Red Dead Revolver

Red Dead Revolver is a throwback to a simpler time. I was always intimidated by this game when I watched my step-brothers play it. Created in 2004, Revolver is as much an ode to the original arcade shooter as it is an ode to spaghetti westerns. Red Dead Revolver is a challenging game with some very absurd but understandable gameplay mechanics that are both challenging and frustrating all at once. This isn’t a game like the recent Red Dead Redemptions or any recent Rockstar game. If you sit behind cover in this game, you will die. The game treats gunplay like actual combat. It’s about accuracy, combos and staying mobile which is kind of stupid and jarring at first, but that’s what the game is going for. The designs for characters and levels reflect the absurd over the top nature of the game and adds to the interesting visual style. Even cutscenes are grainy and look as though they were shot on old film. The story is a hodgepodge of set pieces and tried and true spaghetti western story beats and clichés. The violence is over the top and absurd to the point of hilarity much like spaghetti Westerns.The soundtrack is also a Quentin Tarantino-like assortment of spaghetti western music composed largely by Ennio Morricone. The difficulty of the game rises dramatically with many missions infuriating me and leading me to take long breaks from the game. Red Dead Revolver is a fun game that if you accept it for what it is (a homage to both spaghetti westerns and arcade shooters) is an enjoyable game that probably works best when playing in a living room or with friends. Also, I played this game on PS4 and I don’t know if Rockstar actually remastered this or what, but given its age the graphics aren’t that bad at all.

Rating: 4.5/5