'Red Dead Redemption II (2018)' simply is a masterpiece. It might even be better than its predecessor. It's one of the absolute best looking games ever to be released; its huge, varied world is rendered in an impressive, almost photo-real way. It's filled to the brim with life, from birds circling in the sky overhead to fish swimming in the river beneath your feet to strangers stuck by the side of the road. The open-world is probably the most detailed and lived-in I've ever experienced. It feels markedly real. That's a good thing, too, considering the amount of time you'll spend traversing it. Riding to and from your main objectives will often take longer than the missions themselves. The lack of comprehensive fast travel means you'll be doing this long after you've seen every beautiful location the map has to offer. Thankfully, then, no two journeys are ever the same. The amount of ways you can interact with the people you meet out in the world is amazing, and the small encounters you directly control are incredibly satisfying to play. They're possibly the best aspects of the game. That's because the main missions, which can often feel restrictive when compared to the free-roaming stuff, are as often utterly thrilling as they are frustratingly slow. The piece has a deliberate pace which unfortunately means that it takes a while to truly get going. However, it very much adds to the overall experience. It's supposed to be long, ebbing and flowing as its seasons and circumstances change. Its extended epilogue does take the wind out of the sails of its ending, but it's arguably vital in achieving the effect the finale is meant to have. Regardless of its issues, the narrative is straight-up phenomenal. It tells an at once personal and sweeping tale, crafting characters that seem so human you could swear they were real. Something that the piece does a phenomenal job with is the development of its side-characters. The people who don't get much play in the cut-scenes can be spoken to around camp, or even taken on small adventures, which is somehow enough for you to form almost as close a connection with them as you do with any other. When one of your companions inevitably dies, it's genuinely heartbreaking. That can be said of the overall thing, too. It's heartbreaking. Yet, it's also exciting, funny, hopeful, tragic, beautiful and, even, poignant. It strikes the perfect balance between sincere and satirical. It's generally more serious than its predecessor and, as such, it's more impactful. Most of the silliness is reserved for its entertaining side-missions, which suits them well. It's often genuinely affecting and it has a strong underlying theme that lives up to its title. The writing is just wonderful. It's consistently good across each and every character you meet. The morality system actually changes some small things about the story, too. For the best result, you should get all of your dastardly doings out of the way to begin with; the most fitting ending, thematically, is the 'high honour' one. The gameplay itself is enjoyable and varied, with satisfying shooting and surprisingly deep mini-games. The animation, which is superb, does sometimes get in the way, causing some slight chunkiness that can be cumbersome to begin with. However, this is easy to adjust to and it simply adds to the overall slower pace of the game. It's a measured affair, never as unrelentingly fast as some of its peers but nearly always more satisfying. In the end, this is an engaging, entertaining and affecting experience. It's a massive, thematically rich ride that stands out as one of the best games of all time. 10/10
Review of Red Dead Redemption II
