Red Dead Redemption and its prequel are considered some of the finest games ever made. Rockstar's epic westerns have drawn praise for their beautiful graphics, exceptional sound design, satisfying combat and sprawling open worlds. However, there is one area where both entries truly shine -- how it treats its characters.
Games with large casts can either find themselves hindered or bolstered by such an array of personalities. Red Dead Redemption relies predominantly on protagonist John Marston to carry its narrative, but it is Red Dead Redemption 2's nuanced and extensive gang of outlaws who really give the game texture and depth. Rather than acting as mere archetypes slotting into their respective roles, the Van Der Linde gang, led by charismatic but delusional patriarch Dutch, come with their own motivations, flaws and complexities to keep players consistently engaged.
Dutch and RDR2 protagonist Arthur Morgan are the obvious examples, with their increasing dissonance regarding the gang's direction and the means through which they operate providing most of the game's narrative tension. Dutch may be flawed, but his charisma and strength of will render him likable and compelling rather than shallow and obstinate. Arthur Morgan, a character who could easily have become a two-dimensional macho archetype, has been acclaimed for his complexity, uncertainty and vulnerability. Arthur's story arc, characterized by disillusionment with his outlaw lifestyle and his search for moral redemption, is one of the finest in recent memory.
It is the rest of the gang, however, that really solidify Red Dead Redemption 2 as an excellent, character-centric game. Each memeber of the Van der Linde gang is motivated by a different end and bought together by the varying trauma of their respective pasts. Most are fugitives, runaways or refugees, from gunslinger Sadie Adler seeking revenge for the murder of her husband to African-American fugitive Lenny on the run from the law after avenging his father. As a collective, the gang operates in a moral grey area, and while RDR2 offers explanations for its characters' actions, it rarely excuses these murderers and thieves for their crimes.
It's not just Red Dead Redemption 2's main cast who boast fully-fleshed motivations, personalities and idiosyncrasies. They may not be as three-dimensional as the game's protagonists, but RDR2 creates a world of such depth that it's easy to miss a single eccentric street vendor or creepy woods-dweller. Rockstar is known for creating worlds with eclectic inhabitants, and its thoroughly-researched interpretation of the American Old West is no different. From a bigoted street-preacher with strong views on racial segregation to a local prostitute turned notorious serial killer, the game's world comes to life thanks to its diverse and believable inhabitants.
Red Dead Redemption 2 gives nuance and gravity to the wide spectrum of individuals it portrays. For instance, Charles Smith, a mixed-race man with a Native American mother and African American father, is seen struggling to assimilate into a predominantly white culture. The Van Der Linde gang ironically serves as his only refuge against the racism of the late 19th century. A conversation between Irishman Sean and Lenny, meanwhile, gives depth to two characters bought together by their experiences with discrimination. "Their idea of entertainment is lynching," says Lenny of many of the towns he has visited across America. Lenny may be a free man, but he certainly doesn't feel safe; as he explains in a damning indictment of the American West, "We were set free…to suffer."
Neither game is perfect, however, and such a large roster of individuals is bound to lead to varying levels of effective characterization. Both games struggle with their villains, usually drawn from members of the law enforcement attempting trying to tame the wild frontier in which this dying breed of outlaws operates. Red Dead Redemption is also guilty of reducing Javier Escuella to a shallow Mexican stereotype, though the prequel does portray him as a more well-rounded gang member.
Red Dead Redemption hinted at John's ties to the legendary Van der Linde gang, but it was Red Dead Redemption 2 that properly introduced a cast of some of the most engaging and well-defined characters in modern gaming to its vibrant Wild West setting. While most of the praise RDR2 has received has cited its open world as a technically marvel, the game's real crowning achievement is its incredible characters that enrich the world and make it worth exploring.