Red Dead Redemption 2 was a resounding success when it arrived in 2018, delivering a prequel story that gave so much more depth to a game already known for its great characters and world-building. It’s hard to follow, and while Grand Theft Auto 6 might be next on the agenda for developer Rockstar, there’s little doubt that it will eventually return to its western masterpiece, even if Red Dead Redemption 3 is probably years away from an announcement. When (and if) the Van Der Linde gang returns, there will be a huge expectation that the project will take a significant mechanical and presentation leap, which will be difficult given the stunning quality of the early games.
Rockstar Games has some truly exceptional series, each with their own unique flavor. While Grand Theft Auto puts more emphasis on player-led action and unpredictability in a beautiful open world, Red Dead Redemption is a more story-oriented affair, with much of the scenery there to serve the events of the story. This makes the setting more important than ever, and if Red Dead Redemption and the sequel takes place in a fictional southwest, the third game would do well to change the formula and head north instead.
The north would be different for Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption tells its story in the fictional setting of New Austin and surrounding areas, inspired by real-world Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas. With dusty dirt roads and sparse plains adorned with wilting huts and quirky towns, the area makes for plenty of activities outside the main campaign. Red Dead Redemption 2 was much more diverse in its landscape, though this sometimes went beyond the intimate writings might suggest. Red Dead Redemption 3 needs consistency in its setting, if there is anything to feed into a story that has always been much smaller in scope than its Grand Theft Auto counterparty has ever provided.
Traveling north to parts unknown to the franchise could cause a drastic shift in tone and introduce new characters, story beats and visual landscapes, each of which sets the third game apart from its predecessors. Realism has always been so important to Red Dead Redemptionand Rockstar could use his ability to carefully and carefully recreate environments in another place. Red Dead Redemption 2 begins in a snowy rock formation to the north of Ambarino in Spider Gorge, and soon the gang finds shelter at Horseshoe Overlook. The characters are only out in the cold for a short time, and if they are brought back up north, the game could bring more challenges in terms of environment, gameplay differences, and a strong change in story tone.
Red Dead Redemption Soiree in the South
Red Dead Redemption has taken players all over the southern parts of the United States, while short pit stops in Mexico and the Caribbean-inspired Guarma have given the franchise some much-needed diversity in its landscape. The world that Red Dead Redemption 2 crafts is beautiful, with expansive grasslands and greener pastures aplenty, and it is both diverse and beautiful. It’s better than the new Austin from the first game in some important ways. Yet it is clear that Red Dead Redemption 3 should be more than just another jaunt through the southern states, and there are so many opportunities in the north that rockstar games would be disappointing to ignore.
Red Dead Redemption is as much a victim of its genre as it is stimulated by it. People expect epic western stories to take place in the American Southwest about 150 years ago, but features like west world, True History of the Kelly Gangeven glowworm succeed with a western theme while placing their stories elsewhere. Red Dead Redemption is the best western franchise in gaming history, but it doesn’t necessarily need the southern setting to succeed. Strong writing styles and meticulous attention to detail can be used in a number of locations, so pushing further north wouldn’t disrupt the fabric of the franchise that players love.
Canada’s history is perfect for Rockstar Games
Red Dead Redemption 2 takes place in 1899 and the first game in 1911, so it would continue the trend of placing the third ahead of the events of the first two. While the US felt the effects of the Civil War at both a federal and civic level in the late 1800s, Canada was also in a time of great change. The nation was granted dominion status in 1866 and became its own self-governing country just a year later. With such an upheaval, of course, came controversy and tensions between Anglo-Canadian nationalism and French Canadians from Quebec. The country is in an uncertain state around the time when Red Dead Redemption takes place makes it ideal for an outlaw story.
Like the US in the late 1800s, Canada was far from settled, and this could have important implications for a fictional story set in the country at the time. For a game about bandits, finding a setting in political and cultural turmoil can be a storytelling gift. The legal dividing lines are blurring and the way in which criminal organizations such as the Van Der Linde Gang operate is subject to change. Players have a lot of room to commit questionable acts and still find themselves on the right side of the law and the developer has more breathing room to come up with a plausible story where the characters flirt with the wrong side of the law. Canada could not only be a visual marvel for Red Dead Redemption 3but also a political one, offering more beats simply from the history of the area alone.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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