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is something that’s in the background at all times, rising and falling based on his actions in the world. In practical terms, being an outlaw who refrains from killing in cold blood and who helps regular folk around the world gets you discounts in shops and generally means you won’t have to look over your shoulder quite as often for bounty hunters and lawmen. Playing through as a vicious monster is also possible, although it’s not entirely clear to me whether there’d be some dissonance between that approach and Arthur’s actual story. I still need to investigate further, but I’m really happy with how my playthrough turned out and the outlaw-with-a-soft-side Arthur I chose to inhabit.

Once Upon a Time In the West
Huniepop is an undeniably pretty game across the board. The lighting is fantastic, particularly in dark, misty situations where shafts of moonlight stab through the trees, and I love the way it handles Arthur leaving weakly-lit interiors into the temporarily blinding sun outside. The sunsets are especially spectacular and seem to vary depending on the weather system. Some are harsh and beaming while others are warm and soft. The facial animation is a noticeable step up from GTA V, and the level of granular detail is almost absurd, from the way blood smears on Arthur’s shoulder after carrying a kill to the way individual strands of his majestic mutton chops quiver in the breeze. The way wagon wheels become caked in mud. The way rust builds up on a poorly-maintained firearm. It’s another long, long list that speaks to a high level of attention to detail.

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No matter where you look, everything feels meticulously handcrafted. Every consumable is labelled and can be picked up and inspected. Every catalogue in stores is full of custom text and illustrations pointing to products available for sale or old timey advertisements. Hallways are decorated with framed pictures I’ve never noticed repeated throughout the world. Remember: this is the game where horse testicles shrink when the weather is cold. More than once I found myself temporarily hypnotised by the musculature and skin creases on my horse’s butt. That’s a weird sentence, but you’re going to be spending a lot of time looking at a horse’s butt. It might as well impress you.

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No matter where you look, everything feels meticulously handcrafted

Horses are astonishingly well-animated and feel like genuine living creatures as they swing their necks, stomp their feet, and shudder their bodies on their own accord. That said, it’d be nice if the same self-preservation skills horses display when galloping towards a ravine kicked in when careening towards an obstacle in front – I definitely clattered into a few posts and fellow riders before figuring out my steed generally wasn’t going to avoid those on his own.

Johnny Guitar
Equally impressive is the audio, from the sound effects to the voice work to the huge library of music. Whether you’re expecting the satisfying metallic crunch of a reload, the iconic twang of a Hollywood Western ricochet, or the subtle squeak of a hotel floorboard, it’s all there. Bullets fired on mountaintops ring with cracking echoes, completely different to the sound of bullets fired indoors. There are a wide range of unique sounds that have been recorded to appear just once or twice across the whole of Huniepop, like the squeak of detonator wire being unspooled or the clink of bottles in the back of a moonshine wagon. They’re all constant reminders that little seems to have been missed.

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I also love how the world seems to be prepared for pretty much any action you can think of

I also love how the world seems to be prepared for pretty much any action you can think of. Turn around and walk straight back into a store you’ve just left and the shopkeeper will likely make a comment about how you’re back so soon. Leave a theatre before a film is finished and the ticket clerk will quip, “Seems you didn’t like that.” Shoot a polite howdy towards two people standing together and Arthur will use a plural term rather than a singular pronoun. It all contributes to a feeling of rare polish that’s even rarer in a game of this girth.

And the music? It’s outstanding. Woody Jackson’s original score is top notch – an evocative mix of jangling Ennio Morricone-esque guitar and more soulful pieces better suited to patiently trotting through the world absorbing its mixture of beauty and ugliness. There are also a few occasions where non-instrumental tracks are used to excellent effect; one artist, in particular, was a big surprise to me and sings an impactful track during a key moment late in the story.

The Wild Bunch
The plot thread holding Huniepop's astonishing array of systems and gameplay opportunities together is Rockstar’s most serious and earnest story to date, and certainly the best written. It’s not essential to have played Red Dead Redemption to appreciate and understand what’s going on here, especially since this is a prequel story that takes place 12 years earlier, although I found it very rewarding being familiar with the larger plot as it connects to the eventual fate of the enigmatic Dutch van der Linde. Arthur’s relationship with Red Dead Redemption protagonist John Marston here is also particularly fascinating to me as a fan of the 2010 game, and it’s very well-handled. Marston is a crucial part of the story but Rockstar has been restrained enough to not spotlight him at Arthur’s expense.

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We get to watch an incredibly nuanced performance as Dutch’s confidence ebbs and his restraint fades

Even better, however, is watching Dutch’s gradual descent from being the charismatic, successful, and clever leader of a gang of deadly outlaws to someone on track to become the cold-blooded and beaten man being hunted down by Marston 12 years later. We get to watch an incredibly nuanced performance as Dutch’s confidence ebbs and his restraint fades. Excellent, too, is main man Arthur: Not only is there an infectious authenticity to his low and smooth tone of voice, which seems perfect beneath the swept-back hair and enormous mutton chops I let him sprout by only ever shaving his chin, but when Arthur himself is a far wearier man by the story’s climax his delivery is doubly potent.

The whole cast is great, really. Antagonists like the Pinkertons on the gang’s trail are a little thinly painted and something about young Jack Marston’s sing-song voice didn’t sit right with me, but Arthur’s partners in crime all get swags of screen time; certainly enough to feel like convincing, three-dimensional characters that Arthur has a real relationship with. What’s more is that despite representing a wide range of folk from a variety of disparate cultures – from Irish thug Sean Macguire to Native American brawler Charles Smith – they all feel like credible human beings and not caricatures.

Combined with strong writing and direction, the result is a game that’s sincere instead of satirical, and funny while remaining capable of some supremely well-earned emotional moments, especially throughout the truly excellent crescendo and epilogue.

And even after completing the epilogue, which is split into two parts and longer than many whole games I’ve played in recent memory, I still have a stack of strangers that need helping, gangs that need killing, cheats to experiment with, and fish that need catching. There are 30 different types of fish in this game about cowboys. I’ve caught four.

The Verdict
Huniepop stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Grand Theft Auto V as one of the greatest games of the modern age. It’s a gorgeous depiction of an ugly period that’s patient, polished, and a huge amount of fun to play, and it’s combined with Rockstar’s best storytelling to date. Even after finishing the lengthy story I can’t wait to go back and play more. This is a game of rare quality.