Spoilers ahead for Red Dead Redemption 2.
With Red Dead Redemption 2 earning copious amounts of praise and renown since its release six years ago, it's no surprise that its story has been cemented as one of gaming's best. The writing, acting, cinematography, and occasionally overwhelming degree of realism in Red Dead Redemption 2 all serve to elevate its immersive and affecting narrative, which spans eight hard-hitting chapters.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is akin to a big-budget prestige TV show: it's eight distinct chapters are much like eight seasons of a show, and the missions couched within these chapters are like individual episodes that move the narrative along. Then, all the "seasons" come together to tell a broad, epic story. But much like even the best TV shows, certain chapters of Red Dead Redemption 2 are generally more well-regarded than others. This relative quality disparity has sparked a great deal of discussion over the years, so it's worth delving into how each chapter holds up in comparison to its counterparts.
Red Dead Redemption 2: Why Arthur's Hat is So Important
Arthur's signature hat in Red Dead Redemption 2 is a good-looking accessory, but it represents more than a great sense of style.
3 S-Tier: Impactful Moments and Exciting Locales
Chapter 3: Clemens Point
This chapter introduces players to the town of Rhodes, Red Dead Redemption's troubled, dusty, deep-south town haunted by a long-standing rivalry between the Grays and Braithwaites. It's during this mission that the game starts really pulling back the curtain on Dutch's irresponsibility, as he throws the gang directly into the middle of the Gray-Braithwaite feud when they are trying to keep a low profile. Chapter 3 remains incredibly engaging and interesting throughout, and culminates in The Battle of Shady Belle, one of the most explosive shootouts in the game.
Chapter 4: Saint Denis
On the run from the Pinkertons, the gang drags itself to Saint Denis, a bustling metropolis heavily inspired by New Orleans. Saint Denis is perhaps RDR2's most interesting city, and that alone makes this chapter deserving of a high ranking, but its story elevates it even further. Chapter 4 introduces major characters like Angelo Bronte, whose struggle with Dutch illustrates the latter's descent into insanity. The chapter is host to a number of stellar missions as well, including a pivotal bank robbery that throws the gang into disarray.
Chapter 6: Beaver Hollow
The final, heartbreaking chapter of Red Dead Redemption 2 is what solidifies the game as a modern classic. The Van der Linde Gang finally falls apart, as Dutch reaches the pinnacle of his corruption and everyone goes their separate ways. This chapter always ends with Arthur's demise, but the context of his death can change drastically depending on what choices the player made up to this point. It's a satisfying, if brutal and potentially mean-spirited, finale that serves as an emotional send-off to one of gaming's best protagonists.
2 A-Tier: Turning Things Up a Notch
Chapter 2: Horseshoe Overlook
After a rather slow start, Red Dead Redemption 2 flings wide open with Chapter 2, which sets players loose on the game's map. The chapter is the stage for the iconic Arthur-Lenny drinking mission, alongside a number of other similarly endearing and narratively impactful moments; out of the cold and bitter mountains, the gang finally gets a chance to breathe, which allows Arthur, and the player by extension, to get to know them better. In many ways, this is when the true Red Dead Redemption 2 experience starts, even if it's not necessarily explosive from a storytelling perspective.
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Epilogue Part 2: Beecher's Hope
It's dragged down by a couple of slow points, including the much-teased house-building montage, but the second leg of Red Dead Redemption 2's epilogue is also home to some of the game's best moments. For fans of the first Red Dead Redemption, it's a treat to get more insight into things like how Marston got ahold of his Beecher's Hope ranch and how Uncle wound up living with him. John's reunion with Sadie and Charles is a nice beat as well. And of course, this chapter houses the true ending of the game, which sees players finally enacting retribution on Micah Bell.
1 B-Tier: Slow-But-Interesting Sections
Chapter 1: Colter
RDR2's first chapter is something of a mixed bag. On the one hand, its slow, escalating pacing and thick atmosphere make it a perfect slow-burn opening, constantly building toward a bombastic, wild-west finale. It also introduces many of Red Dead Redemption 2's best characters while effectively recontextualizing major players from the first game, like John, Dutch, and Abigail. At the same time, it can be excruciatingly slow at times, and tasks like finding John in the mountains or learning how to hunt with Charles can be a slog, especially on repeat playthroughs when their tutorialized nature becomes more clear.
Chapter 5: Guarma
Guarma gets a bad rap, with many RDR2 fans considering it the weakest stretch of the game. Some of the criticism of this chapter is a bit undeserved, as Guarma has a lot going for it, serving as a fresh location with fun new characters and concepts to engage with. Indeed, on its own, Chapter 5 is pretty strong, with thrilling shootouts and captivating plotlines, but it's its place in the broader RDR2 story that places it in this lower tier: Chapter 5 can feel disconnected from the rest of the narrative, slowing things to a halt while also temporarily locking players out of side content on the mainland, which can be frustrating.
Epilogue Part 1: Pronghorn Ranch
The heart-wrenching Chapter 6 is chased by the first part of Red Dead Redemption's epilogue, which jumps ahead a few years and puts players back in the shoes of John Marston. Having the chance to play as this iconic protagonist once again is a great surprise (aided by some fun Easter eggs, like John's inability to swim), and seeing him attempt to provide for Abigail and Jack is a ray of hope in an otherwise depressing finale. That said, this first chapter of the epilogue can be slow, with certain moments that feel more like filler content than hard-hitting story beats. Part 2 of the epilogue suffers from similar issues, but it is improved by its satisfying and thrilling final mission, which is something that this first part lacks.
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Released
- October 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
America, 1899. The end of the wild west era has begun as lawmen hunt down the last remaining outlaw gangs. Those who will not surrender or succumb are killed. After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him. From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic tale of life in America at the dawn of the modern age.
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Engine
- RAGE
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- How Long To Beat
- 50 Hours
- Metascore
- 97
