Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a Western action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. It was released on October 26, 2018, for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. The third entry in the Red Dead series, it is a prequel to the 2010 game Red Dead Redemption. Set in 1899 in a fictionalized version of the Western United States, the story centers on outlaw Arthur Morgan, a member of the Van der Linde gang dealing with the decline of the Wild West whilst attempting to survive against government forces, rival gangs, and other enemies. The story also follows fellow gang member John Marston, protagonist from the first Red Dead Redemption.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is presented through both first and third-person perspectives, and the player may freely roam in its interactive open world. Gameplay elements include shootouts, heists, hunting, horseback riding, interacting with any non-player character (NPC), and maintaining the character's honor rating through moral choices and deeds. A bounty system similar to the "wanted" system from the Grand Theft Auto franchise governs the response of law enforcement and bounty hunters to crimes committed by the player. Red Dead Online, the online multiplayer mode of the game, was released as a beta version in November 2018.

Broadly anticipated and marketed before release, Red Dead Redemption 2 broke several records and had the second-biggest launch in the history of entertainment, generating $725 million in sales from its opening weekend and shipping over 23 million copies in retail. It was universally acclaimed by critics, who praised the story, characters, open world, and considerable level of detail. Red Dead Redemption 2 received a number of perfect scores and awards, including the "Critic's Choice Award" at the 2018 Golden Joystick Awards, and honors such as "Best Narrative" and "Best Score/Music" at The Game Awards 2018.

Gameplay
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a Western-themed action-adventure game. Played from a first or third-person perspective, the game is set in an open-world environment featuring a fictionalized version of the Western U.S. The game features both single-player and online multiplayer components released under Red Dead Online. The player controls outlaw Arthur Morgan, member of the Van Der Linde gang, as he completes numerous missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—in order to progress through the story. Outside of missions, the player may freely roam its interactive world. The player may engage into combat with enemies using melee attacks, firearms, or explosives. Combat has been refined from the game's predecessor, and notable new mechanics consist of dual-wielding and the ability to use a bow. Unlike in the previous game, the player is granted the ability to swim.

Red Dead Redemption 2's unexploited land makes up the largest portion of the game world, and features diverse landscapes with occasional travelers, bandits, and wildlife. There are urban settlements in the game, ranging from farmhouses, to towns and cities. Horses are the main forms of transportation, of which there are various breeds, each with different attributes. The player must either train or tame a wild horse in order to use it, with the exception of stolen horses; however they must saddle a horse in order to acquire ownership over it. Increased use of a horse will begin a bonding process, which can be increased by cleaning and feeding it, and the player will acquire advantages as they ride their horse. Stagecoaches and trains can also be used to travel. The player can also hijack an incoming train or stagecoach by threatening the driver or passengers, and then rob its contents or the passengers.

The player may also witness or take part in random events encountered from exploring the game world. These include ambushes, crimes committed by other people, pleas for assistance, ride-by shootings, public executions, and animal attacks. For example, as Arthur explores the Wild West, he can find specific people in distress. If he decides to help them, they will be thankful and may reward Arthur if he crosses them again. The player may also take part in side-activities. These activities include small tasks with companions and strangers, dueling, bounty hunting, searching for treasure or other collectibles around the map such as rock carvings, and mini-games like poker, blackjack, dominoes, and Five Finger Filet. Hunting animals also plays a major role in the game, providing food, income, and materials for crafting items. When hunting, players need to take into account several factors, including the choice of weapon and shot placement, which affect the quality of the meat and pelt and subsequently the price traders are willing to pay. Players can either skin the animal immediately or carry the carcass, which will rot over time and decrease its value and attract predators.

The game focuses heavily on player choice for the story and missions. Certain moments in the story will give players the option to accept or decline additional missions and lightly shape the plot around their choices. The player can communicate with any NPC in dynamic ways new to the series. Arthur can choose different dialogue trees with NPCs, such as having a friendly chat, or insulting them. If the player chooses to kill an NPC, they can loot their corpse. Red Dead Redemption 2 brings back the Honor system from its predecessor by measuring how Arthur's actions are perceived in terms of morality. Morally positive choices and deeds like helping strangers, abiding the law, and sparing opponents in a duel will add up to the player's Honor. However, negative deeds such as theft and harming innocents, will subtract from the player's Honor. The story is influenced by Honor, as the dialogue and outcomes for Arthur often differ based on his Honor level. Hitting milestones for Arthur's Honor level will grant unique benefits, such as rewarding the player with special outfits and large discounts in stores. A low Honor level is also beneficial, as Arthur will receive a greater number of items from looted corpses.

Maintaining Arthur is important, as he can undergo conditions that may affect some of his cores, such as his health and stamina. For example, wearing warmer clothes will mean he avoids freezing in a cold environment, but wearing them in a hot environment will result in him perspiring. Arthur can also gain or lose weight depending on how much he eats, a feature absent from previous Rockstar games since Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. An underweight Arthur will have less health but at an increase of stamina, while an overweight Arthur will be able to better absorb damage but will have less stamina. The player can bathe to remain clean, and can visit a barber to change hairstyles; Arthur's hair also grows realistically over time. The game features item degradation, with equipment such as weapons requiring cleaning. When Arthur uses a certain type of gun for a long period of time, he becomes more experienced with it, which improves weapon handling, reduces recoil, and increases the rate of reloading. Arthur can also sleep in order to replenish his cores.

