Originally announced close to a year ago, Red Dead Redemption 2 has been one of gaming’s most highly-anticipated titles for some time now, but even though it’s being released in Spring 2018, we still don’t really know all that much about it. Fortunately, we are now one step closer to getting the full picture of Rockstar’s plans for their sequel to the critically-acclaimed 2010 western game, as the publisher/developer just dropped a new story trailer into our collective laps. The major takeaways are that Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel featuring an all new playable protagonist, but there are other details that hint at what kind of activities we’ll be getting up to in the game.
Here’s my (highly speculative) breakdown of said trailer. Enjoy!
10. The New Protagonist is Definitely a Bad Guy
Perhaps the most surprising revelation from the Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer is that the game will feature a new protagonist named Arthur Morgan, which may disappoint some who were hoping for the chance to play as John Marston again (something that would technically be possible given this game’s status as a prequel). While we don’t really learn much about Morgan other than that he’s an important outlaw in Dutch’s gang — the same gang that Marston once rode with, in fact — it’s clear from his dialogue and actions that Morgan is being framed as much more of an antihero than Marston was and may in fact be a villain.
We see him repeatedly threaten and intimidate people, including civilians, and participate in illicit activities such as train robberies and murder. This is a bit of a change from John Marston, who was a former outlaw seeking redemption and a quiet, peaceful life with his family. Of course, I’m sure there’s more to Arthur Morgan than just being a one dimensional criminal, but it’s still interesting to see Rockstar cast an outright bad guy as the protagonist this time around.
Rockstar Games