An experience unlike any other

Red Dead Redemption 2
PC via Stream

RED DEAD REVOLVER almost never came to light. Angel Studios began working on it at the turn of the millennium, and managed to move it forward enough to be officially announced alongside three other intellectual properties two years later. Despite the support of industry giant Capcom, however, it went on to miss production targets and wound up being canceled not long after. Fortunately, fate intervened, and holding company Take Two Interactive’s acquisition of its erstwhile developer paved the way for its resurrection at the hands of subsidiary Rockstar Games. Under the tutelage of Rockstar San Diego, it lived up to its promise as a spiritual successor to Konami veteran Yoshiki Okamoto’s vertical-scrolling arcade shooter Gun.Smoke on sixth-generation consoles.

The success of Red Dead Revolver laid the groundwork for a sequel. Rockstar Games unveiled a teaser shortly after its release in 2004, signaling the start of a long — and extremely expensive — process that saw fruition six years later. The time proved to be well spent in any case, with Red Dead Redemption becoming a critical and commercial hit that justified a nine-figure outlay. The title, which bore no story ties to the original release, went on to garner industry award after industry award, all the while flying off store shelves and exhibiting rarefied longevity in seventh-generation platforms.

Not surprisingly, work on the next title in the Red Dead series began as soon as Red Dead Redemption hit the ground running. For all the strides Rockstar Games was making with its Western actioner, it resisted the temptation to come up with a quick turnaround. Even as its bottom-line considerations were met by continuing enhancements to the current release (among them Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, an expansion pack with a horror bent), it made sure to underscore the need for quality by parceling out development on the successor to all its assets worldwide, all the while sparing no expense.

To argue that Red Dead Redemption 2 was borne of great expectations would thus be an understatement. It’s certainly one of the most ambitious games currently out on the market, going for, and achieving, stunning realism as presented through both first- and third-person perspectives. Its humongous open map brings about an immersive sandbox experience that makes full use of the capabilities of the Sony PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. And, again, both critics and consumers have spoken. It has gone on to win Game of the Year awards while generating significant revenues; it needed just two weeks to shatter Red Dead Redemption’s lifetime sales figures, and now boasts of a shipment total of close to 30 million copies. And with its version of the wild, wild West just out on the personal computer, the number figures to keep growing.

Unlike previous titles in the Red Dead series, Red Dead Redemption 2 shares a narrative timeline with its immediate past predecessor. Presented as a prequel to Red Dead Redemption, it has gamers taking control of outlaw cowboy Arthur Morgan, the right hand man of gang leader Dutch Van der Linde. After narrowly avoiding agents of the law in Blackwater, a modern town in one of the game’s five fictitious states, members of the group strive to flee their pursuers and plan an escape to greener pastures. To accomplish their objective of retiring from a life of crime, they move to build a nest egg by engaging in robberies (notably of assets belonging to oil baron Leviticus Cornwall), holdups, extortions, and shootouts, all while evading capture by the Pinkertons.

Red Dead Redemption 2 provides tons of action while giving gamers free rein on largely undiscovered country. And the audio-visual engagement is nothing short of outstanding. No sooner has it been booted up than a howling snowstorm erupts, highlighting an urgent need to find shelter. Scant minutes after, a desperate shootout ensues; bullets whistle through the wind as its first taste of combat. A frantic fist-fight then breaks out, leading to a moral choice: Will the vanquished antagonist be allowed to live, or should he be executed in cold blood to best cover tracks? From the engaging opener and up until the very end, it convincingly portrays a world slowly being consumed by greed, excess, and “civilization.” Gone are the simpler times of desperados, replaced by a dog-eat-dog world, where even close friends can turn into bitter enemies for coin.

All throughout, Red Dead Redemption 2 never forgets to have fun. During its story missions, it moves gamers from one set piece to another, as if to cross out a list of the best embodiments of a traditional Western. Among other things, they get to be part of a train heist, to sneak into a bank, to engage in a shootout at a country manor (setting up one of its most iconic moments). At the same time, it supports a surprisingly deep storyline. For all the pains it takes to inject adrenaline into the proceedings, it shows no fear in tackling serious and solemn themes with remarkable introspection. For instance, it unveils Arthur’s personal struggles in the midst of Dutch’s seeming rejection of the inevitable tides of change and the gang’s increasing willingness to engage in violence.

Meanwhile, there’s Red Dead Redemption 2’s open world to consider. Within five large, unique areas representing Western, Midwestern, and Southern states, gamers are free to do as they please in interactive fashion. They can take up bounty hunting and bring in criminals to the local sheriffs, or lie in wait for game to earn extra money, or scavenge for food and materials to upgrade their camp and satchel. They can shop for clothes, or stay in a hotel and take a bath, or simply mosey along in furtherance of Western stereotypes. And, yes, just about everything is presented flawlessly by the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (note the acronym). Just about.

