It's stunning that this managed to live up to all the expectations that had time to grow in my brain in the two years between release and playing it. And yet, carrying on much of the spirit of RDR, once again there is a lovingly crafted world that begs you to explore it, while telling a gripping tale of a cowboy who has no choice but to come to terms with the death that surrounds not just their daily adventures, but that which is coming for them and their entire way of life. Despite the surface level similarities, and knowing what happens to so many of the characters, it somehow carries on unweighted, carving its own path through what should feel like well trod wilderness. The characters are drawn in beautiful detail, earning sincere emotion in response to their all too real lives.

I could criticize a little. The challenges are exercises in specificity, rather than interesting goals. The item list is almost untenable. The real world costs of creating this experience is all too real. Seeing the whole of the world is nigh impossible, unless you're the sort to give this game your life.

But, not every game should be built to be seen all of. Knowing that there are animals I'll never see, small farmsteads with hidden cigarette cards or tiny personal stories that will slowly fade into nothing with the march of time, folks who asked a favor and will wait for a bluebird carcass in the mail, forever fruitlessly, it only further sells the beauty of this tiny, huge, fascinating land.

And, apparently there's an online mode, but who would play that?