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

Although he's an outlaw, Arthur Morgan is clearly written to be a generally good man no matter how yous choose to play as him. Not necessarily good in the sense of following the rules of the law and not 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 being a truly despicable brigand. He's a great antihero, which is what makes his futile fight against the inevitable painful for me to play through - his concluding chapter was near too much for me to comport.

The get-go time I played through Ruby-red Dead two, I realised pretty early that I would have to forgo a lot of the game'south side content in order to keep the momentum of the master story going. I did spend the start few capacity exploring, doing stranger missions, and completing challenges, but in one case the Pinkertons started to close in on the Van Der Linde gang, it felt weird taking fourth dimension off to help a lensman or aid a scientist with his strange robot. I enjoyed every moment of the story - even the infamous island of Guarma affiliate - all the way up 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 like my fault. Honestly, I wasn't sure what had washed it initially, but when he remarked it was a man he trounce up while collecting a debt my heart sank - I instantly recalled the poor human being I beat half to expiry in forepart of his married woman and son. I couldn't call up if there was an alternative way to collect the coin, and if this was some roughshod penalisation for an immoral pick 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'southward and so brilliantly brought to life by Rockstar and his thespian Roger Clark that I couldn't help merely experience for him. Progressing through the final moments of the game felt like a decease 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 forcefulness onto players.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Arthur Morgan

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

Besides as these award missions, I likewise revisited old friends and strangers, went dorsum to burnt out campsites, and just did anything other than playing the concluding few story missions. As 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 go 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 end, but I worried I hadn't washed enough for him when he still had time to savor his life. I promised myself that when I played through the game again, I'd spend as much time as I could with Arthur before progressing to the debt collector missions. Unfortunately, there is no other mode to collect the sick man's pecker. Arthur'south fate is sealed. Still, I spent far more time singing at military camp and drinking in bars - I made certain that, at least on my second playthrough, I would give Arthur the best life possible.

Now that I've had some distance from my outset feel with the game, I capeesh what Rockstar managed to do a lot more. I knew Arthur was doomed from the start, just I notwithstanding wish he didn't suffer as much as he did. But, because I know of his suffering to come up, I make sure every moment he has is as joyous every bit possible now, and that feels like a practiced life lesson to take from the game. I'thousand not maxim we should all exit and shoot up saloons, but we should take the fourth dimension to enjoy what nosotros're doing while we can. Arthur can have as many lives as I want, but I can't.

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Farewell, Felicia.

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Issy van der Velde (455 Articles Published)

Issy is an avid pic lover, author, and game-thespian based in the Britain. He combines his dear of film and games in his writing, trying to find as many connections between the two mediums as possible. When he'due south not writing, playing, or watching, Issy loves to DJ and look afterwards his growing drove of houseplants, as they make him feel more adult.

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