Most gamers who’ve had the privilege to play Read Dead Redemption 2 get to experience what it means when a game is given a Triple-A rating. The rating is based on the ability and money that the developers of the game are equipped with. Rockstar has always been known to make incredibly immersive games, with beautiful graphics, intense and rewarding gameplay, and rich storytelling, with characters that have depth. But there’s something about RDR2 that separates itself from the other fantastic games that they have been created, and most games in general.

This isn’t a review, I’m not going to focus on the different aspects of the game and rate them. Instead I’m going to focus on the aforementioned story of the game. One of the main components of any game is the story involved, even Fortnite (if you ask the right person) has some kind of plot involved in it: think Save The World mode. The plot and how well it’s written is the reason that I think it might be the most immersive game ever made.

 Like any story, its potential is mirrored by the skill of the writer who pens it. It’s obvious after finishing RDR2 that a lot of time, patience, and an immense amount of intelligent creativity was put into the story of the game. I’ve watched videos and even listened to songs that were put into the game at various points, usually during cutscenes but not always. For example, Arthur - the main protagonist and person you play as for most of the game – gets off the boat after him and his gang get successfully smuggled off of an island. This is a very important point in the game, as Arthur’s uncertainty about the future of his gang and the decisions they’ve made has started to lead him into contemplating his moral and ethical choices.

 As you get off the boat, you’re riding back to camp alone, at night, and you’re not even sure who, within your gang, is still alive and what the law have been doing since you’ve been stuck on the island. The song that’s played is called Stand Unshaken, and the lyrics match perfectly with Arthur as a character and with the overall plot of the game as well.

 The same song also plays towards the end of the game when Arthur dies. It’s subtle, yet moving. A lot of gamers have said that they legitimately cried during this part of the game, as Arthur dies off. Most games would not be able to attach to the psyche of people this well, that’s usually reserved for a book, or television show, or a movie. Seldom do video games tug at the heart strings, while also creating a legitimate connection between the playable character and gamers that we can feel. RDR2 did it with great writing and a fantastic soundtrack that played off the script perfectly.

Arthur Riding to Shady Belle

Arthur’s Good Ending

Nick Airey

Nick is a second-year Professional Writing student at Algonquin College. He’s originally from Kingston and doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life yet.