As good as Red Dead Redemption 2 may be, minor issues do spring up. Notably, while the sandbox experience allows gamers to explore the open world in pretty much any manner they see fit, the story missions require an almost precise degree of linearity. While they remain enjoyable all the same, they feel like on-rail segments that take away a large degree of freedom otherwise on offer. Straying too far off the set path will lead to an automatic return to the last checkpoint — not normally a problem for most titles, but, in its case, shining the spotlight on the huge disconnect among its primary gameplay options.

The general clunkiness of some of Red Dead Redemption 2’s mechanics can also hamper the experience of gamers unprepared for their manifestation. Those so inclined may term these mechanics immersive, while the more critical would instead deem them intrusive. For example, hunger and thirst come into play and introduce some light roleplay elements. On the flipside, they don’t add any meaningful depth; on the gaming monitor, they’re simply bars that need to be watched over, lest the principal character be penalized with reduced health regeneration and slower stamina recovery rates. Parenthetically, it employs extra animations that can wear out their welcome. Everything — from eating food to looting a body to examining a storage chest — is styled and stylized, initially eliciting wonder but subsequently giving off a been there, done that vibe.

Most crucially, Red Dead Redemption 2’s mileage may vary depending on PC specifications. Dedicated desktop and laptop rigs will run it well and, perhaps, exhibit minor stuttering during more chaotic sequences, but less-powerful setups have been documented to encounter issues that prevent it from running smoothly. Creditably, Rockstar Games has taken steps to address technical concerns, issuing patches designed to enable gamers to focus on the quality and depth of the gameplay. As an aside, the robust community continually comes up with practical and customized fixes to help others overcome unique hurdles.

On the whole, Red Dead Redemption 2 merits an easy recommend, especially for those with a lot of time to spare, not to mention hardware advanced enough to run it on its best settings. Its layered plot and sheer scale may wear down gamers, but it nonetheless offers an experience unlike any other as one of the best titles ever to come out on any platform.

THE GOOD:

• Gripping, well-written storyline

• Engaging gunplay combined with a large sandbox experience

• Tons of content on offer

THE BAD:

• Linear missions

• Can get very tedious at times

• Hit-or-miss performance depending on hardware strength

RATING: 9.5/10

POSTSCRIPT: Rimelands: Hammer of Thor is a faithful recreation of a nine-year-old role-playing game that first saw light on the iOS platform. Kyy Games does an outstanding job porting it over to the Nintendo Switch, and the hybrid console, as has been the case for most independent releases originally conceived for mobile devices, exhibits the updated version with aplomb. It’s certainly the definitive iteration, presenting enhanced, if dated three-dimensional visuals along with a superb sound mix — more than justifying the $9.99 price tag, double that of its original format.

As could be expected from Rimelands: Hammer of Thor’s mobile origins, the narrative — which has the principal protagonist stopping quarters bent on breaking an uneasy truce between two races sharing the world’s surface — is light on the exposition. Gamers take on the role of youthful Rose Cristo, armed with a passion for adventure. She willingly explores vaults/dungeons at the behest of her grandmother who raised her following the death of her parents, but soon finds her aim to uncover the truth behind her heritage meshing with the need to avert war.

Likewise, Rimelands: Hammer of Thor puts forth simple gameplay mechanics. It employs a turn-based combat system reliant on dice rolls to direct movement and determine success or failure of attacks and blocks. That said, a good degree of customization is on offer; skill sets and abilities are developed based on the chosen character type, while equipment and crafting components can be collected from exploration ventures. Proper management of battle gear can be especially useful in claiming additional dice to roll more skulls (for offense) and shields (for defense).

All told, Rimelands: Hammer of Thor should be good for some eight to 10 hours of play on the go. Post-completion choices are present, but figure to hold appeal only to completionists. In any case, it’s a boon to the library of gamers partial to tabletop offerings. (7.5/10)

THE LAST WORD: Nippon Ichi Software America has announced the release of the localized iterations of Langrisser I & II on the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The compilation of the two classic strategy role-playing games will be retailing in North America on March 10, 2020, in Europe on March 13, 2020, and in Australia and New Zealand on March 20, 2020. A trailer has been made available to highlight pluses to the updated versions, which include English voice tracks, a remastered art style, and, seemingly, a new character.

Currently on preorder for $79.99 at the NISA Online Store, the Limited Editions of Langrisser I & II for the Switch and PS4 contain a visual book, separate two- and three-CD soundtracks, and art cards housed in a collector’s box.