Red Dead Redemption II review: Getting muddy in the wide-open frontier

Enlarge / Scenic riding, one of life's great pleasures in 1899 and 2018.

"We're bad men. But we're not them."

Red Dead Redemption II is not a tale about people who often do good things, as protagonist Arthur Morgan sums it up early in the game. This game's central band of outlaws is sympathetic at times but never blameless.

Ostensibly, this dirty lens on life is used to tell an earnest story about outlaws struggling to survive on the edge of modernity. Indeed, many of the vignettes found in this fictionalized version of the American West are beautiful, and many of the real-world experiences of vagabonds and frontier folk are distilled into some exceptional arcs. But these plains are vast, and not everything on offer presents a clear vision.

As Arthur Morgan, you take on the role of the gang's enforcer, and you get to manage Arthur's life like an elaborate Wild West Tamagotchi. You'll have to keep track of his food and water intake, keep him comfortable in all kinds of locales and temperatures, and even manage his mane and beard. On top of that, you can hunt for food, track down outlaws, run heists, and bond with your horse (which means training, feeding, and caring for it in turn). I could go on.

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