Summary
- Red Dead Redemption 3 may need a new protagonist to avoid feeling stale and live up to past characters like John Marston and Arthur Morgan.
- A non-gunslinger protagonist like Josiah Trelawny could bring a fresh, innovative experience to the franchise.
- Rockstar may want to reinvent the Red Dead series with a focus on social-sim gameplay and strong writing in the third entry.
Rockstar is presumably too busy with Grand Theft Auto 6 to have begun work on Red Dead Redemption 3, but that doesn't mean the game will never come out. The franchise's cultural relevance swelled with Red Dead Redemption 2, so there would definitely be, at the very least, a strong financial incentive to release another entry. But the next Red Dead would have to make some changes to the series formula to avoid feeling stale.
Assuming Rockstar is planning to release Red Dead Redemption 3 at some point, its protagonist is perhaps the biggest question that needs to be answered. Both John and Arthur are out of the picture for obvious reasons, and while some have speculated that a supporting character like Sadie or Jack Marston could helm the third game, this could come with some downsides. It may seem like a longshot, but if the third game took some notes from RDR2's charismatic con artist Josiah Trelawny, it could be a far more innovative and unique experience, taking the franchise to an exciting new creative realm.
Red Dead Redemption 3 Should Double Down on One of RDR2's Darkest Side Quests
The next Red Dead Redemption would do well to include another disturbing type of mission encounter to maintain its stranger and grittier aspects.
How Red Dead Redemption 3 Can Explore New Territory with a Non-Gunslinger Protagonist
Red Dead Redemption 3 May Need to Shift Gears a Bit
John Marston and Arthur Morgan are two of gaming's most iconic leading men, no doubt about it. They both embody the rugged gunslinger archetype while still being nuanced and multifaceted, simultaneously upholding various genre tropes and subverting them in quiet, unexpected ways. The quality of these two protagonists is a bit of a double-edged sword, however, as they are tough acts to follow.
If Jack Marston was to take over as the series' lead, for instance, he would always be living in the shadows of his predecessors.
The same goes for Sadie, as she is presumably carrying the wild-west, gunslinger spirit as a bounty hunter following the events of RDR2. Ultimately, focusing on these sorts of heroes runs the risk of retreading old ground, telling the same story about violence and the outlaw lifestyle all over again.
Additionally, there's only so much room to innovate when it comes to open-world, horseback-driven exploration, gunplay, action-packed heists, and the like. Rockstar may instead want to reinvent the Red Dead series with the third entry, and an atypical protagonist may be a good place to start.
Red Dead Meets L.A. Noire Could Be a Novel Combination
Indeed, Trelawny is one of RDR2's more interesting side characters. The English con artist is decidedly unskilled in combat and would rather talk than shoot his way out of conflict. As such, he's not the most obvious choice for a video game protagonist blueprint, which is fair: Trelawny himself, with his vague smugness, aloof attitude, and cowardly tendencies, isn't always the most likable character. However, a protagonist with his wit, cunning, and approach to problem-solving, with a personality that's a little more relatable, wouldn't be a bad choice at all.
Instead of solving all their problems with violence, a character with Trelawny's persuasive powers could manipulate NPCs to various ends, brandishing superior intellect instead of guns and fisticuffs. Perhaps Red Dead Redemption 3 could even offer an inversion of L.A. Noire's dialogue-based gameplay, allowing characters to take hold of social situations—not for the purposes of solving crimes but committing them.
Like in L.A. Noire, players could gather intel, read NPC facial expressions, and tug on certain emotional and psychological vulnerabilities to achieve their goals. It wouldn't have to replace classic Red Dead Redemption gameplay outright, but this sort of social-sim approach would let RDR3 shine as a unique third chapter in the series while making good use of Rockstar's strong writing.
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Released
- October 26, 2018
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 in order 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.
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Engine
- RAGE
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- How Long To Beat
- 50 Hours
- Metascore
- 97
