The Red Dead Redemption series is a very violent one. Like its companion series, Grand Theft Auto, the franchise is full of brawls, gun battles, and so much killing. However, unlike many other contemporary games, Red Dead Redemption distinguishes itself by centering its stories around redemption rather than revenge.

Redemption is primarily defined as either the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil. Revenge on the other hand is defined as the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hand. Video games are notorious for making revenge the primary motivation of their main characters and usually leave a redemption portion as either a subplot and/or the subject of a sequel. Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption franchise, on the other hand, is one that generally flips this formula on its head.

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How Red Dead Redemption Handled Redemption For John Marston

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The story of the first Red Dead Redemption was one of Rockstar Games' best and fairly unique at the time of its release, as it did not focus on revenge throughout the majority of its narrative. The plot of the game primarily focused on John Marston, who was forced to hunt down members of his old gang in order to secure the future of his family. What's made very clear early on is that he doesn't want to do this. There is obviously some animosity between him and his former companions, but most of his encounters with them are treated as sad and tragic affairs. He's not going after these people for revenge for past deeds but so he can go home. Unfortunately, Edgar Ross leaves this as his only path to salvation.

John Marston's actual redemption in Red Dead Redemption is also fairly unique as far as its usage goes. Typically, a redemption arc usually involves a dramatic character change. In addition to taking actions that make them redeemed in the eyes of a third party, the character also has to undergo some kind of personal arc as well. The actions have to fundamentally change them, so they don't appear superficial.

John Marston, on the other hand, doesn't actually change all that much by the time the game ends. He never comes around to Edgar Ross' way of thinking and, if anything, seems to double down on his negative opinion of the character and who he represents. From the start, it was clear that he was ready and willing to kill and die which remains consistent throughout the game. Red Dead Redemption 2's way of handling redemption, however, is a bit more traditional.

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How Red Dead Redemption 2 Handled Redemption For Arthur Morgan

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Red Dead Redemption 2 takes place several years before the events of the first game and primarily followed Arthur Morgan. From the get-go, it's clear that Arthur isn't a good person. While not as unhinged as some of his companions, he still shows a lot of violent tendencies. Early chapters have the character killing people, collecting money for loan sharks, and beating debtors to a pulp when they can't pay it back. At one point, the character gets into a fistfight with a man and is ready to kill him as the fight goes on for no real reason. From this point on, the players' actions ultimately determine Arthur's story of redemption.

Red Dead Redemption 2 uses an honor system that allows players to make choices that determine the character's personality. This, in turn, changes Arthur's dialog in various scenes and alters his ultimate fate. By the time the game enters its final act, Arthur is less interested in seeing the gang survive as he wants to see John, Abigail, and Jack make it out alive and have a real life. The character's ultimate redemption is, quite literally, paving the way for Red Dead Redemption and the events of that game. Details changed based on the player's choices, but the effect is, for the most part, still the same.

Red Dead Redemption's Relationship With Revenge

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The Red Dead Redemption games are ones that seem to view revenge in a mostly negative light. In the first game, it doesn't really factor into John Marston's story even when he's betrayed. The only real revenge story is the epilogue section where Jack Marston hunts down Edgar Ross after his family dies. The player is given the option to kill Ross' family as well before gunning him down on the river bank. Oddly enough, it was the second time Jack Marston met Edgar Ross on a river in Red Dead Redemption. Ironically in doing so, it turns Jack into an outlaw himself, undercutting everything his father and Arthur sacrificed to get him away from the outlaw lifestyle.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a bit more blunt. For example, Dutch van der Linde does a lot of terrible things in Red Dead Redemption 2 in the name of revenge. In the second half of the game, he drowns Angelo Bronte before feeding him to the alligators much to everyone's horror. Sadie Adler's own quest for revenge against the O'Driscolls is a bloody affair that doesn't actually solve anything for her and likely leaves her more damaged than she already was. These contrast Arthur's and John's redemption stories which are all about saving people as opposed to hurting them.

Ultimately both of the Red Dead Redemption games have very clear views on redemption versus revenge. The former is shown in a positive light while the latter is very clearly in the negative. Like the dying Old West, it seems to be a constant theme that comes with the games. Red Dead Redemption 3 will likely not be released until the 2030s but when it does, hopefully, it will continue to remember this theme.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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