When one talks about open-world games that have defined the genre itself, it would be hard to not mention two incredible titles that have become all the more notable in their own right — Red Dead Redemption and its sequel. The first game was a brilliant romp through the wastelands of New Austin and Nuevo Paraíso, two of the most iconic areas in video gaming history.
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The second area in the game is especially noteworthy, featuring a bevy of hidden details and the like that most players simply aren't aware of. For people who want to know everything there is to know about Red Dead Redemption, here is a list of ten things that players should be aware of when it comes to Nuevo Paraíso.
10 The State Is A Clear In-Game Version Of Mexico
The first thing that most people should ideally notice about Nuevo Paraíso is the stark similarities it has to Mexico — specifically, the northwestern areas of Mexico.
This was very much intended by the developers, who basically styled Nuevo Paraíso to be the version of Mexico in Red Dead Redemption.
9 The Area Is Inaccessible In Red Dead Redemption 2 Due To The Conflicts Between Mexico And The United States At That Time
Unfortunately, Nuevo Paraíso is absent from the main game in Red Dead Redemption 2. However, there's an in-game explanation that justifies why this is the case.
Apparently, in the timeline of Red Dead Redemption 2, tensions between Mexico and the United States were at an all-time high. As a result, the borders have been closed down, preventing players from experiencing the landscapes of Nuevo Paraíso in all its modern glory.
8 The Disparaged State Of Nuevo Paraíso Served As A Reflection Of Mexico Before The Mexican Revolution
The first thing that players will notice in Nuevo Paraíso is the fact that the area looks extremely drab, desolate, and not nearly as populated — or well off — as the areas of West Elizabeth and New Austin.
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This was another intentional move on the end of developers, who wanted to draw parallels to the state of the people in Nuevo Paraíso to the afflicted nature of Mexico before the Mexican Revolution.
7 Nuevo Paraíso Is The Only Area In Red Dead Redemption Without Any Snow
A rather fun fact about Nuevo Paraíso is that it's the only major territory in the original Red Dead Redemption that features no snowy areas whatsoever.
This is in stark contrast to the other two areas present in the game. New Austin features snow in the area north of MacFarlane's Ranch, while the Tall Trees area in West Elizabeth sports some snow as well.
6 Duellists In Nuevo Paraíso Have Different Animations, In Comparison To Duellists From New Austin And West Elizabeth
Another rather unique fact about Nuevo Paraíso is the fact that the Mexican duellists in this area actually have unique dueling animations of their own.
It's touches like these that end up cementing Nuevo Paraíso as one of the most unique areas in Red Dead Redemption, and the act of finally unlocking the means to explore this area is definitely a treat in every sense of the word.
5 Hitting The Trigger For "Far Away" When Entering Mexico Is Harder That Most People Think
One thing that people would definitely notice — and maybe unintentionally ruin — while entering Nuevo Paraíso is that the song "Far Away" can take a while to trigger for people since the game takes a while to notice that the player has moved into the area of Nuevo Paraíso.
This is a minor issue that happens when the player is transitioning to other areas like New Austin and West Elizabeth as well, with the music and bounties for other areas still being active even if the player enters new territory.
4 There's Actually A Theme For Nuevo Paraíso In Red Dead Redemption 2
One interesting thing to note about Red Dead Redemption 2 is that it actually has a theme for Nuevo Paraíso... even though the area itself is inaccessible in the game.
This theme uses ambient tracks from the previous game in the series and can be heard occasionally while riding around the San Luis river. However, more notably, this theme can also play when the player glitches themselves into New Mexico.
Speaking of which...
3 The Player Can Actually Glitch Themselves Into Entering This Area In The Sequel
While Nuevo Paraíso might be absent in the world of Red Dead Redemption 2, there's a way for players to glitch themselves into this area... although, given the lack of any assets, there's not really much to do.
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To trigger this glitch, the player needs to cross the Sea of Coronado and pass a bunch of ravines, allowing them to reach an unmarked area of the map. From here, players can glitch themselves into entering an unfinished Nuevo Paraíso, which definitely showcases a ton of promise.
2 The Unpatched PS4 Version Features Models And Textures For This Area
Data miners have been hard at work trying to find out every secret in the game files of Red Dead Redemption 2. In this process, these data miners ended up discovering a goldmine in the unpatched PS4 version of the game.
This version featured unfinished models and basic textures for Nuevo Paraíso that seem pretty well made, given the fact that this area can only be seen as an ambient landscape of sorts from New Austin.
1 It's Probable That There Would've Been A Larger Nuevo Paraíso In Red Dead Redemption 2 That Was Cut From The Final Product
All these facts serve as strong evidence of the fact that Nuevo Paraíso would've initially been a part of Red Dead Redemption 2, before this idea was scrapped further down the road during development.
In fact, given the fact that the in-game map allows players to travel way further down the area of Nuevo Paraíso than the first game, it's possible that this area could've been expanded upon as well!
It's a shame that players weren't able to experience the magic of this area once again on next-gen hardware.
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