The wildlife in Red Dead Redemption 2 is praised by players. But what does someone say who truly knows? A bird expert has taken a closer look at RDR 2.
What is it about? During your adventures as Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2, you will inevitably experience how much attention to detail is present in the nature and surroundings. Many different wildlife await you in water, on land, and also in the air. We can only marvel and say: Yes, that is a lot of variety. But a pro might have a completely different opinion.
Do the animals fit into the landscape as they are? Are the birds realistic? Professional birdwatcher Nicholas Lund played Red Dead Redemption 2 and mentions that the developers did a lot right with the birds. But mistakes also crept in.
Are the birds in RDR 2 realistic?
This is what happened: On the website of Audubon.org, Nicholas Lund writes about how he likes the representation of wildlife, especially birds, in Red Dead Redemption 2. With the thought in mind that in RDR 2 everything feels so natural and realistic to the players.
Diversity and details make an impression: Much of his playtime was spent looking for birds. The breadth and relative accuracy of the species portrayed impressed him. He notes that the birds change depending on their habitat. The roseate spoonbill and great egret feed in the bay of Saint Denis. The Western gull and brown booby rest on the coast. In the mountain regions, you encounter eagles and condors.
The natural surprises are particularly well received: Most of all, Lund loved the natural surprises. Once he shot a mallard and left its body at the lakeside. He had already taken the feathers and meat. Ten minutes later, he noticed a red fox coming out of the grass. Along with two turkey vultures, the animals approached the duck. Through his binoculars, he was able to observe the three animals eating the remains of the duck.
These mistakes did RDR 2 make with the birds: In addition to the positive surprises, Lund also noticed a few errors regarding the animals in Red Dead Redemption 2. In addition to the snowy egrets, there are a few small herons in Saint Denis. That would be a really rare sighting in North America. What is referred to as California quail in the game would be a Virginia quail in the real world.
Furthermore, there were initially strong issues with wildlife in RDR 2:
The conclusion of the birdwatcher: Despite the minor naming errors, Lund writes that Red Dead Redemption 2 overall has the best and most comprehensive representation of American birdlife of all video games. There is not even a narrow lead over other titles. In his report (found on audubon.org), he further discusses the realistic hunting in RDR 2.
What do players say about the observations?
On Reddit, the article was diligently rewarded with upvotes.
The world as an important main character: User arborday writes that the article was written just for him. He quotes a part of the article that describes the natural world of RDR 2 as one of the main characters. “This is so true. Honestly, I would have spent much less time in the game if it weren’t for the attention to the natural world of this game. I described it to my wife as something more enjoyable than a camping simulator, rather than a traditional open-world shooter.”
Nature distracts from the story: Player stooner writes “When I got the game, I expected to rob trains, become a bounty hunter, and do a lot of nonsense. The reality now is that I load the game and observe nature. According to my latest save, I’m at 25% progress, but I’ve already clocked 12 hours. Just to relax from a stressful day.”
The animals are impressive: “One thing that excites me most about the natural environment in the game is when animals interact with other animals,” writes maybe_kd. “I saw an eagle catch a snake. I thought, that’s really cool.”
A few animals were found by players who explored this ice lake behind the borders of RDR 2.
