One Word Review: Grimy
One Word Review: Red Dead Redemption
Review: Grimy
Grimy is a word that describes the look of the world in Red Dead Redemption, but it also describes the disgusting characters in the game. Every moment of RDR, the player is aware of the dirt, dust, mud, blood, and disease. It splatters the screen when you skin an animal, it’s stirred up while riding your horse, and it even is present on the whores who work at the saloons in the game.
The characters are just as fleshed out as the environment in RDR. Not all characters are without merit though. I grew to actually empathize with some of the traditional bad guy characters almost as much as I did with John Marston. I really thought that they did a good job with Dutch, who epitomized the lawless man with no choice in the acts that he committed. On the other side of the coin, Colonel Allende was a despicable character who was juxtaposed with the rebel leader, Abraham. Rockstar did a good job of making me believe that Abraham was an honest character who just wanted freedom for his country (A story that pulls at most Americans’ heart strings). But, towards the end of these two mission lines we come to understand that the two characters have their good points and their bad. And, in the end, I was torn who to hate more in the end.
Grimy is also a slang word, which means really good. I would definitely say, “Red Dead Redemption is grimy!” Rockstar has honed their craft over the years in such a way that it becomes nigh unthinkable that somebody could not love this game. There was something about the western aesthetic that grabbed me by the balls and kept me pinned down, that the GTA games have not been able to do. I, like many people, usually get bored with GTA about halfway through. Things like repetitive missions, tedious side missions, and a boring everyday life environment keep me from finishing those games. But, in RDR I always felt like the missions were fun and challenging. When I didn’t want to get back into the story right away the Journal kept me busy throughout the game with a ton of interesting challenges.
Red Dead Redemption starts with a few easy missions to get you into the swing of things, and from the beginning you realize how dirty the world is. We do not even see a proper road until the end of the game when we return to Blackwater. After meeting Seth, the dirtiness of the world really becomes evident. His character is just as disgusting as the mud on his unwashed face. He, like many Americans, treasures money above everything else. Rockstar is really good at getting into the American psyche and really tearing it apart.
One thing that was particularly grimy about this game was its approach to Native Americans and their place in this time in history. I don’t think that Rockstar approached this subject with enough gusto. The creators may have been worried about potential backlash. I think they did well with what they did, but I really wish there was more.
I am glad that they didn’t have any Native American bonuses or games. But, I do wish that they would have incorporated them more into the story. The Mexican rebels, who would probably have been living a traditional lifestyle at the time, didn’t get much time in the story as a whole. Nastas was a really good character, especially when he was paired with Dr. MacDougal. The shootout in Tall Trees had some good dialog concerning the treatment of Native Americans by their European overlords. But, in the end, I really was dissatisfied with Rockstar’s portrayal of their Native American characters. I wish that they would have incorporated them more into the story. Hopefully, they will come back to this environment and give Native Americans more of a chance to tell their stories. It doesn’t “just” have to be about the evil white man, there are so many stories to take from and create a fictional yet real story.
After playing this game for over 50 hours, online and off, I don’t think I can recommend it enough. This is definitely a contender for game of the year in my book. Rockstar has a new franchise on its hands and I think that this one, in my eyes, is not the main franchise in Rockstar’s stable. The highest praise that I can give this game is that I started this game and didn’t finish until the story was over. I can’t say that for many games. This game is truly grimy.
