At first glance, it may seem strange to compare Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 with Kojima Production’s Death Stranding, yet there is a baseline that connects the two: the mundanity. Each game, at times, takes on a painstaking approach that can leave some players frustrated, while also encouraging growth, depth, and investment in the endgame world. Whether its making a delivery as Sam or picking up groceries with Sadie Adler as Arthur Morgan, both Red Dead Redemption 2 and Death Stranding make the point of gritty realism in the game.
Yet, while each appear to ostensibly be aiming for the exact same thing, RDR2 seemingly captures that more and creates a better overall atmosphere. There’s no doubt that both are great games, with Death Stranding recently earning the Best Game Direction at the Game Awards 2019, but here are 5 ways that Red Dead Redemption 2 succeeds where Death Stranding fails.
The Travel Works Better
In breaking down the core gameplay loop, Death Stranding is about delivering packages where merits and statistics are judged by how well cargo is delivered and the environment is navigated. The Social Strand system is noteworthy for how it helps deal with various environments, but this is not altogether different from RDR2. In Rockstar’s western, players are on the run from the law, following one Dutch Van Der Linde scheme into the next and traveling around the world. This focus on travel is re-emphasized by its environment.
Red Dead Redemption 2 players will spend a lot of time on horseback, getting to really appreciate the world that Rockstar has created. Some have accused this of being boring—it’s not a one size fits all scenario, after all—but for those who enjoy beautiful video games, the travel here captures that so much more than Death Stranding. The aforementioned gameplay loop, at its worst, can really bog down the world that players find themselves in.
The Gritty ‘Realism’
Each game approaches its fictional setting with a sort of gritty realism, with Red Dead Redemption 2 obviously focused on the Wild West and Death Stranding more focused on contemporary society. The latter features Monster Energy Drinks, receiving “likes,” social anxiety and separation, and has been influenced by politics like Brexit and Donald Trump. While this commentary should be welcomed, it’s worth noting that this can be ironically immersion breaking, the exact opposite of its intent. Plenty of gamers approach the medium as an escape, and drinking Monsters in the same world where players have to battle giant BTs and carry around a Bridge Baby breaks that immersion.
On the other hand, Red Dead Redemption 2 players have to maintain their horses, their guns, their cores (or risk Arthur Morgan becoming obese), while also being exposed to dangers of the Wild West like bandits. Focusing on the realism of then is a success story where too much emphasis of the realism of now hinders Death Stranding in many ways.
The Setting and the Story
This is not to say that either game’s setting or story is necessarily better than the other, but Red Dead Redemption 2’s setting captures its story in many ways that Death Stranding’s does not. Simply put, RDR2 could not happen anywhere else besides the Wild West, with the notions and ideas of that time constantly being at the forefront. Death Stranding, however, could really take place anywhere. Its social commentary, sure, applies to contemporary society, but they are also issues relevant to any society. Death Stranding could have been in a fictional world or any other country, and its story would still apply. In this regard, Red Dead Redemption 2’s setting is much more prevalent and success where Death Stranding’s setting fails.
The Role of Fathers
The role of fathers is not a new theme to Red Dead Redemption, but there’s so much to it in the sequel. The Dutch Van Der Linde Gang is one big dysfunctional family, with Arthur Morgan viewing Dutch as a father figure who raised him. As such, it becomes really hard to balance loyalty and expectation for Arthur, whose will to follow Dutch’s plan slowly deteriorates, and he realizes that Dutch has lost his way. For a man to witness that of his father is one thing, but the raw emotion in capturing that in-game, in Arthur having to try to save John from this life, and becoming a father figure/patriarch of the gang in its final days is gut-wrenching.
This is an area where Death Stranding shines, as the relationship between Sam Bridges, BB/Lou, and Cliff Unger create a similar relationship. Many consider Cliff to be a sympathetic character as a result, but the overdramatics pits this theme behind Red Dead Redemption 2. The latter told a straightforward story, and while surprises and twists are welcome story mechanics, they don’t have the same effect on relationships as solid character development.
Sam Porter Bridges vs. Arthur Morgan
Character development is key, and the one of the final areas where Red Dead Redemption 2 trumps Death Stranding. Arthur’s role in the Wild West as an outlaw, the realistic touches that make no two Arthur Morgans the same, the search for love in a loveless world, the need of a family and a patriarch, and everything else that takes place makes characters really connect with Arthur Morgan. He is a complex character, yet one filled with such simplicity and such bravado that its hard not to root and cry for the character.
Sam, on the other hand, is more about making connections to others, hearing their story and their dialogue. It’s about the world and these disconnecting events far more than it is about Sam, and without a solid lead character, the emotion frays. That’s not to say Bridges and the world around him isn’t an interesting character, but when it comes to development and emotional attachment, Arthur Morgan takes the Death Stranding cake.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Death Stranding is available now for PS4, with a PC releasing coming in 2020.
