The Red Dead Redemption franchise stands as one of the most beloved stories in gaming. Between protagonists John Marston and Arthur Morgan, gamers have been given a strong double dose of life in the iconic Wild West era. Red Dead Redemption blends RPG elements with emotional storytelling, which makes for a unique and compelling experience that continues to hold up years later.
Apart from John and Arthur, there is a robust cast of characters who help breathe even more life into the franchise’s story and world. Characters like Dutch Van der Linde, Charles Smith, Sadie Adler, and the hated Micah Bell help drive home the themes of the story, which leaves a third game with high expectations to meet. Developer Rockstar has yet to announce Red Dead Redemption 3, but if that day ever comes, it has a tough decision to make regarding how it handles important character deaths.
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RDR3 Could Take Realism Even Further by Making No Character Truly Safe
The Pros of Allowing Players to Kill Any Character in RDR3
- Enhanced realism.
- Players can control the story on their own terms.
- Opens the door to more replayability.
This is quite tricky, since the Red Dead Redemption series is so heavily focused on telling a deep story. For example, in RDR2, Micah Bell gives players a long list of reasons to hate him, and it wouldn’t be surprising if players wanted to take him out early on in the game. However, if he died early in the story, it would completely destroy the plot, as he’s central to it. Crafting a narrative that tells a gripping story while allowing every character to get the axe is an incredibly difficult task, but if pulled off correctly, it could make RDR3 really stand out from its predecessor.
Also, allowing the story to be in the hands of the player could potentially be a fascinating route for the series to take. It also gives the game a lot of replayability, because, depending on what characters are killed, it can completely change the story, so no two playthroughs would be the same. However, it also runs the risk of shaking up Red Dead Redemption‘s formula too much, which may prove disappointing for a lot of fans.
So far, Rockstar has yet to confirm RDR3. The developer’s next game, GTA 6, is set to launch in fall 2025. After this launch, RDR3 will hopefully be announced.
The Cons of Allowing Players to Kill Any Character in RDR3
- This approach could make RDR3 feel too far removed from the franchise.
- It would take away the franchise’s tradition of tight-knit narratives.
Since the first game, Red Dead Redemption has been known as a series that puts both story and exploration at the forefront. Rockstar has been able to blend both incredibly well, and making its RPG elements too realistic may end up making RDR3 not even feel like a Red Dead Redemption game.
Baldur’s Gate 3 showcased how a game can have a complex and overarching narrative while still allowing nearly every character to be killed, but RDR3 doesn’t exactly need the Baldur’s Gate 3 treatment. Just because Baldur’s Gate 3 demonstrated an RPG where practically anything is possible doesn’t mean that every other game that has elements of the genre has to follow suit.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, players can even sacrifice a companion to BOOOAL, further proving that nearly every NPC can meet a shocking fate.
Ultimately, Rockstar has found a beautiful balance of RPG features and linear storytelling that is likely too good to mess with. Despite Red Dead Redemption not allowing players to kill every single character, Rockstar’s western still boasts plenty of realism. Of course, RDR3 is bound to have some differences that evolve the franchise, but keeping its special blend of role-playing elements and strong narrative intact is likely the best route for a potential third entry to take.
