead Redemption II will be one of your favorite games of all time.
In addition to the gameplay there are a couple of other “show-stoppers” that might push you away from the game. The primary of these is that the game is very slow at doing things. This is not necessarily a flaw as more time helps to immerse yourself more in the world and narrative. However the game uses a lot of slow sections where you ride between towns and locations; very frequently you will have a conversation while riding, but a lot of time is also spent moving between locations alone. The game is very slow, and you need to be okay with that.
I want to be very clear that while the narrative is very good, it is also incredible linear even though it is set in an open world. The game does not deal well with player agency, the game does not deal well with any deviation from the planned path. Everything in the game happens at the game’s premises, and not the player’s. Stealth sections are for example laughably bad and does create a significant dissonance due to the narrative and the gameplay telling two different stories. Luckily this dissonance is not that big of an issue, and does not occur all of the time, but you will notice it if you care about gameplay.
The game is very good from a narration and presentation perspective, and it is rare for a game’s story to impact me as much as Red Dead Redemption II did. The combination of quality of writing, character performances, world building and scope makes this game quite unique. I heavily recommend playing through it if you can stand a slow pacing and medicore gameplay.
The design of Red Dead Redemption (spoilers) can be read here.
| Playtime | 55 hours to complete the story and epilogue |
| Game release date | 24 September 2021 |
| Review release date | 25 October 2024 |
| Light sensitivity | No issues |
| Sound sensitivity | No issues |
| Motion sickness | Minor issues with horse riding for a long time |
| Steam | Metacritic – Metascore (93) |