With living off the land being such an essential part of the series,Red Dead Redemption 3would do well to have a protagonist that is in tune with the land to emphasize this. For one, it would be a chance to tackle the series' style and themes from a different perspective, and potentially provide an opportunity to tell a new kind of story as well.Red Dead Redemption’s protagonists are quite rugged, owing to their outlaw pasts and fighting skills.Red Dead Redemption 3could switch gears with a protagonist who’s more of a survivalist.
Thus far, all of theprotagonists ofRed Dead Redemptiongameshave been outlaws. Due to this status, they spent plenty of time in their respective games hunting and foraging for food, supplies, and money when they weren’t actively moving the story. Since the player also has to use food and other rations to maintain their health, energy, and dead eye cores,Red Dead Redemption’s survival aspect is as baked into the series as shooting. In order to keep the protagonist healthy, they need to learn to hunt and forage. It’s one of the aspects that helpsRed Dead Redemptionstand out.
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Red Dead Redemption 3can change the series' status quo, and that can start with the lead.Red Dead Redemption 3’s protagonistdoesn’t have to be a criminal like the series' other heroes, or at least that doesn’t have to be their main trait or profession. That can be accomplished by leaning more heavily into the survival side of the games. A new protagonist in this view could be something along the lines of a Native American who grew up learning how to survive in nature. This could even play a role in their gameplay, making them more of a stealth fighter in combat.
This sort of protagonist change inRed Dead Redemption 3can also play a role in giving it a different type of plot compared to past games. InRed Dead Redemption 3’s next story, it’s possible that rather than any sort of gang affiliation bringing the law to the protagonist’s attention, the antagonist could come from a threat to nature. For example, a greedy rich man carelessly destroying the land for his own gain would be a perfect enemy. In this type of tale, the protagonist’s goal would be to protect the land and its bounty from those who don’t respect it as industrialization is on the rise.
ARed Dead Redemptionwith this goal in mind would have to make sure that all of its survival mechanics were polished to perfection. Thehunting mechanic inRed Dead Redemption 2was already both highly detailed and functional, so it may be hard to improve on. However, the game could provide some extra skills for the player. Similar to how they level up their Dead Eye in past games, they could improve stats such as stealth and resourcefulness to become better hunters. This distinction would helpRed Dead Redemption 3’s protagonist feel more distinct compared to the series' past heroes.
Red Dead Redemption 3’s protagonist can be an important part of what makes the game unique after the last two entries. WhileRed Dead Redemption 2was an extremely strong game,RDR3can break series traditionby taking things in a different direction and be all the better for it. By deemphasizing crime and outlaw life and focusing on surviving in nature, the new game’s protagonist could be a character who stands tall even compared to Arthur and John. The key to makingRed Dead Redemption 3’s story succeed may be survival skills rather than gunslinging.
Red Dead Redemption 2is currently available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
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