As amazing as Red Dead Redemption 2 is, it would be nothing without the games that game before. One fan looks at the evolution of the franchise in a viral Tiktok, showing footage of Red Dead Revolver through to Red Dead Redemption 2.
It usually comes as a surprise when people learn that the Red Dead series did not start with the first Red Dead Redemption, but actually Red Dead Revolver. The game began development at Capcom before being cancelled and subsequently acquired by Rockstar Games who went on to expand and publish it in 2004. When Red Dead Redemption launched in 2010, it was as if the game came out of nowhere, garnering universal acclaim from players and critics alike, but feeling like the start of a new franchise, rather than a sequel to an already established one. Rockstar Games would obviously go on to create Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018, improving on the Redemption formula in nearly every way.
TikTok user aqx1234 posted a video showcasing Red Dead's evolution from the original Revolver to Redemption 2. The nearly 30 second clip shows footage from all three games starting with Revolver, before cutting to Redemption with a change in music, and one final time for Redemption 2. Interestingly, the only gameplay footage shown is for Revolver, revealing much stiffer shooting mechanics and a linear world design. A recurring question for Red Dead Redemption 2 fans is whether Red Dead Revolver is worth playing, which based on the brief gameplay snippet, may be indication enough to give it a try or not.
Since Revolver is the only game to receive gameplay in aqx1234's video, Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2's segments feature montages of some both games' most cinematic moments. Red Dead Redemption is still a great looking game, as the clips of protagonist John Marston shooting and on horseback show solid animation and well-polished character design. Naturally, these compliments are exponentially multiplied when it cuts to footage of Red Dead Redemption 2, showing Arthur Morgan and the rest of the game's cast in many dynamic, intense sequences from throughout the story. The photorealistic art design of Red Dead Redemption 2 is still breathtaking even three years after release.
Aqx1234's video focuses mostly on the increase in graphical fideltiy throughout the Red Dead series, and perhaps also, the series' growing ability to create highly cinematic moments. Unfortunately, since Revolver is the only game to receive gameplay footage here, the video doesn't provide a solid comparison of how actually playing this series has evolved from game to game. For all intents and purposes, Redemption is a spiritual successor to Revolver, evolving the gameplay on nearly every level, from shooting, to traversal, and being much grander in scope. It would be incredible to see Red Dead Revolver remade in the style of the Redemption games, though that seems unlikely to ever happen.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.