I adored Red Dead Redemption when it showtime came out. Rockstar'southward behemoth game about the final desperate throes of the outlaw era is matched only by its successor, Red Dead Redemption 2 - a behemoth game about the last desperate throes of the outlaw era. From the grim and snowy prologue to the bloodshot epilogue, the story of the latter is just every bit much of a narrative masterpiece as its iconic predecessor, if not more then. The two games accept many other parallels, too, although one of biggest things that connects them for me is that I hated both of their endings the first time I played through them.

Although he's an outlaw, Arthur Morgan is conspicuously written to be a generally good man no thing how you cull to play as him. Not necessarily expert in the sense of following the rules of the police force and non robbing and murdering people, but good in the sense that he has a code he lives by and a sense of morality that guides him away from beingness a truly despicable bandit. He'south a great antihero, which is what makes his futile fight against the inevitable painful for me to play through - his final chapter was almost as well much for me to bear.

The start time I played through Red Dead two, I realised pretty early on that I would take to forgo a lot of the game'southward side content in society to keep the momentum of the main story going. I did spend the first few chapters exploring, doing stranger missions, and completing challenges, but once the Pinkertons started to shut in on the Van Der Linde gang, it felt weird taking time off to help a lensman or help a scientist with his foreign robot. I enjoyed every moment of the story - even the infamous island of Guarma chapter - all the way upwardly until Arthur's tuberculosis started to go bad.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Arthur and John walking in front of a house

What started out as a little cough gradually progressed to full-on consumption. Arthur became a worn-out shell of the rough and ready outlaw he in one case was, and it felt similar my fault. Honestly, I wasn't sure what had done it initially, but when he remarked it was a homo he shell up while collecting a debt my center sank - I instantly recalled the poor man I beat half to expiry in front of his wife and son. I couldn't remember if there was an alternative way to collect the money, and if this was some vicious punishment for an immoral option I'd made.

As Arthur grew weaker, guilt festered inside of me. I know he isn't real, I know he's just code, but he'south so brilliantly brought to life by Rockstar and his actor Roger Clark that I couldn't aid just feel for him. Progressing through the final moments of the game felt similar a death march - I knew I was going to kill Arthur if I kept going. My guilt wasn't helped by his continually worsening state. It was a cruel sight to force onto players.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Arthur Morgan

I did my best to make Arthur'due south final days equally adept every bit possible. I chose to have him help the family of the man who inadvertently doomed him, and I played through the Native American plotline, also. While I understand it was included to offer Arthur some redemption - before he got all red and dead - these missions felt very tacked on and but dripped with white saviour tropes. Still, I wanted to try and redeem Arthur every bit much as I could, more than to assuage my own guilt than anything else.

As well equally these honour missions, I besides revisited sometime friends and strangers, went back to burnt out campsites, and just did anything other than playing the concluding few story missions. Equally hard as it was seeing Arthur suffering, I didn't want to keep going because everything was just too bleak. Eventually, though, I knew I had to become on with it. With Arthur wheezing and gasping, finishing the game felt like mercy.

arthur morgan with sadie adler

I think I did everything I could for Arthur at the stop, just I worried I hadn't done enough for him when he nevertheless had fourth dimension to enjoy his life. I promised myself that when I played through the game once more, I'd spend as much fourth dimension as I could with Arthur earlier progressing to the debt collector missions. Unfortunately, there is no other way to collect the sick man'due south pecker. Arthur's fate is sealed. Even so, I spent far more than time singing at camp and drinking in bars - I made sure that, at least on my second playthrough, I would give Arthur the best life possible.

At present that I've had some distance from my beginning experience with the game, I appreciate what Rockstar managed to do a lot more. I knew Arthur was doomed from the offset, but I still wish he didn't suffer as much equally he did. But, because I know of his suffering to come, I brand sure every moment he has is as joyous as possible now, and that feels like a good life lesson to take from the game. I'm non saying we should all get out and shoot up saloons, simply we should take the time to bask what nosotros're doing while we tin. Arthur can accept as many lives as I want, merely I can't.

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About The Author

Issy van der Velde (561 Articles Published)

Issy is an gorging picture lover, writer, and game-player based in the UK. He combines his love of film and games in his writing, trying to find as many connections between the 2 mediums as possible. When he'south non writing, playing, or watching, Issy loves to DJ and expect later his growing collection of houseplants, as they make him feel more developed.

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