Rockstar western TPS, distant precursor to Red Dead Redemption. Successfully rendered Far West revenge atmosphere, satisfying gunfights. Less open than RDR but atmosphere and characters are endearing. Historical document of a great franchise in development.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player18+
Description
Red Harlow, a mixed-race bounty hunter whose parents were murdered, pursues solitary revenge across the Wild West against a criminal syndicate and a corrupt general. Published by Rockstar Games, released in 2004 in the United States and Europe. Precursor to the Red Dead franchise, featuring around twenty episodically narrated missions, pistol duels, slowed aiming, and iconic western boss encounters.
Red Dead Revolver review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
Rockstar imitates a worn print of an Italian western: vertical scratches on the film, frame jumps, colours turned yellow and dust caught in the grain. The framings follow the same school, close-up on eyes at the moment of the duel, a wide shot flattened by the sun, silhouettes backlit against the horizon.
The writing takes up the instrumentation of the Italian western without quoting its melodies: electric guitar drowned in reverb, a lone man's whistle, a distant trumpet, jaw harp and a growling male choir. The duels stop almost everything and keep only a bell chime, until the first shot goes off.
An action western from Rockstar, Red Dead Revolver casts a vengeful bounty hunter through a succession of snappy levels punctuated by pistol duels and a Dead Eye mode that slows time for aiming. The embraced spaghetti western mood, the theatrical staging and the pleasure of the gunfights make it an endearing precursor to the Red Dead saga. The linear structure and a dated production weigh on it. A title for fans of video game westerns and the curious about the series' roots.
