Red Dead Redemption 2’s launch is a little over a month away now, and as we get closer to the day, Rockstar have begun to pull back the curtain a bit on the upcoming game. Tons of new information on the game recently came out as a result of a round of hands-on previews across several outlets (you can find a compilation of the biggest talking points over at ResetEra).
One of the more notable pieces of information we’ve learned is the fact that characters will need to dress according to the weather they find themselves in, in a system that is similar to what we saw last year in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and not doing so will negatively impact your stamina. Arthur, the game’s protagonist, will also get hungry over time, which means he will have to eat, but doing too much of that will make him fatter (which makes sense), which will also harm your character’s stamina (which also makes sense). Your stamina is, of course, a stat (one among many) that can be improved by doing various activities within the game’s world, similar to what Rockstar themselves have done in the past with the likes of GTA: San Andreas and GTA 5.
Something else that we’ve received a lot of new information on is hunting, which we’ve known for some time will be an integral mechanic in Red Dead Redemption 2. Apparently, the mini-cutscene you see while skinning an animal has been changed up from the original Red Dead Redemption, and now you will see Arthur physically skinning the animal the way an animal is supposed to be skinned (though it doesn’t seem like the animation will be too long-drawn, in case you’re worried about that). Additionally, while you’re skinning an animal, you will be able to see the wounds on its body from when and how you killed it, including entry and exit wounds from arrows or bullets.
Honor is yet another central mechanic in Red Dead Redemption 2, which, by the looks of it, works somewhat similarly to Red Dead Redemption. In every aspect of your interactions with NPCs, you will have several choices available to you in how you want to behave with them (which is something that we’ve known about for while now, actually), which will not only change their disposition toward you, but also affect your Honor meter. Something that’s related to this is your Wanted meter, which will work in interesting ways- for instance, if you’re committing a crime while wearing a bandana, and then take it off once you’ve fled the scene, your Wanted level will decrease at a quicker rate. Additionally, you can also pay off any bounties you may have on you yourself at any time, but even after doing so, civilian NPCs will remember your actions and will treat you and behave around you accordingly.
Beyond these three main points, we also have a lot of details on some of the finer details in the game, which sound suitably awesome. For example, within the game, you can buy newspapers, which will all continually report on events that occur within the game’s story. You can also, incidentally, pet dogs, and once you’ve done so, that dog will remember you as a friend, and won’t bark at you or behave aggressively if it sees you again.
As part of this info blowout, we also recently learned that Red Dead Redemption 2 will have a full-fledged first person mode, customizable HUD, and will also give players a camera that they can click photographs (and selfies) with (though Rockstar claims it will make contextual sense within the game’s setting). Read about those things through the links.
Red Dead Redemption 2 launches on October 26 for the PS4 and Xbox One, though Rockstar have made it clear that it is “absolutely not” coming to PC, in case there was still any doubt. Red Dead Online, meanwhile, will be launching as public beta in November.