The story of Red Dead Redemption 2 is considered by many to be a masterclass in character development, structure, and pacing, winning numerous awards for its immersive and dramatic campaign. While the game is universally lauded, one particular chapter sticks out like a sore thumb as arguably the most controversial section of the game's narrative, and it begins when Arthur, Dutch, Javier, Bill and Micah find themselves shipwrecked on an island called Guarma.

Right off the bat, Chapter 5: Guarma feels like a jarring change of pace from the rest of the game thus far. Hot off the heels of one of Red Dead Redemption 2's most exciting levels, in which a botched bank robbery results in the deaths of beloved gang members Hosea and Lenny, Arthur and the remaining members of the game slip aboard a ship bound for Cuba, only for a storm to leave them washed up on a plantation island in the midst of a civil war. With the Cuban Navy preventing any boats from leaving the island, the gang is forced to help the rebels drive their oppressors back and win the war before they can get home.

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RDR2: The Cons

RDR2 Guarma

One of the biggest criticisms of Guarma is the sudden change in gameplay. With Arthur losing his horse along with all of his items at the start of the chapter, the section of the game is deprived of one of Red Dead Redemption 2's core gameplay features. Without a horse, or even a particularly large map to explore, the missions in Chapter 5 revolve mainly around slow-paced stealth and cookie-cutter shooting galleries, highlighting some of RDR2's weakest aspects.

More jarring than the shift in gameplay, however, is the detour that the story takes. After the bank robbery results in the most damaging blow to Dutch's Gang yet, including the tragic deaths of Hosea and Lenny, players are hardly given any insight into how the disaster impacted the characters, aside from a few lamentations from Arthur.

With the gang's camp - the nucleus of Red Dead Redemption 2's campaign - miles away, players are also deprived of seeing how the people who make up the heart of the gang have reacted to the disaster until Arthur's return several missions later. As a result, the vast majority of the player's time in Guarma feels like a fever dream compared to the rest of the game, a bizarre detour that may as well never have happened, especially considering the player can't even return to Guarma once the chapter ends.

RDR2: The Pros

That being said, there is some major subtextual development that happens between the characters during this chapter. Namely, Guarma marks the point where Arthur truly begins to lose faith in Dutch. Resenting Dutch for leading the gang into the disastrous St. Denis bank robbery, and surrounded by the three people who eventually end up siding with Dutch against him, the first seeds of the gang's eventual implosion are sown during Chapter 5.

Also, Arthur gets to witness up close how reckless and paranoid Dutch becomes without Hosea to steer him in the right direction, watching Dutch murder an old woman on a hunch that she was planning on ratting them out. Guarma also serves as a metaphorical lesson to Arthur that the tropical paradise that the gang is striving for in Tahiti throughout RDR2 may be nothing more than a pipe dream, as even somewhere as beautiful as Guarma is not without its horrors.

While it could be argued that many of these plot points could have been achieved without necessitating a weeks-spanning island detour for Arthur and friends, the passage of time that happens in Guarma is a crucial factor in the story of Red Dead Redemption 2 and makes the return home from Guarma more memorable than the time spent in Guarma itself. Arthur's long ride to the gang's new camp - set to the stirring "May I? Stand Unshaken" by D'Angelo - stands out as one of the game's most impactful moments, and it works because of how long Arthur has spent away from the familiar mainland.

Similarly, upon arriving at camp, the boys learn how Sadie Adler has been serving as de facto leader in their absence, marking the peak of her arc from mourning widow to badass gunslinger on par with the likes of Arthur Morgan and John Marston themselves. Without the absence of the men to give Sadie her chance to shine, this transformation wouldn't be nearly as effective.

Chapter 5 is no doubt a flawed chapter, but it's makes sense. The change of scenery to the Caribbean tropics is a breath of fresh air, and the subtle character developments are well-earned throughout. Had Rockstar planned out the pacing better and added more variety to the chapter's missions, perhaps Guarma would be considered one of the best sections of Red Dead Redemption 2 instead of the strangest.

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

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