Reviewed by Megan Parker
The “Wild West” for whatever reason has always been one of my favorite periods in time. I seem to have this odd interest in insanely violent and cruel periods of time that are romanticized, the other being the Middle Ages. Anyway, until recently there have been very few games taking place in the West in the latter 19th century. Fortunately, Red Dead Revolver did it right.
Most of the game takes place in the shoes of Red, the main character. At the start of the game you play as a younger Red, where you learn how to shoot, then you get to shoot for real when raiders attack Pa’s homestead. Red tries his best, but his family is killed, though he does mark the lead man by shooting off his arm.
Several years in the future, Red is now a scarred and Clint Eastwood-esque bounty hunter. You learn a few more tricks, such as shooting from cover, Dead Eye, and Draw. Dead Eye is a bullet time like mode where you can roll the target over the enemies and various points will show up. Once you get the max or fire, Red shoots very fast, unloading his weapon. The Draw is probably the best way to do a showdown. Using the right analog stick, you move back, then forward, for a short time there is a bullet time like aspect where you get to pick your shots. It’s quick and nowhere near easy. If you lose a draw, you won’t necessarily die, but it’s much better to get the good and deadly shots off.
Most of the game takes place around a small town called Brimstone, where you’re lead to after a confrontation with a gang that wounds a sheriff. Brimstone has plenty of wanted women and men to take down and the sheriff is more than willing to let you take on the task. The environments are pretty diverse, well, as far as the Old West goes: from trains, to mountains, to ghost towns, and even riding shotgun on a stagecoach.
The story is pretty entertaining, taking significant influence from the spaghetti westerns like A Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The cut scenes are done in a sepia tone tint with dust and scratches running up and down the film. The story is involving and entertaining.
As it progresses, Red runs into various other characters, such as Jack Swift, Buffalo Soldier, Shadow Wolf, and my favorite, Annie Stokes. There is also a flashback with General Diego, a commander in the Mexican Army during the war with the US. When you play as each character, you get a great feel for them and their personalities, which helps later in the story. The characters are voiced pretty well and the acting is pretty good, though not fantastic. In Brimstone and a few other places you can talk to various people, though it’s not required. However, doing so does give you a little more depth and story.
The graphics are pretty stunning, with smoke, heat and dust adding to the atmosphere, the environments are beautiful to look at. The characters are done in a slightly cartoonish style, but are still very well done. Each character is actually dressed in a way they probably would have been, had they really existed, and the environments stay pretty true to the time period.
What’s most engaging is the gameplay. With the optional tutorials, you learn pretty quickly how to shoot fast and shoot well. Baddies in the game will drop ammunition and weapons, so the ones you start out with can broaden, depending on what’s dropped.
Shooting is very similar to first person shooters and targetting is easy. Headshots, if done right, will kill instantly… after, somehow, a snarky remark. How the dead people talk with a hole in their head is beyond me). Some baddies take more bullets than others, and those aren’t just the bosses.
Each weapon has its pros and cons; usually those with longer range do less damage than the short ranged, but are more accurate. As the game progresses, you can also buy new weapons as you like, upgrading your pistol to a revolver, and even dual revolvers if you so desire.
Most of the game isn’t too difficult, though you are graded on how much damage you take, your accuracy, and how fast you do it all. How well you do determines what you can unlock for free and what you might just have to buy.
The various characters give you a nice well-rounded game and keep it from getting too repetitive. Each of the playable characters has their own unique weapon and special ability (Buffalo Soldier seems to have rocket powered grenades, Diego has flairs and Annie has a particularly devastating shotgun blast.) Each is similar to Red’s Dead Eye ability, and limited in use.
There are also animals in the game, such as horses, bulls and buffalos. They are pretty easy to ride and shoot on, as long as the baddies are far enough away. If you’re just sadistic, you can just run over the enemies with said riding animals.
The game focuses mainly about killing, obviously. It’s not a mild game and there’s significant amount of violence and blood. You’re even rewarded well for the violence. For each shot that hits its mark, you get a certain dollar amount, the better the shot the more money you make. Money that you earn will buy you unlockable items, such as characters, showdown locations, and characters. Bosses will get you a bounty depending on how bad they are. The bosses are all pretty unique, and while some are a pain to fight, they are definitely entertaining to look at. My favorite was the crazy undertaker who carried a coffin with a gatling gun in it.
The game isn’t that long, but it is a satisfying game. There are plenty of replay opportunities on the single player mode. The multiplayer is relatively ok, taking a slight change on the typical death match type of games. Killing an opponent gets you a card that will give various power-ups, ammunition or health. There are a lot of characters that you can play with, unlocked in the single player by doing well, or just by buying them. There are also a fair amount of locals to choose from. The variety makes up for a somewhat lackluster multiplayer gameplay.
Red Dead Revolver is very well done, entertaining and a very fun game. Even if you’re not a fan of the old west but still like shooters, this is definitely worth at least a rental. With a great cast of characters, variety in gameplay and a great atmospheric look, it lives up to the Westerns of cinema.