How "Red Dead Redemption 2" forces you to slow down
5.11.2018
Translation: machine translated
Most AAA games focus on fast-food action and as much comfort as possible. "Red Dead Redemption 2" trots in the other direction and forces you to enjoy it slowly - and that's a good thing.
In "Red Dead Redemption 2" there is the following challenge: Ride from a small town in the north-west of the map to the industrialised capital in the south in under nine minutes. Without this urgency and with the countless distractions along the way, it can take half an hour or more to cover this distance. This illustrates the time you need to take for "Red Dead Redemption 2". The size of the map is by no means the only element that ensures that progress is slow. However, developer Rockstar doesn't artificially drag out the game, but forces you to enjoy the game like a good meal. In an age in which blockbuster games and their cinema counterparts rely on easily digestible fare with lots of comfort features and non-stop action to keep the over-saturated audience hooked for as long as possible, Rockstar's approach is the perfect way to slow down.
Like an old spaghetti western
"Red Dead Redemption 2" is not only modelled on old spaghetti westerns in terms of story and presentation, but also in terms of pacing. Although no duel scene lasts as long as the one in "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", you will definitely need patience. Whether it's the explicit skinning of animals and the fact that only a larger carcass will fit on the horse. Or because you can neither ride nor run in the camp. You can only skip the many, often detailed conversations completely, but not individual sentences. Your weapons need to be serviced regularly, otherwise they shoot worse. The same applies to your horse. Instead of being oiled, your horse wants to be groomed, fed and stroked. This is the only way to increase the bond and performance of your four-legged friend.
If you want to roast meat or mix a new tincture, do this for each individual chop and flask. If you loot enemies, protagonist Arthur scans them individually and searches their pockets. Or you can open each drawer in a chest of drawers separately and perhaps find a tin of hair pomade, which Arthur then carefully picks up and stows away.
If you want to rob a coach, you have to pull up your scarf first if you want to remain unrecognised. And your weapons also have to be drawn before you can aim them at someone.
Fast travelling only works by train and even then there are only a handful of stations. Although Arthur can buy a fast-travel map during the course of the game, even this only allows you to select a few locations and only from the camp. Most of your time will be spent on horseback, exploring the remote corners at a horse's pace.
It is precisely this attention to detail that makes "Red Dead" so extraordinary. You can't expect a run-of-the-mill fast food menu that you can scarf down in 10 minutes. "Red Dead" is a 6-course gourmet meal that you savour slowly and with relish. In "GTA V", I mostly drove around with tunnel vision and just stared at the minimap until I reached my destination. I hardly noticed anything of the surroundings. "Red Dead Redemption 2 is the complete opposite. Especially if you hide the minimap. The leisurely pace means you notice much more of the surroundings. The picturesque landscapes are a delight and the world comes alive with every new ride.
The fact that you have to take significantly more time for each action than in other comparable games makes you much more aware of everything. Delivering a killed deer takes on much more meaning when you have to skin it, carry it to the horse, tie it to the horse, then shoulder it again and finally slam it on the butcher's table before you receive your reward. In "Far Cry 5", you press a single button to do the same job.
The same applies to the weapon or grocery shop. All the goods are physically on display there and you can pick them directly from the shelf if required. Each item has been animated, which adds even more realism.
Little speed, but lots of AAA polish
All these "mundane" tasks only work in such an extensive game thanks to Rockstar's attention to detail. The countless animations, from digging a treasure map out of a shoulder bag, to petting a horse, to breaking open a safe, mean that the game never feels like work. Even after 60 hours, I still enjoyed cleaning my weapons or washing all my limbs separately in the bath - should I do more, because my Arthur probably still stinks like an old piece of bacon 100 metres into the wind.
Since you will experience a large part of the game from the back of your mare or stallion, Rockstar has put a lot of work into this. If you hit another rider or a tree, Arthur stumbles but can stay in the saddle. Whether uphill or downhill changes the rider's posture. If you try to climb rocks in the style of the mountain ponies in "Skyrim", the horse begins to slide realistically until it brutally rolls over and throws you through the air. If you ride through dense undergrowth, thin branches bend, while thicker trunks can throw you out of the saddle.
The weather changes dynamically, including a smooth transition from day to night. This means that a leisurely ride in the sunshine can turn into a ride through lashing rain with glaring lightning. Together with the fabulous lighting effects, such as when the sun's rays shimmer faintly through thick fog or when the evening sun transforms green meadows into an orange carpet, no trip in "Red Dead Redemption 2" is ever boring.
The animations are complemented by a comprehensive dialogue system that adapts to the situation. Arthur often gives contextual responses when interacting with the environment or meeting people. The same applies vice versa. People react differently depending on Arthur's appearance. If you have been carrying around a dead animal, your clothes are covered in blood and you are not only looked at strangely, but also asked if you have had an accident. All these details make the world feel alive.
The dark side
Without wanting to spoil anyone's enjoyment of the game, it is important to talk about the much-criticised working conditions at Rockstar in this context. After all, it is only the immense use of manpower that has made this enormous wealth of detail possible. Rockstar has been criticised several times for treating its employees unfairly. The first "Red Dead Redemption" and "L.A. Noire" had already been the subject of such incidents. Excessive overtime, also known as "crunch", is a notorious problem in the industry. As one of the most prestigious companies in this respect, Rockstar is therefore a major focus of attention.
Red Dead Redemption 2" has also caught Rockstar in the crossfire. This was triggered by one of the rare interviews given by Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser. He told the New Yorker magazine that they were pushing 100-hour weeks to get the game finished. He later qualified the statement by saying that it was primarily about the writing team, of which he is a member. But the floodgates were already open. In the following weeks, numerous former and current Rockstar employees confirmed the harsh working conditions. Statutory overtime was often not optional, but practically mandatory. After Rockstar allowed its employees to comment openly on the issue, there were also many voices expressing satisfaction with their jobs and never having to work more than 50 hours a week. This did nothing to change the numerous statements from other Rockstar employees who confirmed the crunch culture. Industry expert and game journalist Jason Schreier spoke to over 90 employees and wrote an article on the subject that is well worth reading.
This doesn't mean that you have to boycott Rockstar because of this. Especially as this would probably primarily harm the employees. But it is important to be aware of this problem. Under what conditions are games created? Do we close our eyes, the main thing is that our games are as good as possible? Even if employees in Switzerland are better protected and we can only indirectly influence foreign companies, it helps to keep the dialogue going. Enjoyment should not stop us from remaining critical.
Take your time
I hope I haven't put you off your Western adventure. Because you shouldn't miss out on this slow-paced trip. You won't get this much scope, this much attention to detail or such a lively and coherent world anywhere else. Shift down a gear and be prepared for everything to take a little longer in "Red Dead Redemption 2". But if you accept this, the game will take you on an unforgettable journey to the Wild West that you won't soon forget.
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
