7 Ways Red Dead Redemption 2 Perfected the Wild West Genre

Ways Red Dead Redemption 2 Perfected the Wild West Genre

Once Upon a Time in the West…. and Its Cities

Thinking about Wild West films and other mediums that depict the genre, images of the open frontier, scenic vistas, and endless prairie always comes to mind. However, one thing that can sometimes get passed over is the bustling day-to-day life in the towns and cities that pop up as people migrate west.

From tiny towns like Valentine to the bustling city of Saint-Denis, every location in Red Dead Redemption 2 feels alive and lived in. The main thoroughfare in town is trodden with countless horseshoe marks and footprints, while dust kicks up from passing wagons. Citizens go about their daily lives running errands or going to work, dogs roam the streets barking as you ride by, passersby greet you and you can do the same with a simple “howdy.” Being able to interact with each and every NPC goes a long way in making Red Dead Redemption 2’s world immersive, and every single town or city in the game feels wholly unique, and not copy pasted in any way.

Finding a new town also just feels exciting, with the promise of new weapons and items, new quests, and new people to meet. It helps add to the sense that you really are exploring the Wild West, and these pockets of civilization are a relief to find in the vast openness of the game’s world. Strolling into town atop your horse after days in the wilderness feels like a scene straight out of a western.

Ways Red Dead Redemption 2 Perfected the Wild West Genre

The Gunfighter and How He Shops

One of the most incredible details in Red Dead Redemption 2 comes with its shops, which are ludicrously detailed to a tee. Upon walking into a shop, whether it’s the general store or a gunsmith, you’re greeted by the clerk and met with a wealth of items lining the walls. In order to buy items you actually have to examine them on the shelves and then purchase it, with Arthur then putting it in his satchel, or flipping through an old-timey catalog to find what he wants.

Everything about these stores and the items you can buy is tailored specifically to represent the time period. The catalogs for guns and clothes are filled with lines of text and black and white photos, while packaging for food has a rustic feel to it. It’s one of the most immersive ways to shop a video game has ever had, if not flat out the most immersive.

As Arthur’s spurs jingle on the wooden floor, you can almost imagine what that old shop would actually be like.

Ways Red Dead Redemption 2 Perfected the Wild West Genre

Gunsmoke and Shootouts

An epic shootout is part and parcel of any self-respecting western, and Red Dead Redemption 2 certainly doesn’t disappoint in that regard. Each and every encounter in Red Dead Redemption 2 feels like a classic western shootout, thanks to the extreme attention to detail Rockstar has poured into every inch of it. Smoke trails waft up from pistols and rifles after they’re fired, and bullets make dull thuds as they hit wood and a sharp twang as they ricochet off metal or stone.

There’s a great amount of care put into the audio design during combat and the sounds guns make when they fire feel like they’re directly ripped from an old spaghetti western. Just for comparison’s sake, take a listen to the gun sounds in this scene from a Fistful of Dollars, and compare that to an early shootout from the game. Even though Red Dead Redemption 2 might not have the tightest shooting out there, every encounter feels like a pitched scene from a western, helping add to the immersion even more.

Ways Red Dead Redemption 2 Perfected the Wild West Genre

Big Country Music and Twang

The best Spaghetti Westerns are iconic for a multitude of reasons, including their classic western soundtracks. That’s something that Red Dead Redemption 2 emulates incredibly well, with a fantastic soundtrack that sets the mood and tone impeccably. The score uses plenty of string instruments, woodwinds like the flute, harmonicas, and other instruments to give the music that western twang that it needs.

From the vocal songs like See The Fire in Your Eyes to the train heist music, every song in Red Dead Redemption 2 contributes to that overall feeling. Bill Elm and Woody Jackson have done a commendable job making the soundtrack in Red Dead Redemption 2 feel like something that’d feel right at home in any Spaghetti Western.

Ways Red Dead Redemption 2 Perfected the Wild West Genre

The Wild Bunch

The characters in western films, more often than not, are misunderstood or conflicted people, and Red Dead Redemption 2 nails that with both its main and side characters. Arthur Morgan isn’t a good person, but he’s also not a horrible one. As an outlaw he has honor, but at the same time, he’s not afraid to beat the daylights out of someone or even kill them. Oftentimes, Arthur struggles between these two dualities, bound by his honor and life as an outlaw. The rest of the Van Der Linde gang are definitely a colorful cast of characters.

You have Bill Williamson the eccentric idiot that consistently screws things up, Leopold Strauss the German moneylender, the impulsive but well-meaning John Marston, and of course the charismatic Dutch, among others. Every member of the Van Der Linde gang is eccentric in their own way, but there’s more depth underneath as you get to know them. This eclectic group is brought together under the banner of Dutch, and although they aren’t all people that would normally get along, their common plight makes for a strange family unit.

This mish-mash band of misfits is very indicative of the kind of characters you see in classic westerns. 

Ways Red Dead Redemption 2 Perfected the Wild West Genre

The Outlaw and His Horse

Horses are just as synonymous with the western genre as cowboys themselves, and Red Dead Redemption 2 doubles down on the bond between Arthur Morgan and his horse. Any outlaw in the Old West needs a faithful steed as a partner, and the game lets you name your own horse and increase your bond with them.

Bonding with your horse will make them even more effective and let you whistle for them at a greater range. Your horse becomes a central character in Red Dead Redemption 2 along with Arthur Morgan, and it’s generally your only consistent companion across the wilds of the frontier. Through smart use of gameplay mechanics and bonding, Red Dead Redemption 2 manages to make you really care about your horse, and further strengthens that western feel.

Ways Red Dead Redemption 2 Perfected the Wild West Genre

Riding Into the Sunset

There’s no scene more iconic to the western genre than that of a cowboy riding into the sunset, and boy does Red Dead Redemption 2 have some gorgeous sunsets. The game’s day/night cycle allows for some stunning scenic rides and vistas, especially when dusk hits. Riding your horse through the wilds as the sun starts to set gives off an incredible mood that feels right out of a western, and the ridiculous detail and visual quality put into Red Dead Redemption 2’s visuals only makes it all the better.

Of course, the theme of riding into the sunset applies to more than just graphics, but the overall story as well. Taking a look at the game’s box art you have the members of the Van Der Linde gang with a blazing sunset just behind them. From the very start of Red Dead Redemption 2, the gang is on the run, and because of the first game we already know the eventual fate of the gang. It’s a story where the gang is actively riding into the twilight of their career, riding into the sunset and setting the stage for the first Red Dead Redemption.