After many years, Red Dead Redemption, the first of its name, finally makes its PC debut. Is there anything that a RDR2 fan should be excited and intrigued by?
Of course, there is, especially if you’re one to get invested in game stories. But first, let’s talk about a little bit of background info to set the stage.
Red Dead: the basics
Although Red Dead Redemption doesn’t have a number attached, it’s not actually the first game in the series.
That honor falls to Red Dead Revolver, a PS2/Xbox game released by Rockstar San Diego back in 2004. Set in the 1880s, it followed a fellow named Red Harlow trying to avenge the death of his parents. The game was good, but not necessarily revolutionary, except in the fact that it provided a solid foundation for future entries.
The first of which was, indeed, Red Dead Redemption, launched in 2010. Instead of playing the genre straight, like Revolver, it felt more like a video game tribute to Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven. And much like that movie, it quickly earned respect, glowing reviews and a devoted fanbase.
Finally, in 2018, after clever, and very vague, teases from Rockstar, we saw the release of Red Dead Redemption 2. Its storytelling and technical mastery was clear for anyone to see and the game became an instant hit.
With that bit of background establish, let’s talk about some specifics of what you should be expecting from RDR1, if you’ve never played it before.
The Story and characters
While the story is, from a certain point of view, the strongest aspect of the series, it’s tricky to talk about it without getting into spoilers, but let’s give it a shot.
As we’ve stated earlier, Red Dead Redemption feels like a video game equivalent for Unforgiven. While John Marston isn’t as much of a wreck as Will Munny, the motif of a former outlaw being dragged back into the violent life and the story’s de-romanticization of violence is quite similar.
The plot kicks off when John’s family (wife Abigail and son Jack) is kidnapped by the agents of what will become the FBI. It’s a leverage to make John go after the remaining members of the gang he used to run with, all of whom are now on their own, causing problems for the developing government.
John’s struggle between being the better man he hoped he could be, and returning to the violent, dishonorable ways his unwelcome task requires is fascinating motif and runs throughout the game up until its final scenes.
Red Dead Redemption 2, on the other hand, tells you the story of how John’s old gang fell apart in the first place.
The plot follows Arthur Morgan, Dutch van der Linde’s right hand man, and much of the story involves Arthur’s relations with other gang members, including younger John and Abigail. Arthur’s growing disillusionment with Dutch’s leadership forms the backbone of the central conflict, a realization fueled by Arthur’s terminal illness.
Both games are excellent in terms of storytelling, and their different perspectives and profiles make them worth experiencing on your own. If the option remains available to you, it’s probably even better to play RDR1 before RDR2, to experience the satisfying dramatic irony.
The world and environment
There’s no way to hide it: Red Dead Redemption 2 is a long way ahead of its predecessor in terms of scale and detail. Eight years of technological advancements and developer experience make a big difference.
As a result, the map of RDR2 is not only much larger than that of RDR1, but also richer in activities and touches of life that make the world feel more real and immersive. Rockstar’s dedication to immersion was such that virtually any action has a corresponding animation, and the less told of your horse’s reaction to cold weather the better.
That said, it’s not like RDR1 looks bad outside of such comparisons. Its map might be smaller, but still takes a good time to cross either on foot or on horseback, the environments are believable and varied, and while the extent of side activities isn’t as massive as in the sequel, there’s still a lot to get busy with.
The 2024 PC release also benefits from upgrades such as 4K resolution support and DLSS, which goes a long way towards making the game look better on current-gen hardware.
In both cases, however, you’re faced with an open world depicting several fictitious states full of towns, hidden stories, optional missions, and NPCs you could antagonize or impress, depending on your behavior. RDR1 might be 14 years old at the time of writing, but it’s lost none of the atmosphere.
Nostalgic revival
The original Red Dead Redemption has taken its sweet time coming to PC, so much so that its successor, launched in a much different context, got there first.
However, in particular for the story-driven player, RDR1 remains an excellent experience unmarred by the passage of time.
Whether you’re coming to it fresh, or wondering what happened to John, Abigail, and Jack after the credits of RDR2, you’re in for a wild, dramatic, satisfying ride.
The world might not amaze with its detail like it does in Red Dead Redemption 2, but Marston’s story is easily equal to Morgan’s… there’s also a lot of joy of tying up some hapless fool and putting them on the train tracks, even if you might not have a moustache to twirl nefariously. Why settle for RDR vs RDR2 when RDR & RDR2 is so much more rewarding?