Review
Introduction
I’m not going to lie; I never really thought I would like Red Dead Redemption II. Other than my lack of enthusiasm for westerns, I couldn’t see myself as invested in the game as I had been with Rockstar’s previous one, Grand Theft Auto V. I had played the original Red Dead Redemption with my dad growing up, and while it was a good game, it was never my favourite, so I wasn’t in much of a rush to play the game’s prequel. However, back when the first COVID lockdowns began what feels like a lifetime ago, I found myself with lots of free time to play some games I had overlooked. Many years later, I still consider Red Dead Redemption II (RDR2) to be the best video game story of all time. So here is my spoiler-filled review of this fantastic game.
Gameplay
Oh boy, did me and this game get off to a rough start. The game begins slowly, slapping your character in the middle of a blizzard surrounded by your cowboy buddies on a mission doing who knows what. This continues for some time as you’re informed, through what feels like endless dialogue, that you are a member of the Van Der Linde gang and that you all are currently on the run after a robbery gone terribly wrong.
Finally, after a few tedious and boring missions, the gang heads down to some warmer territory, and your character is given the freedom to explore the massive world. I was convinced I would not like the game by this point, but I held out a bit longer despite the slow start (and the character’s even slower walking speed). What finally won me over was when I finally invested myself in the story. Yes, RDR2 features a beautiful world and lots to explore, which is usually my favourite part of video games, but RDR2’s story is where I think the game truly shines.
Arthur Morgan, the protagonist of the game, is shockingly one of my favourite video game characters (Sorry John). How you decide to play Arthur is up to you, and I’m sure many enjoy playing as an evil gunslinging cowboy, but I immediately thought Arthur was a genuinely good character despite the life he was living, so I did my best to keep his honour bar high.
About two-thirds of the way through the game came an unexpected twist. After beating a man to claim the debts he owed to your gang, Arthur contracts Tuberculosis, an untreatable disease at the time. Arthur, the once strong, seemingly invincible cowboy, must now face his own tragic and most unpredictable death. Playing Arthur as a good character, he realizes the errors of his ways and of those he has surrounded himself with, and you are left to decide if, in the end, Arthur will right his wrongs and die in peace. I never played the game with Arthur as an evil character, but I don’t believe the game would have had such a lasting impact if I had.
Conclusion
To be completely honest, by the end of the game, I was left a crying mess. Never have I played a game that made me feel so many emotions. The game connected me to characters I loved, like Sadie and Lenny, and also those who I absolutely despised, like Micah. RDR2, the game I had once thought was tedious, turned out to be a fantastic story that I adore. While I did struggle with the game’s slow pace, the profoundly impactful storyline far outdoes anything Rockstar has done before.
Don’t Forget
Leave a like and subscribe to the Lilshroooom blog for updates on our latest posts so you can stay up to date on all of the best video game news! And don’t forget to share this post with others!
Make sure to check out some of the Lilshroooom blog’s other latest posts:
Lilshroooom 
Leave a comment