Summary
Talk about a potentialRed Dead Redemption 3has been rife across the gaming industry for some time now, with the massive success of its 2018 predecessor making discussion around a sequel inevitable. While there is a clear demand for a third entry to such a defining franchise, it is difficult to predict what kind of narrative direction the game might eventually take.
One of the dominant theories behindRed Dead Redemption 3’s potential story is that it could also act as a prequel in the same way thatRDR2did, showing the earliest days of the Van Der Linde gang, when its numbers were fewer, but its ideals were set in stone. This narrative direction would definitely have its pitfalls, such as limiting what kind of story the game could tell, but the room that it would make for even more character progression for the beloved Arthur Morgan would be one massive upside.
While it is possible thatRed Dead Redemption 3could be set beyond the events of the first game, perhaps following the story of Jack Marston, this kind of setting would extend beyond the end of the Old West. With the traditional outlaw way of life no longer viable in a 1920s setting and beyond, a direct sequel would lack a lot of the narrative and gameplay elements that make theRed Deadfranchise so engaging and memorable.
Red Dead Redemption 3being a prequel set before the events ofRDR2would eliminate this problem, and while it might be difficult to create the same stakes as the past two games with this setting, there would still be a lot of narrative room to work with. This setting could show fans Dutch van der Linde and Hosea Matthews as younger men, for example, honing their anti-establishment ideals and bringing Arthur Morgan and John Marston into the fold.
The prospect ofplaying as either Dutch or Hosea inRed Dead Redemption 3is a fascinating one, and such a story could serve to expand uponRed Dead Redemption 2in the same way that the 2018 title did for the originalRDR. IfRDR3were to follow the standards set by its two predecessors, then it would feature another protagonist in its epilogue, likeRDRdid with Jack Marston andRDR2with John Marston.
With this epilogue character choice usually acting as a narrative passing of the baton between games, then it would only make sense for Arthur Morgan to be the playable epilogue character forRed Dead Redemption 3.Arthur Morgan is considered to be one of the best gaming protagonistsof all time thanks to his complexity and depth, and there are still a lot of defining events from his earlier life that have not been properly portrayed beyond small portions of dialogue.
Taking control of a younger Arthur inRDR3’s epilogue could finally show playershis earlier relationship with Mary Linton, or even the death of his son at the hands of bandits. The more compassionate version of Arthur that fans saw at the end ofRDR2is a stark contrast from his colder demeanor at the start of the game, and a deeper portrayal of Arthur’s earlier hardships inRed Dead Redemption 3could finally bring the character full circle, being a massive potential upside to a prequel setting for the game.
Red Dead Redemption 2
WHERE TO PLAY
America, 1899. The end of the wild west era has begun as lawmen hunt down the last remaining outlaw gangs. Those who will not surrender or succumb are killed. After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him. From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic tale of life in America at the dawn of the modern age.
