Many open world video games place a heavy focus on horse riding- some get it wrong, while others do a better job. Red Dead Redemption 2, though, is looking to do something completely unprecedented, by putting an even more emphasis on the mechanic. Building a bond with your horse will be key, and from what we’ve heard of the system so far and how it will interact with so many other parts of the game (such as inventory management), it seems it’s going to be crucial to progression.
Notably, though, if your horses die in Red Dead Redemption 2, they’ll stay dead. At this point, you’re stuck with only one option- getting a new horse, starting from scratch, and building up that bond all over again. According to Rockstar North’s director of technology, Phil Hooker, that permadeath is a crucial mechanic, and ties intrinsically with how important building a bond with your horse is to begin with.
“As you play the game, caring for and feeding your horse, calming it when it’s scared and encouraging it when it’s tired, naming it, looking after it – you can’t help but develop a bond with it,” Hooker said while speaking with GamesRadar. “It’s your closest, trusted companion and you are nearly always together. To cement the strength of the bond we had to make it vulnerable so you respect and cared for it as you play, so it feels personal and real.”
What I’m interested in knowing is how, or even if, these mechanics will be translated in Red Dead Online. We’ll find out how well it’s executed in the single player when reviews start going live on October 25.
Red Dead Redemption launches on October 26 for the PS4 and Xbox One. However, if you pre-ordered the game, you can begin pre-load tomorrow.