Combat
Gunfights are an essential mechanic in the game. The player can take cover, free aim, and target a person or animal. Individual body parts can also be targeted in order to take targets down without killing them. When the player shoots an enemy, the game's AI reactions and movements depend on where they were hit. Weapons consist of pistols, revolvers, repeaters, rifles, shotguns, bows, explosives, lassos, mounted Gatling guns and melee weapons such as knives and tomahawks. Red Dead Redemption 2 brings back the trademark mechanic in the franchise: the Dead Eye, a targeting system that allows the player to slow down time and paint targets. Once the targeting sequence ends, Arthur fires to every marked location in a very short space of time. The Dead Eye system upgrades as the player progresses in the game, and will grant the player more abilities, such as being able to spot the fatal points of their enemies.

The bounty system also returns from Red Dead Redemption, a crime-governing mechanic inspired from Grand Theft Auto's wanted system. When a player commits a crime, witnesses will run to the nearest police station to get the law to intervene, and the player will need to stop the witness in order to avoid repercussions. Once the law is alerted, law enforcers appear and will start investigating. When the player is caught, the Wanted meter appears with a bounty sent on their head. The bounty grows higher as the player commits more crimes, and more lawmen will be sent to hunt them. If the player has committed serious crimes and then manages to escape the law, bounty hunters will be hired to track them down in the wilderness. After committing enough crime, the U.S Marshals will be sent to the player's location. In order to escape law enforcement, the player must evade a red circular zone in the map and the wanted meter will slowly deplete. They can alternatively hide from the pursuers or kill them. Whether the player escapes or gets captured, the bounty will remain on their head, lawmen and civilians will be more vigilant, and regions where the crimes have been committed will be on lockdown. When caught by lawmen, the player has the opportunity to surrender if they are unarmed and on foot, however, bounty hunters will not accept surrender. The player can only get rid of their bounty by paying it off at a post office.

Setting and characters
The world of Red Dead Redemption 2 spans five fictitious states of the United States. The states of New Hanover, Ambarino and Lemoyne are new to the series, and are located to the immediate north and east of Red Dead Redemption's world, whilst the states of New Austin and West Elizabeth return from Red Dead Redemption.[b]  West Elizabeth has been expanded to include new regions. The states are centered on the San Luis and Lannahechee Rivers and the shores of Flat Iron Lake. Ambarino is a mountain wilderness, with the largest settlement being a Native American reservation; New Hanover is a wide valley that has become a hub of industry; and Lemoyne is made up of bayous and plantations resembling Louisiana, and is home to the former French colony of Saint Denis, analogous to New Orleans. West Elizabeth consists of wide plains, dense forests, and the modern town of Blackwater. This region has been expanded from the original Red Dead Redemption to include a vast northern portion containing the small town of Strawberry. New Austin is an arid desert region centered on the frontier towns of Armadillo and Tumbleweed, also featured in the original Red Dead Redemption.

The player takes on the role of Arthur Morgan (Roger Clark), a lieutenant and veteran member of the Van der Linde gang. The gang is led by Dutch van der Linde (Benjamin Byron Davis), a charismatic man who extols personal freedom and decries the encroaching march of modern civilization. The gang also includes his best friend and co-leader Hosea Matthews (Curzon Dobell), Red Dead Redemption protagonist John Marston (Rob Wiethoff), Bill Williamson (Steve J. Palmer), Javier Escuella (Gabriel Sloyer), Micah Bell (Peter Blomquist), the elderly Uncle (James McBride and John O'Creagh), African-American member Lenny Summers (Harron Atkins), native-American hunter Charles Smith (Noshir Dalal), turncoat O'Driscoll Kieran Duffy (Pico Alexander), Sadie Adler (Alex McKenna), Irishman Sean MacGuire (Michael Mellamphy), cook Simon Pearson (Jim Santangeli), loan shark Leopold Strauss (Howard Pinhasik), Dutch's lover Molly O'Shea (Penny O'Brien), taskmaster Susan Grimshaw (Kaili Vernoff), Tilly Jackson (Meeya Davis), Karen Jones (Jo Armeniox), Mary-Beth Gaskill (Samantha Strelitz), reverend Orville Swanson (Sean Haberle), and Abigail (Cali Elizabeth Moore) and Jack Marston (Marissa Buccianti and Ted Sutherland), John's partner and son respectively. The gang's allies include conman Josiah Trelawny (Stephen Gevedon), and Arthur's former partner, Mary Linton (Julie Jesneck).

