Immersion is a term that gets thrown around a lot, but it has never hit me in a game quite like this one. The emphasis on verisimilitude is so impressive, and the characters feel so real as you observe them eat their dinner, play some poker, and offer you an in on their latest robbery.
The setting itself is awesome. The vistas of America at the turn of the 20th century are beautiful and the historical angle of this game will always be pretty neat. Blood feuds, Native American subjection, oil barons, and other US historical events are a really unique aesthetic for a video game which I have never seen before. The attention to detail is also super impressive. Little things like the journal, stranger quests, legendary animals, bounty hunting, and stagecoach robbing breathe so much life into the experience.
The game has fantastic characters that ultimately drive the experience. Arthur, Dutch, John, Lenny, Javier, Tilly, Kieren, Sadie. They all bring something interesting to the table and feel real. The game puts you in their shoes and has you learning how they feel about how things are and what brought them to this point. Dutch is very fun and just a neat character overall. Arthur is also a great protagonist his development from outlaw to morally decent outlaw is a fitting one. I can concede that the game gets a bit less enjoyable towards the end. The gang HQs are much more bleak for obvious reasons and the game does drag on a bit, Things went to shit for the gang and I was kinda sad about it because I actually felt like I was a part of things which is at least impressive to me.
The gameplay is classic Rockstar which I can find stupid fun in, but it is ultimately shallow. You ride your horse to a location and shoot people typically but the game is always dressing it up and keeping things interesting. Not to mention cutscenes and story moments always adding much more meaning to the mundanity. The music also helps big time in that regard. Some of these songs absolutely slap and add stakes to huge moments in this game. There are a lot of really neat moments that will stick in my mind for years to come.
Overall, this game has got a very interesting world, a great story with compelling characters, and will make you feel a level of comradery that is very special. All those details weren't for nothing. everything hit so much harder because the characters, world, and story felt real.
The setting itself is awesome. The vistas of America at the turn of the 20th century are beautiful and the historical angle of this game will always be pretty neat. Blood feuds, Native American subjection, oil barons, and other US historical events are a really unique aesthetic for a video game which I have never seen before. The attention to detail is also super impressive. Little things like the journal, stranger quests, legendary animals, bounty hunting, and stagecoach robbing breathe so much life into the experience.
The game has fantastic characters that ultimately drive the experience. Arthur, Dutch, John, Lenny, Javier, Tilly, Kieren, Sadie. They all bring something interesting to the table and feel real. The game puts you in their shoes and has you learning how they feel about how things are and what brought them to this point. Dutch is very fun and just a neat character overall. Arthur is also a great protagonist his development from outlaw to morally decent outlaw is a fitting one. I can concede that the game gets a bit less enjoyable towards the end. The gang HQs are much more bleak for obvious reasons and the game does drag on a bit, Things went to shit for the gang and I was kinda sad about it because I actually felt like I was a part of things which is at least impressive to me.
The gameplay is classic Rockstar which I can find stupid fun in, but it is ultimately shallow. You ride your horse to a location and shoot people typically but the game is always dressing it up and keeping things interesting. Not to mention cutscenes and story moments always adding much more meaning to the mundanity. The music also helps big time in that regard. Some of these songs absolutely slap and add stakes to huge moments in this game. There are a lot of really neat moments that will stick in my mind for years to come.
Overall, this game has got a very interesting world, a great story with compelling characters, and will make you feel a level of comradery that is very special. All those details weren't for nothing. everything hit so much harder because the characters, world, and story felt real.