➤ Red Dead Redemption, the Nintendo Switch review of the classic Rockstar Games 🕹

Thirteen years after its debut, John Marston's story of violence and redemption also comes to Nintendo Switch: here is our review of Red Dead Redemption.

Red Dead Redemption returns thirteen years after the original publication and does so as part of a conversion in many ways unexpected, which surprisingly opens the doors of the series to a potentially new and undoubtedly vast audience, that of the owners of Nintendo Switch.

Without the decisions made in this case by Rockstar Games, which inevitably disappointed those who expected a remastering or even a new version for PC, PlayStation and Xbox, John Marston's adventure finds a completely new dimension on the Japanese hybrid console, especially thanks to portability. , although without introducing substantial improvements compared to the original for PS3 and Xbox 360.

Well, how does the game behave in this version? And what content does it offer exactly? For those interested in comparing the versions we have published a purely technical analysis of the PS4 and Switch ports, while for those approaching Rockstar's work for the first time, we tell you everything about the game in Red Dead Redemption review for Nintendo Switch.

Story: To hell and back

Red Dead Redemption, the Nintendo Switch review of the classic Rockstar Games — Red Dead Redemption, the first meeting between John Marston and Bonnie McFarlane

Set a few years after the events we talked about in the Red Dead Redemption 2 review, the history In Red Dead Redemption, John Marston is blackmailed by the feds and forced to hunt down his former colleagues from Dutch van der Linde's gang: the only way to find redemption in the eyes of the State and embrace his wife and son again. .

The protagonist's dramatic journey and its implications are in many ways the final nail in the coffin of an era, that of the Wild West, destined to end for some time; but not without bloody consequences, of which various witnesses testify characters that man who he will meet along the way, and with whom he will eventually form a friendship.

Marston, seriously injured during his first attempt to capture an old friend, is saved by Bonnie McFarlane, a strong and determined woman who takes him to her ranch in Hennigan's Stead and then to the town of Armadillo, where the former outlaw finds an important ally in Sheriff Johnson, happy to be able to count on the services of such a skilled gunman during their human chases.

The adventure takes place practically throughout three acts and the landscape also plays a central role in the events, contributing to the story with its evocative images and the unpredictability of the day/night cycle mixed with a dynamic climate, capable of giving life to sequences that are still suggestive today, despite the light. of the obvious technical limitations of a title published thirteen years ago.

The narrative structure of Red Dead Redemption is intertwined with the structural one, taking us to visit different places, to interact with more or less relevant characters in the story, perhaps found by chance, and to experience significant events, once again enhanced by the brilliant writing of Dan. Houser (here with Michael Unsworth and Christian Cantamessa), who gives the adventure a very specific style: rock star style.

In this sense, Houser's signature is evident in the dialogues and in what they say, more or less explicitly, appearing many times while we accompany someone on horseback, which is also a distinctive feature of the team. However, the "Old West" accent makes it difficult to understand the excellent English performance of the various actors, so the Spanish subtitles They can be really comfortable; even more so thanks to the new options to increase its size.

Structure: thirteen years and feeling it

There is no doubt that the open world of Red Dead Redemption feels the weight of time, characterized by a structure that seems very simple seen today, by small overall dimensions and by the presence of settlements that are quite similar to each other. that we will have to reach on horseback again and again during a campaign whose duration It's about twenty hours, where you focus only on the main missions.

As is tradition in Rockstar Games productions, in map We will see the initials of the names of the characters appear from time to time to whom we must turn to try our luck at some task: mostly independent narrative arcs, which can take very different paths but which in the end we will see converge in exciting choral sequences.

Net of the elimination of the multiplayer sector, in terms of content the game can count on very respectable numbers, both with regard to the main missions just mentioned and the secondary ones, with also the possibility of hunting bandits to collect the reward and access the inevitable mini-games available in some places, in this case poker, blackjack. , dice, five fingers and horseshoe toss.

Of course, there are aspects that are even more neglected today; for example the simplistic management of indicators fame and honor, which rise or fall depending on our behavior but without really affecting the development of events. However, nothing to say about the attention paid to unlockable and purchasable weapons, the selection of horses and collectibles.

