1 
0 It’s time to get back in the saddle and take up John Marston’s reins. Red Dead Redemption has finally made its way to PC. Rockstar’s second adventure in the wild west initially released in May 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and received critical acclaim. Undead Nightmare was released a few months later as an expansion on the original story which featured John Marston fighting against the hoards of undead as they tried to take over the West and Mexico.
Controversially, I loved the first Red Dead Redemption more than its sequel. It had me gripped from the start and had one of the best online multiplayer systems ever, the online in the second game doesn’t even come close. Add in Undead Nightmare – probably one of the best DLCs of all time, if you ask me – and it was an all round perfect game at the time of release. Rockstar abandoned the online servers after a few issues and eventually moved on to other things but Red Dead still deserves its time to shine now that it has made a home on the Steam store.
American appetites, haunted Tumbleweeds and ex gang members on the loose.
Gameplay
Post the events of Red Dead Redemption 2 (which is actually a prequel to the first game), you play as John Marston. He’s an old-school, ex outlaw who’s wife and child have been taken hostage by the government. To get them back John must hunt down the remaining living members of his old gang. As you play through you’ll make new friends with sheriffs, ranch owners and more as well as travelling across the border to Mexico to put and end to some unfinished business.
Throughout your time on the quest, you will be pulled down to different paths – that of the outlaw and the reformed man. Ultimately it is up to you which route you want to take but every decision has a consequence. Whilst not as in-depth as its more recent counterpart, Red Dead Redemption does give you some pretty steep choices to make as you develop your relationship with those around you. With high honour you get access to a cool little outfit, lower honour gives you access to a unique mount but beyond that it doesn’t make much difference.
Most will know the story of the first Red Dead Redemption, but how does it play on PC? I did predominantly play with a controller when testing this game. If you’re planning on using a PS controller it will remap to match the layout of an Xbox controller. It doesn’t really make much of a difference in play style aside the button prompts not matching. I did test the keyboard controls and they’re not overly complicated, so those that are keyboard and mouse fans will definitely be able to get to grips with the control system.
Side quests and world exploration
Red Dead Redemption offers a decent amount of reasons for you to explore the open world map. Strangers appear throughout the world whilst exploring John’s backstory and offer fun little side missions. Typically, these stranger quests are fetch quests but there are some that are multiple parts and offer a more in depth story, giving you a greater insight into the wild west. American Appetites has always been one of my favourite stranger quests. As mentioned, in some cases the stranger quests don’t really add much, but American Appetites adds another layer to the overall world.
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
Undead Nightmare was the DLC that was released for Red Dead Redemption a few months after its initial release. Taking part in an alternate universe, in Undead Nightmare you continue as John Marston in a single player horror-themed story. It is up to you – John – to find the cause of this zombie outbreak and put a stop to it, revisiting all of those old friends you made in your main story.
Graphics & Audio
Despite its age, Red Dead Redemption is as beautiful as it has ever been. Sometimes when you go back to older games you think ‘damn… how did I ever think this looked good?’. For Red Dead, it is a completely different story. The setting is still beautiful, the lighting is still amazing and the character models still look really good. In Undead Nightmare, some of the zombie models do look dated but the vibes are unmatched.
I will say, in comparison to its sequel, there is a lot of areas in the game that just feel empty. It isn’t annoying or off-putting. This is the wild west after all and not everywhere can be inhabited by something new. With a smaller map yet just as much to do, it does just feel like you’re running through filler. Very pretty filler that is screenshot worthy, but filler nonetheless.
Longevity
A 100% run of Red Dead Redemption can take over 35 hours. If you’re looking at just completing the story, though, then it will take you around 20 hours. There is plenty to do in the game aside from the story. There’s a whole range of flowers, animals to hunt and strangers to meet before you can say you’re done. That’s before you even step into Undead Nightmare. The DLC story will take you around 7 hours to complete and has its own set of strangers and collectibles. This means your playtime can look at something over 10 hours.
Final Thoughts
Red Dead Redemption has been and probably always will be one of my top ten games. I was a bit sceptical about the move over to PC simply because I’ve seen some of my favourite games moved over poorly. That was not the case for this game. Rockstar has made some great adjustments to make this game perfect for PC players. For those that enjoyed Red Dead Redemption 2 when it came out then its worth picking up and exploring the story line. It’s also very welcoming to brand new players who are looking to take their first steps into the world of Red Dead Redemption. Overall, this game belongs in the library of any narrative story fan.
It goes without really needing an announcement that I’m giving Red Dead Redemption the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
If you’re looking to expand your Steam library a little further you can check out our PC reviews here!
YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Discord | Podcast
About Author
