A common complaint that appears as developers show off the process of games like Red Dead Redemption 2 evolving during development is that some players get attached to early designs. However, some players have taken to modding characters into Red Dead Redemption 2 in order to roll some visuals back to the way they appeared in pre-release screenshots.
One of the more recent examples of these Red Dead Redemption 2 mods comes in the form of a John Marston rollback that looks to restore the original version players were shown in earlier promotional material. Development on the mod began earlier this year, with the initial version being uploaded in April and consistent updates being made to make installation easier and more effective for more players.
The mod itself, uploaded by user GuiCORLEONEx794 to Nexus Mods, is specifically working to restore the beta models of John Marston, as well as some finer details that had been removed or altered before the base game. Among the more notable changes is the shape of the character's head, which had been altered slightly between some of the promotional shots and the final release of the game. It focuses primarily on Red Dead Redemption 2's smaller details in order to get the look just right, but can go a long way to get players reinvested in the version they had been initially promised in the early marketing.
On the Nexus Mods page, the mod's developer has also highlighted a number of other Red Dead Redemption 2 mods for players to try out in order to get the best John Marston experience, calling all the way back to how the character appeared in the first game. This includes customization for the character's belt buckle, some cut dialogue, and changing how many guns he can equip at a time. Combined with the way that this new mod restores everything from the shape of John's head to the tone and color of his coat, the look and feel of the character begins to fall much more in line with what players may have expected at launch.
This type of mod shows just how far players are willing to go in order to get games to look and feel exactly the way they want it, even years after the title has already released. It's an incredible sight to see how the community responds to even minor changes in a character's appearance and are fully willing to take the small tweaks a developer like Rockstar likely wouldn't bother with into its own hands. In the case of Red Dead Redemption 2's character mods in particular, there is seemingly no shortage in passion from fans to put their own mark on the game.
Red Dead Redemption is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Nexus Mods