Gameplay: The formula still works

Rockstar Games often offers its own interpretation of typical third-person action mechanics, especially when it comes to command layout, and Red Dead Redemption is obviously no exception. For example, we find in the game GTA's "choppy" gait, which is performed by repeatedly pressing the B button, and which acquires a specific value while driving, as it consumes the animal's stamina.

The actions are basically those expected from an experience of this type, although assigned to different keys and with some possible overlap; but it is more the way in which our character interacts and moves within the stage that reveals the real age of the product: from this point of view We can all feel John Marston's thirteen year adventure.. The modest density of the game world inevitably makes travel a bit boring, although it often happens that you come across an unexpected encounter, which can possibly give life to a little additional story. The narrative sector continues to play a fundamental role and this is even more important in this reissue, which, however, in its most eventful aspects it is pleasant and fun.

Il combat system, adjustable in three styles depending on the degree of aiming assistance, manages to involve without seeming really challenging (at least on the normal difficulty level), thanks to the possibility of taking advantage of cover and, above all, of using the iconic Dead Eye to activate a slow motion sequence in which you lock onto multiple targets and then hit them in very rapid succession.

Nightmare of the living dead

Red Dead Redemption relaunch also includes expansion Nightmare of the living dead. It is a horror-style spin-off in which John Marston finds himself having to face an unexpected zombie invasion that catches him by surprise, at night, while he is calm at home with his wife and his son.

The two are bitten and transformed into the undead, after which Marston is forced to tie them up and then gallop off in search of a doctor and a possible cure, only to discover that the plague has already spread to the various cities and that the hordes of living Dead They are increasingly numerous and hungry for living flesh. It seems the only way to stop the advance of this infernal army is to clear the streets in the presence of survivors and purification and cemeteries, setting coffins on fire and eliminating special zombies that act as a kind of Easter egg if you have completed the Red Dead Redemption campaign, something we highly recommend you do before accessing the expansion to avoid spoilers.

With plenty of body (it will take you about seven hours), Unfortunately, the Undead Nightmare experience has aged poorly. due to a formula that was already quite banal and inconsistent at the time, very limited in its mechanics and lackluster in its staging, which without careful direction ends up highlighting all the technical deficiencies of the game.

The Nintendo Switch version

Leaving intact the original geometries, textures and visual effects, which inevitably feel the weight of the years, the Nintendo Switch version of Red Dead Redemption increases the resolution of the game in docked mode, bringing it to 1080p instead of the 720p of the Xbox 360 and 640p of the PS3.

The most obvious improvement, however, is related to frames per second, which on the hybrid console maintains 30 frames per second absolutely stable, in all situations, although during the tests we had the feeling that it was unlocked and therefore variable. During crossovers, however, emergent phenomena are evident in shaders and stage elements. An obvious advantage of the Switch version lies in the possibility of playing John Marston's adventure for the first time on portability. Of course, headshots, perhaps with entirely manual aiming (gyroscope controls are absent), aren't very easy on the small screen of the Japanese hybrid console, which otherwise works surprisingly well.

Unfortunately, unconvincing color management compared to PS4, a generally modest level of detail, clearly visible aliasing and a general "dirty" feeling, together with all those older aspects of the technical sector that tend to stand out, make it the experience be not very exciting on a 4K TV.

Update: In the original version of the article we wrote that the Nintendo Switch version's frame rate appeared to be unlocked, but apparently the game runs at a stable, non-variable 30 fps. The piece has been corrected accordingly.

Conclusions

Tested version Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 digital delivery playstation store, Nintendo eShop Price 49,99 € Holygamerz.com 8.0 Readers (65) 5.7 your vote

Red Dead Redemption is still a great game today, an open-world experience perhaps outdated on a structural level but capable of telling exciting stories, which are undoubtedly worth discovering. The Nintendo Switch version can boast portability and surprising performance, opening the doors of John Marston's adventure to a potentially new audience: this in itself represents an important milestone, considering the value of the Rockstar Games title and placing it in context. from inside the Nintendo Catalog.