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When I boot up Red Dead Redemption 2 for the first time in four years, I have no idea where I am. Arthur Morgan stands in a vast open field, and the only thing in sight for miles is a small house. Spying my white spotted horse just behind me (who I apparently called Sugar), I decide there's nothing for it but to get right back in the saddle. The trouble is, I feel like a newborn calf who's learning to walk, because I can't even remember how to do the most basic of things – like get on my horse.
Fumbling with my PS5 controller, I suddenly pull out my gun and proceed to fire some rapid shots that make me jump out of my own skin. Narrowly missing Sugar, who's understandably neighing in alarm, I start to wonder if I should immediately hang up my cowboy hat. I mean, I nearly murdered my own horse not two minutes into returning to Rockstar's take on the Wild West. And I wish I could tell you that my first hour got any better, but that would be a big fat lie.
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I do eventually figure out that pressing triangle will get me on my horse, but I don't really know where to go from there. Red Dead Redemption 2 doesn't have a quest log in the traditional way of RPGs, after all, and I can't say I exactly remember where I left off so long ago. I stepped away from the adventure back in 2021, not because I didn't enjoy my 50 some hours and change as Arthur Morgan, but because other games came along that demanded my attention.
I didn't get all that far into the main story either, since I fell in love with exploration, and chose instead to spend most of my time enjoying simply dilly-dallying about the world. But the game has never been too far from my mind, and I've always wanted to get back to it and see Arthur's journey through to the end once and for all. After a cursory glance at the story menu to see what had happened in the three chapters I'd already completed, I pull up my map to see where the heck I am.
Realizing I'm far away from any mission objectives, I mosey on over to the only place I can see: the small house. Complete with a pig sty and dogs, I once again play around with inputs to see how to pet the dog, and greet the homeowner – who doesn't appear to mind that I'm trotting about his property, or that I'm saying hello to him when he's taking a dump in his outhouse.
I quickly start to fall into my old habits as I start riding with no destination in mind. As it turns out, I'm quite near a small town settlement that has a saloon and a general store. When a tantalizing marker flashes on my map indicating something's nearby, I take it as a sign that it's where I need to go. Now, it's important to bear in mind I've been playing for about 15 minutes at this point, and I'm still a bit of a tenderfoot when it comes to controlling Arthur.
I say this because in my ineptitude at riding, I knock a walking pedestrian over when I bring my horse to a stop to investigate the marker by the general store. Just as my feet touch the ground, I'm slugged by his firm fist, and my hat lands smack into the mud. When I retaliate – by accidentally pistol whipping him in the face – he pulls out his own gun and draws the ire of the local shopkeep. I barely have time to pick up my hat before I can even register an errant bullet from inside the store that takes out my fisticuff opponent.
Just when I think things can't get any messier from here, the marker turns out to be a group who are out for my blood. Why? I couldn't tell you (Editor's note: they were the damn O'Driscolls!). But once my hat's back on, I'm being pelted with bullets. In vain, I attempt to fire back, but it's not long before the black and red screen of death greets me to tell me I'm well and truly dead.
Cowboy campfire
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At this point, I decide to take everything in stride. Surely, I think, nothing worse can happen now. After almost killing my horse, making a social outhouse faux-pas, and running someone over, death should have tied everything up in a lasso-sized disaster bow. And before anything else comes along, maybe I should just high tail it to a main story mission while I'm ahead.
But I should have known the Old West is nothing if not unpredictable, and the world is always fixin' to catch me off guard. Case-in-point? A question mark appears to signal the presence of a stranger of interest. How can I ignore that? Call me a fool, but I simply can't. The deathly shootout I'd just experienced told me I absolutely was not even close to being a true gunslinger again, so naturally the RPG decided to throw me a challenge that really tests my aim.
The stranger marker turns out to be a pair of fellows hellbent on impressing a lady. How do they want to do that? Well, by a show of bravery that forces me to shoot bottles balanced precariously on their heads. I just can't make it up. Some 30 minutes into this game, and this is what I have to do? One badly placed shot and I could kill a man. From my track record, I fear the worst.
As the bottles get progressively smaller and they decide to balance on one leg to up the ante, I hold my breath as I move the small aiming reticle above and hope for the best. By some miracle, I manage to get rid of every bottle without harming a hair on their heads, but I'm a nervous wreck and I decide enough is enough. This town isn't good for my health or Arthur's, and it's high time we leave. Finally setting a waypoint towards a mission, I sink into a long ride on the road, and it proves to be the perfect tonic to all that chaos.
From appreciating the scenery as I gallop along dirt roads, to politely greeting passerby, and stopping midway to say hello to a man at camp in need of herbs, I remember what Red Dead Redemption 2 is all about. Sure, it's undoubtedly entertaining to get swept up in random instances and stranger encounters, and it's a complete trail by fire to get thrown into both after four years away, but I've said it before and I'll say it again: taking things slow is absolutely where it's at in this RPG.
About half my way through my journey to reach my destination, I set up camp in the wilderness. The sun starts to dip down below the horizon, with a purple-hued sky decorating the moment as I cook some meat over a fire. When I set up a tent, I don't do anything. I just sit there, looking at the stars. This right here? This is really why I wanted to come back. To slow down, and just be.
I can already tell I'm going to be in for a long ride, but boy howdy am I ready to sink into Red Dead Redemption 2 again. While I'm determined to see through Arthur Morgan's story, I just know I'll continue to get lost in the world along the way (and no doubt get caught in some more chaotic hijinks).
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