Although we live in modern times, it’s always fun to imagine the past and what it was like. Recently I finished the main story for the game “Red Dead Redemption Two” and I loved it.
Red Dead Redemption 2 tells the story of Arthur Morgan and the Van Der Lin gang and takes place before the first version of the game, “Red Dead Redemption.” In the first chapter of the game we open up to Arthur and the gang in the mountains of Ambarino after escaping from a failed ferry robbery in Black Water. The first chapter of the game is more of a tutorial, introducing the player to the dozens of mechanics the game has, from hunting to fighting, to horseback riding. This chapter also serves as a way to introduce all of the characters in the gang. The game has six chapters and an epilogue, with each chapter consisting mainly of the gang trying to do a big robbery or something to get lots of money so they can run away.
As I played the game, I was absolutely captivated by the visuals. The visuals pull you into the game and make you feel as though you are experiencing the story first-hand. And each area of the game’s map has its own feel, from Ambarino’s breathtaking snow-capped mountains to Blackwater’s deserts. The world also feels alive, with many incredible small details that don’t make the huge map feel empty. There are countless stranger interactions you can have and even more stranger missions that give you more to do aside from the story quests.
The gameplay itself is addictive and there’s no right or wrong way to play the game. You can focus on hunting or fishing, exploring, or completing the extra 90 challenges the game has. It’s easy to lose yourself in this game for hours with the endless amount of things you can do in it. I personally have over 160 hours in the game and have only played through the story once!
My favorite part of the game is the story. It’s intense and beautiful yet so tragic. I have never cried over games, but I was sobbing as I played the last mission in the main story that happens before the epilogue. The story follows Arthur, who is a strong and extremely loyal enforcer for Dutch, the gang leader. At the beginning of the game, they are on the run from a failed robbery in Black Water and take shelter in the cold mountains of Ambarino. After robbing a train in the mountains, they escape into a small town named Valentine for chapter two. Chapter two is my favorite chapter because of how fun and connected the whole gang seems throughout it. They spend time near this town and what I would describe as lighter missions happen in this chapter. We learn a lot about the deep bond the gang has and how close they are to each other. It truly feels like a family, something that is lost in the later stages of the game.
To put the extremely in-depth and thought-out story in simple terms, the gang spends each chapter trying to get money so they can escape their outlaw lives. By the end of each chapter they are close to doing so but something bad always seems to happen that leads to the gang fleeing to a new town and starting again. During most of the game, they are chased by law enforcement after the robbery from Chapter 1.
There are countless things in the story that will make you cry. From people in the gang dying to Arthur and Mary’s love story, you’ll likely cry through a playthrough. In chapter 2 there is a mission where you leave to collect debts from people, one of them being a sick man. Arthur beats the man up and leaves. Later in the story, it’s revealed that Arthur has contracted Tuberculosis and has been dying since the game was set back in 1899. During the last mission, the gang has broken apart and Arthur calls out Dutch and Micah for breaking the gang and its old values. Arthur escapes with John, the main character of the first game, and lets John run away to his family while Arthur holds back Micah and Dutch. Arthur fights Micah but since he’s sick he ends up losing. Dutch and Micah leave as Arthur takes his last few breaths and the main story ends with whichever ending you get from your honor level.
I love this game and will definitely be playing it again. Its story is beautiful and its gameplay is addictive. I’d recommend this game to anyone who loves a good story and an open-world game with beautiful visuals.
