Red Dead 2 frankly suffers from a lot of problems. It's gunplay and cover mechanics are archaic issues not new to Rockstar. It's narrative suffers from pacing problems that make the adventure feel bloated. There are mechanics that never feel fully realized and plenty of "should have been cutscene" game design moments. Overall the open world and the main story clash so often that this game shouldn't work.

But it does due to its story, characters and little moments. Arthur Morgan is one of the best written and performed characters in fiction. The setting is elevated by its atmosphere and there is a strong balance between levity and pain. It's a story and world worth exploring at least once. One about being apart of a world that doesn't want you anymore.

Red Dead 2 is a great game that I will never call a masterpiece. But it's a work of art none the less.