Summary
The resonating ails of Dutch Van Der Linde’s followers over the course ofRed Dead Redemptionand its sequel tread themes that explore and expose some of the darkest facets of humanity. DespiteRed Dead Redemption 2’s namesake, the redemptive qualities and vindicating arcs of the games' central figures do not fully purge the long shadow cast by their misdeeds, and the next title in the franchise will again wrestle with amoral codes and the tumult of avarice on the American frontier.
A Sunny Forecast for Rockstar’s Future
While the majority of Rockstar’s legion of fans eagerly hone in on theimpending release ofGrand Theft Auto 6, some have their sights set further on the horizon, to the other pillar of the studio’s two massively successful franchises.Red Dead Redemption 2was a technical and narrative marvel upon release, with graphics that still hold up to this day, and a storyline that transcends its Spaghetti Western forebearers into a compelling character study laudable by the standards of any medium.
2024 will mark the sixth anniversary ofRed Dead Redemption 2’s release, and though nothing has been divulged officially, many feel the next game’s eventual existence is a foregone conclusion.
John Marston and Arthur Morgan, the protagonists of their respectiveRed Dead Redemptiongames, are both engaged in an overall objective that at times feels more like a circle than a timeline. ForArthur inRed Dead Redemption 2, it is the unending quest for one last score, enough to fund the Van Der Linde gang’s evasion of the figurative and literal shackles of the encroaching United States government. John’s circle inRed Dead Redemptionis leveraged by that same government, in an ever-unfolding journey to bring his former fellow gang members to justice so that he may be reunited with his family.
Both men have noble motivations but fall prey to similar pitfalls. The lines between vindication and vengeance, needs and wants, just scraping by and living in excess—all blur as Arthur and John struggle to overcome their past demons. Compounding the ethical dilemmas of both is their way of life antiquating in real-time, as manifest destiny and the industrial revolution wholly usurp what was once their domain. A largemotif in theRed Dead Redemptionfranchiseis the taming of the Wild West, and how two men styled by the same fast-talking idealogue cope with the upheaval.
Some Diseases Are Generational
Both games' leading protagonists are punctuated by tragic betrayals. InRed Dead Redemption 2, an unhinged Dutch Van Der Linde,goaded by the notorious Micah Bell, turns on Arthur, culminating in his succumbing to illness and the gang’s violent disbanding. InRed Dead Redemption,John is double-crossed by the US Army, who, after using him to their end, storm his property and gun him down. The epilogue in the two games follows the pursuit of avenging those betrayals, and though succeeding in killing Micah as John and Ross as Jack provides some necessary closure for the player, those acts are catalysts for the cycle repeating, and foreshadow a third entry in a similar vein.
No Happy Endings in the Life of an Outlaw
If John’s son, Jack Marston, becomes theprotagonist ofRed Dead Redemption 3, he will be shouldering the collective guilt of his misdeeds as well as the sins of his father. The espoused ideals and outlaw code of Dutch Van Der Linde feel almost hereditary, passing from him to Arthur, John, and finally to Jack, showing the progression of a festering disease begetting conflict and bloodshed. That Jack can break the cycle and find peace through the course of his journey is a nice thought, and perhaps that is what Rockstar has in mind as a capstone to its Western saga, but most signs point to him picking the same disastrous course as his father.
