The hype train for Red Dead Redemption 2 is on full throttle, and with the release date becoming ever closer it’s time to have a look at the new gameplay trailer Rockstar have put out.
From this we can see immediately that there will be a lot to do around RDR 2’s ‘living world’, and the game is shaping up to be the ultimate Western experience we all wished for from the sequel.
Story-wise and the trailer didn’t have a lot to mention (it is a gameplay trailer after all), but we do have a few things confirmed, namely the fact that you will play as Arthur Morgan, a senior member of the notorious Van der Linde Gang, as the gang are on the run across an industrialising America. In the late 1800s America is changing, turning from a more rural country and developing into the modern powerhouse it would come to be. And this ain’t good for the outlaws of the Van der Linde Gang, so much so that they are constantly on the run from the authorities.
It is due to the fact that the gang are always on the run across America that the camp system comes into play. Each new area the gang temporarily settles in, whether that be the desert, mountains or American heartland, will open up a new hub of sorts, which you as the player must contribute to in order to keep morale high. To do this, you will have to provide the camp with food and supplies acquired from hunting in the world, and talking to each member of the gang will open up new opportunities for mischief and secrets. Your gang is your family – so make sure to respect and care for them!
It isn’t only your gang members you will be interacting with. In fact Rockstar have been keen to emphasise that the world Morgan finds himself in is a ‘living world’ – full of different personalities that will respond to how you treat them. In a deepened honour system from RDR if you will, you will come across many people in sticky situations – and choosing to help, leave or punish them will result in different consequences. Help the guy stuck in a bear trap and possibly get a reward – or be the bad guy and leave him? Also, you may wish to intimidate a witness into withholding a call to the authorities against you, but chances are this gives you some bad karma. It’s completely up to you how your Arthur Morgan is viewed and reacted to in the world of Red Dead Redemption 2.
Animals and wildlife have always been a huge part of Read Dead, and with the sequel this is most definitely no exception. Across each of the diverse environments there will be a ton of prey, predators and scavengers for you to hunt – or be hunted by – for a quick buck or to take to your camp. Horses, of course, are the main method of transportation because given the size of the map you won’t want to traverse solely by foot: the more time you spend with your horse and the more you care for it, the easier it will be to control, vital in gunfights, and different horses will be suited to different situations.
A brief mention of refined combat, shooting and the dead-eye mode all designed to make the experience just that bit more fluent and realistic and that’s pretty much it with regards to what the latest Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer has told us. Be sure to check out the trailer for yourself and let us know what you are most looking forward to doing in RDR 2 in the comments below and on the usual social medias.
