The story ofRed Dead Redemption 3will be great if it keeps the series' usual quality, but it can’t afford to repeatRed Dead Redemption 2’s biggest risk.Red Dead Redemption 2has become one of Rockstar’s most successful games, winning several awards and garnering a huge fanbase. Even though there haven’t been official updates regarding the next potentialRed Dead Redemption, the game is anticipated regardless due to the strength ofRDR2.
One of the reasons forRed Dead Redemption 2’s enduring popularityis its protagonist, series newcomer Arthur Morgan.RDR2chronicled his attempts to keep the Van der Linde gang together. Players familiar with the originalRed Dead Redemptionalready knew that Arthur wouldn’t succeed, since that game’s plot involved John hunting down other members of the gang who had taken a turn for the worse. Arthur’s struggles and the tragedy of the Van der Linde gang’s fall made for a powerful story, but Rockstar might not succeed at flipping the script to a new character so completely next time around.
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Even thoughArthur’s tragic story inRed Dead Redemption 2made him a beloved character, him being the sequel’s protagonist was a significant risk. John’s death inRed Dead Redemption’s ending and his son Jack becoming the protagonist in the epilogue was already a controversial move, so the announcement thatRDR2would be a prequel planted the idea that players may get to play as John again. Replacing John withRDR2’s protagonist was not a popular idea until Arthur showed his quality upon the game’s release.
Even though introducing a brand-new protagonist forRed Dead Redemption 2turned out to be a great move,Red Dead Redemption 3’s eventual protagonistis unlikely to produce the same returns if they are also a new character. With John dead at the end ofRed Dead Redemption, going back in time withRed Dead Redemption 2gave players a high-quality supporting cast to really explore. Ironically, now these characters are the same reason whyRDR3shouldn’t repeat the same move.
It would be unwise forRed Dead Redemption 3to invent a new character as the protagonist when there are so mayRed Dead 2characters who deserve a starring role. For example, there’s still the option to follow up on what Jack did afterRed Dead Redemption. Charles and Sadie fromRed Dead Redemption 2were also likable characters who never lost their way, and they both have open-ended stories that could be continued in a sequel.RDR3could even look further into the pasts of John, Arthur, or Dutch; all of which would be lost ifRed Dead Redemption 3’s protagonist was someone who players were never introduced to beforehand.
WhileRed Dead Redemption 2’s risky decision with Arthur ended up bringing new life to the series, there are so many potentialpaths forRed Dead Redemption 3’s storythat abandoning them for a brand-new protagonist would be a waste. Even though it’s unlikely thatRed Dead Redemption 3will be able to wrap up all the story threads left open, it can at least give proper closure to one or two. The surviving characters all have something to offer, so even thoughRed Dead Redemption 2’s protagonist gamble worked,Red Dead Redemption 3shouldn’t do the same.
Red Dead Redemption 2is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
