Why Do I Like Red Dead Redemption 2 So Much?

I’m not much of what anyone would call a gamer — I think. I play video games on my Playstation 4 when I don’t want to think about something, or when I want to relax. It does occur to me that this has eaten a much bigger chunk of time lately, but I imagine that many people are finding that they too have more free time on their hands during this pandemic, and also more reasons to want to escape reality.

For me, this is the time and space in which Red Dead Redemption 2 lives.

When the game first came out in late 2018, I had no inclination to buy it. To that point, I’d really only ever played the NBA2K and MLB The Show franchise games. When I got a 30-hour a week job during high school, I had to stop playing for local and travel baseball teams, I quit the high school golf team, and I was never involved in team basketball, but I loved those sports to death. Fitting in small amounts of time for those video games became a way to engage in those sports. But, as luck would have it, I had recently been on a kick of western films, and there was an especially cinematic aspect of the trailers for RDR2 that garnered my attention. Two months after its release, I found that I had some extra money, and I was bored, so I figured what the hell, and I bought it.

Fast forward to today, August of 2020, and I’ve completed the RDR2 story mode more than 10 times. I love it. I love, love, love it.

So what’s the attraction? What makes a person want to take the same long journey tens of times? Because — make no mistake — RDR2’s story is not short. It’s 60-ish hours long by most estimates.

To start with, the character of Arthur Morgan is undeniably compelling. Arthur Morgan is not your typical hero — western or otherwise. He is not a good man, as he reminds us so often, nor does he compile more good deeds than immoral deeds throughout the course of RDR2 and, ultimately, his small measure of redemption. He is occasionally funny, but in an unaware kind of way, which leads me to the next point: he is “not a smart man,” as Forrest Gump would say. Arthur Morgan gets strung along by every person he meets — partly because he does care about trying to do good and help others (most of the time), partly because he is relatively uneducated and has led a socially sparse life, and partly because he is naturally naive. It takes a fair number of heavy consequences for Arthur to begin taking charge of his fate and standing up to those who would take advantage of him. Arthur is not the hero who is two steps ahead of the villain, who can outthink and outgun his opponent, and his name alone causes no intimidation. Arthur is Dutch’s right-hand man, and not much else. He is the student who adopts his teacher’s words and lives by them without much thought to their true value. Arthur is a “henchman,” as he’s called by one of his foes, the Pinkerton detective Agent Milton. Arthur simply is who he is, unapologetically, until circumstances force him to confront just who that person is. And that is truly remarkable; Rockstar Games gave us a protagonist who is almost completely unique in common storytelling. Trust me, Arthur and his journey are truly compelling.

The RDR2 story itself is very solid. For those who played the first Red Dead Redemption (I didn’t until after RDR2), they knew something of how the story was going to turn out, with RDR2 being a prequel to the first game. But they didn’t know Arthur Morgan, and couldn’t have known what an epic story they would be thrust into. Being a video game, of course, there are a few narrative eye-rolls, but for the most part, RDR2 plays out like a well-made movie — that is, when you’re not off in the countryside, ignoring the main story and accidentally crashing your horse into trees and off of cliffs. There is a wealth of non-playable characters, all of whom are moderately to superbly developed, and whose stories have their own arcs. And it takes multiple play-throughs to even experience some of these stories, as you really have to go seek out these side stories in order to find them. There is always more to uncover with this game. I swear, I’m still finding new missions and new dialogue every time. But the main story (Arthur’s story) really is the crux of this achievement, and when we get to the end, it is an emotional experience, to be certain. Arthur’s story moved me in a way that many great films have not.

There is also a distinct aesthetic pleasure about RDR2. The scenery is breathtaking — which seems to be a theme among new video games now, if YouTube trailers are any indication — but it is also inviting. I want to be there. You’d want to be there. It’s quiet (most of the time), peaceful, full of wildlife, and THERE ARE NO CELLPHONES. It really is a relief sometimes. Unhitching your horse and heading out into the RDR2 countryside is just a straight-up pleasure. There are long rides between mission/story locations, and I never once felt bitter about having to do it on horseback. It’s a surprisingly relaxing environment. I would actually find myself falling asleep while playing, and not because it was boring, but because I had settled into this open country, big sky, soft music environment, and my body was just like, “Well, it’s time for a nap.” This relaxation element is a huge part of why I love this game. It truly is an escape. The game’s soundtrack plays a big role. There isn’t much detail I can give that will help you understand the feelings the soundtrack evokes, but I guess I can just say that they nailed it. Every time I’m riding out to a location, or becoming involved in a story mission, the soundtrack is a perfect accompaniment, swelling, dimming, and striking with precision. I hope the music team won every award available for this game. And that scene when Arthur gets back from Guarma? I mean, holy shit. That is an example of perfect song choice and perfect mood-setting. I get goosebumps every time.

I would also talk about the gameplay if I knew the terminology and had some context for you, but I don’t. I can tell you that it’s super fun to play, and the only frustration I have is occasionally running my horse into a tree and sending Arthur flying through the air (which is exactly as funny as it sounds). I have no complaints about the gameplay, but I’m not an expert.

I could talk about this game all day, but if you stuck through the article to this point, I would assume you’re tired of hearing about it by now, so I’ll let you go.

In conclusion (which I tell all my writing students never to say), pick up RDR2 and get yourself some outlaw-cowboy time. Build a fire, cook some rabbit, drink some Kentucky Bourbon, and pass out under the stars. Gleefully round a mountainside bend too quickly and run into a stagecoach. Antagonize Micah in camp at every opportunity. I promise, it’ll be some of the best money you’ve spent.