At launch, Red Dead Redemption 2 cemented itself as an utterly perfect Western, and one of the best ever made, even managing to stand up to some of the greats. Since then, nothing has quite surpassed it, neither in movie nor video game form, and for good reason. Rockstar created a truly phenomenal story elevated by great writing and even better performances that, while at times mechanically restrictive, nevertheless delivered the emotional impact it needed to

Red Dead Redemption 2 also manages to be one of the greatest Westerns thanks to being one of the most immersive open-world games. From both a visual and mechanical standpoint, RDR2 delivers a jaw-droppingly impressive world for players to explore that few other developers are capable of creating. However, while all of that certainly contributes to Red Dead Redemption 2 being one of the best Westerns available, there is one specific feature that goes largely unnoticed which makes it such a memorable experience.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Has A Great Sense Of Loneliness

Exploring Its World Can Be Beautifully Isolating

Red Dead Redemption 2’s staggeringly large world can often feel sparse, with sprawling fields, rolling hills, and dense forests covering large stretches of land between the player and their destination. While there are plenty of emergent moments, many of which help to make Rockstar’s gorgeous rendition of 1800s America feel more alive, for the most part. the player is completely isolated as they wander the striking landscapes. Of course, all of this is elevated by RDR2’s carefully crafted realism that has aged like fine wine, something that makes a Red Dead live-action show feel all the more feasible.

It is this isolation among the natural beauty of the American wilds that makes Red Dead Redemption 2 not just a phenomenal exploration of the time period, but also a game that fundamentally understands the genre it is a part of. Some of the best moments of a Western are the shots of stunning natural beauty that ground the viewer in both the setting and the untamed nature of the time period. They also offer the perfect opportunity for self-reflection as the lone cowboy or even multiple protagonists stop to discuss the road ahead and everything they’ve faced so far.

However, whereas Western films often breeze through these segments, offering them for flavor or context but largely prioritizing the tantalizing drama at the core of the narrative, Red Dead Redemption 2 gives players the opportunity to truly experience them. It not only gives players the chance to uncover RDR2’s hidden secrets but also ponder on the wider story at hand and Arthur’s role in it. It allows them to take in the beauty of the lovingly crafted landscapes while embodying the experience of a vastly different time period in which life doesn’t move at such rapid speeds.

Open-World Games Can Make Wide-Open Spaces Count

They Have To Embrace The Journey

It often feels like open-world games, especially those aiming to constantly entertain players, are afraid of implementing wide open spaces with little to do other than merely travel. It’s understandable why, as maneuvering through giant empty worlds while watching the back of a horse or the protagonist’s head isn’t particularly engaging, and will only lead to the player’s mind wandering. Games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey are infamous for this, so much so that its developer implemented an auto-travel feature when on horseback to allow players to go off and do something else while the game literally plays itself.

However, this doesn’t have to be the case, as there is room for wide-open spaces to really mean something, both mechanically and narratively. For one, the art of traveling can be a meditative experience, especially when the developer implements unique features like the dynamic camera angles seen in Red Dead Redemption 2. In fact, the often hauntingly beautiful emptiness of Red Dead Redemption 2’s world is one of the many ways it is better than GTA 5, as it respects the player, rarely overwhelming them, and allowing them to embrace the world at their own pace.

When the setting and experience call for it, like with RDR2, then developers can utilize these open spaces to emphasize the protagonist’s internal struggles, the magnitude of a journey, or better realize a location.

Often, it is better for a game to shrink in size, rather than expand. Titles like Yakuza, for example, are evidence of this, as, while the series has only gotten bigger as it’s gone on, the worlds always remain manageable and detailed. However, when the setting and experience call for it, like with RDR2, developers can utilize these open spaces to emphasize the protagonist’s internal struggles, the magnitude of a journey, or better realize a location. It can also allow for emergent gameplay, like some of RDR2’s best surprising moments, as the grander scale reduces the potential for repeated scenes.

RDR2’s World Isn’t Empty, Just Expansive

It Prioritizes Natural Beauty

All of this is to say that Red Dead Redemption 2’s open world isn’t empty, even though, at times, it can feel like it. Having bandit camps, towers to climb, or even a million collectibles to find scattered across RDR2’s expansive plains wouldn’t have felt realistic or authentic. Rather, much like Kingdom Come: Deliverance, another piece of historical fiction, Red Dead Redemption 2 uses its world to more accurately portray the life and experiences of people in the 1800s and thus elevate Arthur’s experience within it.

There is also a surprising amount to do in RDR2’s world, especially for those who engage more with the title’s life sim elements like hunting, fishing, and gathering. Even just aimlessly exploring can lead players to some of RDR2’s most beautiful locations, many of which lie far off the beaten path and require inquisitive minds to locate them. Of course, it is understandable that, for those who struggle with investing deeply in Red Dead Redemption 2’s more immersive features, or want a more traditional open-world experience, RDR2’s world will feel more sparse.

However, if one is willing to fully envelop themselves in the sprawling landscapes of RDR2 and embody the role of Arthur Morgan, then exploring much of the realistically depicted world becomes the experience more so than any specific gameplay activities. More than most games, Red Dead Redemption 2 requires players to buy into its unique approach to the open-world formula, and those who do will experience a Western like no other that offers an experience that no movie, book, or TV show could ever offer.