Released in 2018 to massive critical acclaim, Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 is a sprawling open-world western adventure. The title follows the notorious Van der Linde gang as they try to live free, score big heists, and evade the law across the Wild West.
Being that the Red Dead Redemption 2's story is heavily focused on the gang, players get to spend a large amount of time with the game’s brilliantly written and acted cast. The expansive group is led by Dutch Van der Linde, a charismatic leader whose decisions lead to many of the gang’s troubles throughout the game. Love him or hate him, Dutch’s extensive monologues and strong personality are bound to get strong reactions from players as the gang's world begins unraveling and they drop further and further into misfortune.
It is said that dogs are the best judges of character, and perhaps they are accurate judges of video game characters, too. Reddit user Bogodee has posted a video of his canine gaming companion's reaction to Dutch in Red Dead Redemption 2. The short clip features the unnamed Maltese Poodle cautiously looking at a paused close-up of Dutch Van der Linde's face on the TV before starting to growl and bark while his bemused owner chuckles.
The post has been a hit with the Red Dead Redemption Reddit community. It has grabbed over one thousand likes and 77 comments. Other Reddit users are praising the dog’s judgment of character and finding humor in the fact that he is so untrusting of Dutch’s character, considering that faith in Dutch in Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the main narrative threads running throughout the game.
While it is certainly entertaining to poke fun at a dog not liking one of the driving forces behind the gang’s downfall, Red Dead Redemption 2 has been praised for its narrative, characters, and strong writing. The game has also been recognized for its detailed open-world and expansive scope, with the title currently sitting at a 97 Metacritic score on Ps4 and Xbox One. The only other game that has managed to match that score on those systems is also made by developer Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto 5.
Of course, Red Dead Redemption 2 has its flaws as well. The game's emphasis on physics leads to controls feeling sluggish and unresponsive. The lengthy story can drag at times just from the virtue of its sheer scope, but there are few games out there as massive, detailed, and emotionally resonant as Red Dead Redemption 2.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.