Just recently re-read Blood Meridian (or the Evening Redness in the West) in my native language after having read the novel in English a year or two ago and wondered if there's any video game that comes close to Blood Meridian's style, apocalyptic (Western) setting, raw violence and religious, fatalistic and militant themes and symbolism.
Since I doubt there's something exactly like the novel in video game form I'd be happy if there's games that tick some those checkboxes.
For those unfamiliar with the novel (others can skip this and the next paragraph): It's historic fiction and tells a story about the kid escaping from home with fourteen and joins a band of scalp hunters around 1850, led by historical real life character and sadistic fuck John Joel Glanton, set mostly in Mexican and Texan territory, who set out to kill Apaches for the bounty the Mexican government placed on the scalps and soon start to slaughter peaceful natives and even Mexicans and other innocent people on random occasion. It's not only the horrifying brutality but also the narrator's and reader's disconnection from the characters' thoughts and the sheer indifference of the narrator and even the characters to what happens, while the novel shows probably one of the most terrifying and dangerous but also charismatic antagonist of fictional works: judge Holden, who is literate, educated, talented talker and amazingly strong and perceptive and also persuasive and intimidating but also sadistic and brutal as Glanton and very strange, often child and godlike together in appearance.
Now add almost lyrical descriptions of nature, most of it as violent and indifferent to people on the land as the characters, with barren deserts and hardships, and a lot of religious symbolism and challenged Christianity to the mix and you get a truly unsettling but also captivating novel. It is in many ways an anti-Western devoid of any romanticism often associated with stories set in the old West and draws relentlessly on a dark historical chapter in America.
Is there any game remotely like this? If we stay in the Western genre RDR (2) might be the obvious choice and, at times, you can play it like that but the world itself is way too romanticised and idealised and not remotely as bitter and nihilistic as Blood Meridian and nature is also not as dangerous as in the novel and it offers too often a humorous approach in portraying characters. Dutch, however, is a great antagonist (still not holding a candle to the Judge, though).
In terms of landscape and religious references (although not Christian) Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice offers some parallels.
The Last of Us in terms of violence and an entirely dangerous world; TLOU2 adds the religious component.
But that's practically it what I can think off.
tldr, games with a truly dangerous antagonist that is so much more than just evil; focus on intimidating nature/landscapes to traverse; bleak perspective on human nature, the universe, and our purpose; apocalyptic vibes; devoid of romanticised depictions.
Since I doubt there's something exactly like the novel in video game form I'd be happy if there's games that tick some those checkboxes.
For those unfamiliar with the novel (others can skip this and the next paragraph): It's historic fiction and tells a story about the kid escaping from home with fourteen and joins a band of scalp hunters around 1850, led by historical real life character and sadistic fuck John Joel Glanton, set mostly in Mexican and Texan territory, who set out to kill Apaches for the bounty the Mexican government placed on the scalps and soon start to slaughter peaceful natives and even Mexicans and other innocent people on random occasion. It's not only the horrifying brutality but also the narrator's and reader's disconnection from the characters' thoughts and the sheer indifference of the narrator and even the characters to what happens, while the novel shows probably one of the most terrifying and dangerous but also charismatic antagonist of fictional works: judge Holden, who is literate, educated, talented talker and amazingly strong and perceptive and also persuasive and intimidating but also sadistic and brutal as Glanton and very strange, often child and godlike together in appearance.
Now add almost lyrical descriptions of nature, most of it as violent and indifferent to people on the land as the characters, with barren deserts and hardships, and a lot of religious symbolism and challenged Christianity to the mix and you get a truly unsettling but also captivating novel. It is in many ways an anti-Western devoid of any romanticism often associated with stories set in the old West and draws relentlessly on a dark historical chapter in America.
Is there any game remotely like this? If we stay in the Western genre RDR (2) might be the obvious choice and, at times, you can play it like that but the world itself is way too romanticised and idealised and not remotely as bitter and nihilistic as Blood Meridian and nature is also not as dangerous as in the novel and it offers too often a humorous approach in portraying characters. Dutch, however, is a great antagonist (still not holding a candle to the Judge, though).
In terms of landscape and religious references (although not Christian) Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice offers some parallels.
The Last of Us in terms of violence and an entirely dangerous world; TLOU2 adds the religious component.
But that's practically it what I can think off.
tldr, games with a truly dangerous antagonist that is so much more than just evil; focus on intimidating nature/landscapes to traverse; bleak perspective on human nature, the universe, and our purpose; apocalyptic vibes; devoid of romanticised depictions.
