The lack of western atmosphere in Red Dead Online

Some MMORPGs are set in fantasy world, some in medieval, other have futuristic Exotic weapons like Destiny2 or Outriders. Rockstar recently has been providing some new game modes into Red Dead Online, and that’s nice. The game doesn’t have much much content and players may feel like it’s empty here. But I wouldn’t say that these new modes are the content Red Dead Online I wished for. It’s fine in some cases, but rarely surpasses the RDO’s  fabulous and huge virtual wild west. That looks like devs are missing opportunity to create something great.

Several last updates Rockstar’s released for Red Dead Online have a fine list of new content. The most of it is new showdowns, rival PVP modes for players killing and pursuing each other. Well, sometimes it can be fine. I definitely liked Target Races. But almost all of these modes won’t give you this feeling of being the old west gunslinger. They more feel like modes that could have been took out of any other online multiplayer game.

Red Dead Online vs. Red Dead Redemption.

Well, in Red Dead Online’s we at least still have a bunch of online modes that are western themed, in contrast with its predecessor, Red Dead Redemption. But that game did try to make players feel like they are a dangerous gunslinger.

I like how every game mode started with a Mexican deadlock. Each player standing in front of the other one, holding a hand on their gun, waiting for the moment to draw their weapon and shoot someone down before getting killed themselves. Even the modes that were more standard deathmatches felt elevated by this splendid opening standoff. Red Dead Redemption’s multiplayer also have poker and liar’s dice, letting players to come to the saloon and play some cards after shooting some rivals off. And Red Dead Online feels uncompleted without those details.

Of course you can enjoy the huge world while riding your horse companion and lassoing up some folks. But as Rockstar creates more modes for this game, it feels like they could do more to tap us into the wild west atmosphere. All the beauty of this gorgeous and highly-detailed worlds is left unused, at least this is how I feel it, when they keep adding battle royale and CTF modes, which are good of course, but the western atmosphere? I don’t see any.

What I find interesting, some of my favorite modes in Red Dead Online happen to be the horse races. They feel different than the automobile races from GTA Online, for example. Controlling your horse’s endurance and your health made me feel like a one tough ass cowboy, of course until that moment someone kicked me off my horse.

Well, the majority of modes in RDO don’t provide me same emotional experience and I hope next updates will include more western-themed modes. Type of things that can only be placed in Red Dead Online. Like a mode where players have to wrangle nowt, rob a bank with their partners or even have duels.

If we leave aside PVP game modes, the world of Red Dead Online is full of amusing activities and some of them do a better work, letting you feel yourself in cowboy’s shoes. I particularly like protecting or attacking players’ post-chaises.

I remembered that moment I liked the most in Red Dead Online when I rode into town and looked for some activity that involved protecting a post-chaise. I found two other cowboys and asked if they wanted to participate. We cliqued up, started the journey and ended up talking about what we had done so far. In the end, we were assaulted by another gang of players. We defeated and got the post-chaise to where it should be. When we said goodbye to each other and rode off our own ways, I felt like the real Hollywood-style-cowboy. Very pleasing feeling.

And after many past updates, Red Dead Online hasn’t become the game I wished for. Red Dead Redemption 2 feels like a swamp, quiet and sluggishly moving. Red Dead Online, in contrast, feels more active and aggressive and it rarely feels like it is truly taking advantage of its unique setting or the highly detailed world.

I hope the next few years the developers of Red Dead Online won’t just keep adding PVP modes and clothing. I want to really feel that western spirit, not just score some headshots in a deathmatch mode.