Summary
Released in 2018,Red Dead Redemption 2quickly became one of the best-selling video games of all time. As of this writing, it has reportedly sold over 53 million copies worldwide and received near-universal acclaim from critics. A lot of this praise had to do withRed Dead Redemption 2’s vast world, which is full of details like buildings being constructed over time.
Red Dead Redemption 2had one of the biggest worlds ever put into gaming. While there are plenty ofopen-world games that are bigger, Rockstar Studios loaded it up a ton of diverse content. Some of the best world-building details in the game, however, are the smallest ones, like the aforementioned construction.
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The main story ofRed Dead Redemption 2took players all over its enormous world. Gamers dealt with the Mafia in a major city, took sides in a Hatfield-McCoy-style feud in the South, caused trouble in a traditional old west-style town, and helped Native Americans battle the US army. While theending ofRed Dead Redemption 2was frustratingfor some, it ultimately worked for the story in the grand scheme of things.
In addition to the main story,Red Dead Redemption 2was loaded with side queststhat were easy to miss. Like the previous game, they had Arthur Morgan do all kinds of things, from teaching a woman to hunt to hunting bounties to challenging gunslingers to duels, and these tasks often had unexpected outcomes. Later on in the game, John can visit some of the people Arthur interacted with and discover what became of them, for better and for worse. It’s a great detail that shows the impact that Arthur had on the world outside the main story. Some of the best details, however, have nothing to do with the main plot or the side quests.
ThroughoutRed Dead Redemption 2, the world itself actually changes as time goes on in very subtle ways. A big example of this is actually in the construction projects that are seen throughout the game. At an earlier point in the game, for example, players will see a building mid-way through construction. As the story goes on, the construction will gradually move forward until it is completed. Railroads will also continue to develop and trees will be cut down as part of a logging company’s operations. NPCs are not stuck in a loop wherein they forever do the same thing over and over again with no progress. This detail is interesting and shows how much effort the developer put into the game which also has an air of tragedy about it.
Like its predecessor,Red Dead Redemption 2is all about the Old Westdying and this world-building detail contributes to it. Seeing the NPCs progress and finish their building is cool, but it does show civilization settling into this once-wild land. Regions that were full of wild animals and backwoods outlaws now have ranches and entire railroads running through them. While not as overt as some of the game’s narrative elements, it does show a changing world that is transitioning from the old west to a more modern period in a more natural way.
As of this writing, it is likely thatRed Dead Redemption 3won’t hit consoles until the 2030sbut the second game still has a lot of stuff worth exploring. The world is vast and beautiful as well as treacherous and horrifying, and it is full of small details that players are still discovering to this day. Buildings and railroads being completed is one such element, and it goes to show all the effort and talent that went into bringing Rockstar’s most recent game to life. Hopefully, the next entry in the series will have the same level of attention to detail.
Red Dead Redemption 2is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
