The Music Of Red Dead Redemption 2: Original Score Review

Sadie Adler tends to do the same type of justifying to Arthur Morgan and John Marston as they see her ultra-violent tendencies. The difference is that behind those character flaws Sadie has the right intentions and wants to make bad people pay for their acti


Heralded as one of the best video game stories of all time, Red Dead Redemption 2 takes you down a path of hardship, one that is unrelenting and pockmarked with violence. While your choices in the game may amount to nothing more than a morality meter, this doesn't quite affect the overall playthrough. And, with a variety of stranger missions and side quests to follow, there's still nothing more memorable than the experiences bequeathed in the original. One of the most fascinating mechanics in Red Dead Redemption 2 are random events, wherein the player can choose to assist an ailing passerby or ignore them. This, however, becomes a consistent nuisance as you travel throughout the wide-open sandbox. It's almost as if the game itself is trying to pry you away from your own experience at every t


In the Slg game heroes, Micah Bell is most often seen using his pair of double-action revolvers. For a man who isn't dedicated or loyal to anything or anyone, he's especially concerned with his guns. After Arthur Morgan breaks him out of the cell in Strawberry, Micah pleads to go back and get his guns. He specifically tells Arthur that there isn't anything in the world he cares about except for his guns. Despite carrying twin revolvers, players can only loot a single one-off of his body when he's killed. It's just another reason to despise his very existe


Ever since playing the original Red Dead Redemption , one of my favorite characters across all forms of media has been Dutch Van der Linde. Struggling with demons from the past, fighting to live as an outlaw on the run, believing in himself as much as his followers, Dutch is a complex and complicated individual trying to survive in a world that has drastically changed around him. Much of what he represents and struggles with across both stories ironically reflects exactly what is wrong with the sequel game. Having waited almost ten years for a new, more beautiful Rockstar iteration, I could not wait to dive into Red Dead Redemption


The act of listening to this score pulls you right back into the experience of playing the game and watching its story unfold. Each song's instrument choice, structure, and climax emotionally matches the storyline in which it represents. For example, Mrs. Sadie Adler, Widow , structurally mirrors the narrative arc of its character, Sadie Adler. The low, melancholy strings start the track off in a tone of tragedy, calling to mind the fact that Sadie's story begins with the murder of her husband. The song continues to build in pace, as heavy drums and high strings come into the mix, setting a more powerful, menacing tone, and representing Sadie's transformation from victim to outlaw, and a full-blown member of the Van der Linde gang. We finally progress into a conclusion that resembles what might serve as the soundtrack for a horror movie set in the wild west, as screeching strings mirror the building of tension while Sadie accompanies John Marston on a mission to confront Micah Bell at the story's


If you as Arthur Morgan decide to antagonize Sadie Adler to an outlandish extent you'll be met with a cold hard slap. Sadie is already known for having a quick temper, so you can't say you didn't see it com


There are several other moments where the epic western score on this Woody Jackson album remarkably represent the complex nature of Red Dead Redemption 2 's story. Blood Feuds, Ancient And Modern , serves to mirror the age-old conflict between the Gray and Braithewaite families. The song begins with a slow sense of anxiety, as steady drums and a hypnotizing female vocal performance set the tone of the uneasy peace between the two families who have hated one another for as long as anyone can remember. It creates the feeling of a calmness constantly sitting on the edge of chaos. The drums begin to build, and the guitar licks become heavier to mirror the manner in which the Van der Linde gang stirs up the conflict between the two families, making uneasy alliances with both. After an absolutely epic rise and climax, the song falls back into a violin-led epilogue of tragedy, representing the fact that this conflict, fueled by greed, only resulted in de


With Micah Bell, it's hard to feel sorry for a guy who did earn a set of authentic and completely earned nicknames. Arthur Morgan came up with them and can be heard calling the Van Der Linde gang plague Micah Bell a rat, sickness, and snake. All of which are so perfectly fitt


Especially in the build-up to its release, Red Dead Redemption 2 was poised to be a game with no bounds. From the images and trailers I viewed consistently, the hype was as glorious as Grand Theft Auto V 's, maybe even bigger. Games like Nier and The Last of Us attained similar spells of immense hype, yet that same energy is still there. With The Last of Us 2 slated for release sometime later this year, the hype is ever-present and swirling, thanks to Troy Baker . Now, nearly a year into its life cycle, Red Dead Redemption 2 is faced with questions about quality. What could have been done better? Why has the hype all but dissipated? And what's with all the horse man