You load into RDR2 thinking youâre about to shoot some outlaws and ride your horse into the sunset like Clint Eastwood with better cheekbones.
Then BOOM. Youâre crying over a horse, finding a vampire, and mailing cigarette cards like a cowboy PokĂŠmon trainer.
Red Dead Redemption 2 isnât just one of the greatest games ever made â itâs a whole personality.
And if youâre not exploring the side quests, secrets, and collectibles?
Youâre playing 30% of the game and missing 100% of the soul.
đŽ The Game Doesnât Hold Your Hand â And Thatâs the Point
Thereâs no blinking light screaming âIMPORTANT MISSION HERE!â
You find weird stuff because youâre curious. You follow your gut, not a mini-map.
And thatâs where the magic is.
Like the crying ghost lady in Lemoyne, or the UFO hovering over a shack at 2 AM.
Or when you discover an outhouse hiding a mentally broken Braithwaite child that no one talks about.
This game rewards nosiness like no other.
đď¸ Itâs the World-Building For Me
Other open worlds feel like a sandbox.
RDR2 feels like a living place that existed long before you showed up and will go on long after youâre gone.
Youâll stumble into:
- A guy who got hit by lightning three times
- A woman who begs you to save her from a cult (then blames you)
- A veteran with one leg and a heart of gold
- A robot, alone in the snow, whispering âPapaâŚâ
These arenât side quests. Theyâre stories in the cracks of the world.
đ§ The Collectibles Donât Just Sit There â They Tell a Story
Sure, you can hoard them for 100% completion â but each collectible has lore, context, or mystery:
đď¸ Cigarette Cards
Found everywhere. Gorgeous vintage art. Collect sets, mail âem, get rewards.
Also? Peak âold-school cowboy hoarderâ energy.
𦴠Dinosaur Bones
Are they real? Is Deborah MacGuiness making stuff up?
Either way, youâre digging up prehistoric remains like Indiana Jones with a revolver.
đž Legendary Animals
Hunting these majestic beasts isnât just flex â itâs survival, fashion, and lore all wrapped in one.
That white bison? Thatâs god-tier coat material.
âď¸ Rare Weapons
Hidden in tombs, on mountains, in pirate ships (yes, really).
You donât buy these â you earn them. Like the Viking Hatchet in a burial chamber. Or Otis Millerâs revolver buried by fanboys.
đŞ Dreamcatchers & Rock Carvings
20 dreamcatchers. 10 carvings. Both lowkey mystical.
One gives you stat boosts. The other? Leads to a literal time traveler.
đ The Creepiest Stuff Youâll Find Without Ever Being Asked
This is where Rockstar goes full fever dream:
- A vampire in Saint Denis that only appears after decoding clues
- A bubbling witch cauldron in the forest (drink at your own risk)
- A shack filled with skeletons… sitting at a dinner table
- The aforementioned pig-baby mutant in a creepy attic
- The robot that mutters âPapaâ while looking into the void
No quest marker. No dialogue box. Just existential horror in cowboy form.
đ´ Horses Deserve an Entire Review of Their Own
You donât just ride horses â you bond with them. Brush them. Feed them. Talk to them like theyâre your emotional support animal.
And Rockstar makes sure each one has vibe:
- White Arabian: Fast. Beautiful. Endgame energy.
- Tiger Striped Mustang: Rare as hell. Makes you look dangerous.
- Missouri Fox Trotter: Smooth ride. Looks rich.
- Turkoman: Battle tank in horse form.
- Shire: Slow but majestic. Looks like it sings sea shanties.
When your horse dies? You feel it. You name the next one âArthur Jr.â and pretend youâre fine.
But youâre not.
đŹ Why This Game Lives in Peopleâs Heads Rent-Free
âI cried more over my horse than I did when my ex left.â â Reddit
âRDR2 isnât just a cowboy game. Itâs cowboy therapy.â â Twitter
âThis game made me nicer to strangers in real life.â â Literally Everyone Who Played
đ The Vibe? Unmatched.
Youâre not just Arthur Morgan.
You become him.
You ride into the mountains, gun on your hip, wind in your beard, looking for dinosaur bones and emotional closure.
You cry at sunset. You feed your horse. You read your dead loverâs letter by a campfire while wolves howl in the distance.
No one told Rockstar to go this hard. But they did.
đ§ Final Words (Before You Boot Up a New Save)
If you havenât experienced:
- The serial killer
- The alien encounter
- The ghost of Agnes Dowd
- All 16 legendary animals
- That one letter Arthur reads by the fire and nearly cries…
Then you havenât really played RDR2.
This game doesnât ask for your time.
It demands your soul.
đĽ Final Verdict:
Red Dead Redemption 2 isnât a game. Itâs a full-blown emotional cowboy simulator with trauma, ghost hunting, fashion pelts, and 144 cigarette cards.
And itâs DOPE. Always.