The retro game is set in the year 1908 and focuses on John Marston. His mission, as revealed in the official trailer, is to kill or capture his former gang member Bill Williamson. With this being the central theme the backbone of the story also reveals the events that led up to 1910 Mexican Revolution.
Open World Gameplay
Just like Rockstar’s most celebrated retro game – Grand Theft Auto – there is use of open world gameplay so players can roam the Wild West and take part in plenty of side-missions. With the aid of sandbox environments (challenges that can be completed in a number of different sequences), free-roaming abilities and superbly realistic graphics Red Dead Redemption was one of the most successful games of 2010.
Realistic looking horses, created via the Euphoria animation engine, play a major mode of transport within the game. As well as the rideable steeds there are over 40 other different types of animals that can be hunted or fought, such as cattle, vultures, cougars, rabbits, armadillos, wolves and grizzly bears. Beside riding horse-back, you also have the ability to catch a train that can get you places faster. Weather conditions are prone to change in time with the seasons too giving it an even more realistic edge.
Bigger than Liberty City
The vastness of the retro game is enormous, bigger than GTA’s Liberty City in fact. Overall it’s split into three areas: the Frontier, the Plains and Mexico. Over the course of the game you will bear witness to some random acts on your travels like hangings, people being dragged around in the dust by outlaws and defenseless victims being chased by cougars screaming for help. What makes it even more impressive is that you can actually step into these situations and become a part of them. Interact with some of the random characters and you will be rewarded.
There had been a new feature added to this retro game as well with the introduction of the ‘dead eye mode’. You’ll be able to slow down time and target six specific areas for a quick-fire shoot-out but this will be exclusive to pistols only. The other dead eye mode in the game allows the use of rifles and shotguns in a more traditional bullet-time with the added bonus of slowing time. As well as the guns, John will be able to use axes, knives and a lasso as weaponry.
Players can become a wanted man in town with posters being put up everywhere with a picture of John’s face on it. Marston will have to be careful otherwise the locals will begin to recognise him and turn on him.
Main Story of Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption follows the bitter tale of John Marston, whose previous life as an outlaw comes back to haunt him and the family he had hoped to settle down with. Forced to leave his family, Red Dead Redemption allows players to enter the open-world of stage coaches, steam trains, wild animals and beautiful horses in order to find redemption and forge a new life.
Matrix-style Gunplay
John Marston has an arsenal of old-school pistols, shotguns and rifles at his disposal, and he’ll even be able to lasso enemies whilst riding a horse. To make gunplay all the more interesting, Rockstar has kept Deadeye mode from the original, which allows players to slow down time similar to the Matrix to ensure more accurate shooting. This ability can be upgraded during the course of the game to allow players to select certain targets and then watch as each in succession is quickly taken down.
To keep Red Dead Redemption realistic in terms of gunplay, accuracy on the guns won’t be perfect. Players will be able to take on enemies in stand-off duels, or during a chase on horseback, but be warned that aiming directly at someone won’t always result in a direct hit. Exactly how often and by what distance the bullets miss their target is yet to be seen, but Rockstar will no doubt ensure that the game retains realism without destroying the gaming experience.
Take in the Beautiful Game World on Horseback
Hi-Ho Silver, away! Red Dead Redemption allows GTA fans to trade in their high-priced automobiles for beautiful horses. The retro game allow players to purchase horses from vendors using the loot they’ve stolen or earned through missions, or to actually be able to go out into the wild and capture and train a wild horse to be their very own. The longer John Marston rides the horse, the more attached to him it becomes and its behavior changes accordingly.
Horseback will be one of the integral modes of travel throughout the game, although players will also be able to catch a stagecoach or train into town, or, if necessary, hoof it themselves. Unlike previous open-world games created by Rockstar, Red Dead Redemption will take place in the vast deserts and open fields of the Wild West.
This means that there is plenty of room to explore this vast terrain, so one could stumble upon a broken down wagon in need of help, or, since animals have their own AI, players could even see wolves hunting rabbits, or a mountain lion searching for prey.