The gang's criminal acts bring them into conflict with various opposing forces including the wealthy oil magnate Leviticus Cornwall (John Rue), whose assets become a gang target. In response he recruits a team of agents from the Pinkerton Detective Agency, led by Agent Milton (John Hickok) and his subordinate Agent Ross (Jim Bentley), to hunt down the gang. The gang also encounter the Saint Denis-based Italian crime lord Angelo Bronte (Jim Pirri), and Dutch's nemesis Colm O'Driscoll (Andrew Berg), leader of the rival O'Driscoll gang. More enemies include the Del Lobo, Laramie, Skinner, Murfree, and Lemoyne Raiders gangs, and the warring Gray and Braithwaite families. Other characters include Rains Fall (Graham Greene) and Eagle Flies (Jeremiah Bitsui), members of the Native American Wapiti tribe.

Plot
After a botched ferry heist in 1899 results in the deaths of several members, the Van der Linde gang flees Blackwater, forced to leave behind their substantial money stash. Realizing that the progress of civilization is ending the time of outlaws, the gang decides to gain enough money to escape the law and retire. They rob a train owned by Leviticus Cornwall, who responds by hiring Pinkerton Agents led by Andrew Milton to apprehend them. The gang perform numerous jobs and heists, as Dutch continually promises that the next heist will be their last.

Following a successful bank heist in Valentine, and a deadly shootout with Cornwall's men, the gang relocate to Lemoyne. They meet the Grays and Braithwaites, two warring families potentially hoarding civil war gold. Dutch pits the families against each other, but his actions are uncovered, resulting in an ambush by the Grays, which kills gang member Sean, and the Braithwaites kidnapping John's son, Jack. The gang retaliates against both families, and learns that Jack is with crime lord Angelo Bronte. Bronte returns Jack and embraces the gang, but then lures them into a trap. Dutch seeks vengeance, kidnapping Bronte with the gang and then feeding him to an alligator.

Later, Hosea and an unconfident Dutch lead the gang in a Saint Denis bank robbery. The Pinkertons intervene, killing Hosea and Lenny, and arresting John. Dutch, Arthur, Bill, Javier and Micah escape the city via a ship heading to Cuba. A torrential storm sinks the ship, and the men wash ashore the isle of Guarma, where they become embroiled in a war between the tyrannical sugar plantation owners and the enslaved local population. The group successfully aids the revolution against the plantation owners, and secures transport back to the United States.

The group reunite with the rest of the gang, and Dutch obsesses over one last heist. Although he insists that they must wait to liberate John, Arthur and Sadie disobey Dutch to rescue him. Dutch begins to doubt Arthur's loyalty, in part facilitated by Micah's manipulations, who has eagerly taken Hosea's role as Dutch's advisor. Arthur meanwhile becomes concerned that Dutch is no longer the man he knew, increasingly resorting to murder and paranoia, and abandoning their ideals. Arthur later discovers that he has contracted tuberculosis following an altercation with a diseased farmer, giving him only a short time to live. Faced with his own mortality, Arthur reflects on his actions and how to protect the gang following his death.

After fending off a Pinkerton assault on the camp, Dutch becomes paranoid that a gang member is working as an informant, causing their failures. After relocating again, Dutch manipulates a local Native American tribe into a conflict with the United States Army to draw attention away from the gang. Several gang members become disenchanted and leave, while Dutch and Micah arrange one final heist of an Army payroll train. Arthur convinces John that following the heist he must leave and start a new life with his family. Dutch later murders Cornwall, blaming him for the Pinkertons actions. Arthur's faith in Dutch is shattered when he seemingly abandons Arthur to the Army, leaves John for dead during the heist, and refuses to rescue John's captured partner Abigail. Arthur and Sadie again disobey Dutch to rescue Abigail. They kill Milton, and learn that Micah has been working for the Pinkertons since returning from Guarma.

The gang collapses after Arthur returns to Dutch, openly accusing Micah of betrayal. Dutch, Bill, Javier and Micah turn on Arthur and John when the Pinkertons arrive, but all six manage to escape into the wilderness. Under pursuit, Arthur accepts his impending death, and either aids John's escape by delaying the Pinkertons, or returns to the camp to recover the gang's money. Micah ambushes Arthur and Dutch intervenes in their fight. Arthur convinces Dutch to abandon Micah and leave. If Arthur was played honorably, Arthur succumbs to his disease while watching the sunrise, otherwise Micah executes him.

Eight years later in 1907, John and his family are leading an honest life. Finding work at a ranch, John is forced to fight back against outlaws threatening his employer. Believing John will never escape his old life, Abigail leaves with Jack. This encourages John to take out a bank loan and purchase his own ranch, working with Uncle, Sadie and Charles to build a new home. On Abigail's return, John proposes to her. Against her wishes, John, Sadie and Charles pursue Micah after learning of his location. They find that Dutch and Micah are again working together, but Dutch shoots Micah and leaves in silence, allowing John to finish him off. The Blackwater stash recovered by Micah is used to pay off John's bank loan. Later, John marries Abigail, and they start their new life on their ranch, alongside Jack, Uncle, Sadie, and Charles. After, Sadie and Charles leave for other pursuits.

The final scene shows Pinkerton agents Edgar Ross and Archer Fordham observing John's ranch, initiating the events of Red Dead Redemption.