Red Dead Redemption: The Remake (And Red Dead Redemption 3 Pitch)
Disclaimer: Since there is no legitimate connection between Red Dead Revolver and Red Dead Redemption, I will not be mentioning it again until the very end when I’ll explain my theory on how the games connect.
Red Dead Redemption, the franchise that keeps Western Fiction alive. Due to the pandemic, I find myself returning to Arthur Morgan and his adventures. Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the best games I’ve ever played, blowing the original out of the water. This is the reason that I’ve decided to write this article. Rockstar’s sequel/prequel is so good that it made Red Dead Redemption inferior, but more than that, it made the game feel unfinished. There are now some things that don’t entirely add up anymore. Why isn’t Arthur ever mentioned? Where are Charles and Sadie? Why weren’t they being hunted? In 2010, Red Dead Redemption was an entire game with an incredible story, but in 2020 it feels more like an outline. There is so much more that they could add that would only make the game better, so without further ado, I present my pitch for Red Dead Redemption: The Remake.
Disclaimer #2: This article is not going to be about a remaster, but a remake. A Remaster is typically a boost in graphics and maybe they’ll add a couple of easter eggs, this game needs more than that. A Remake is when well...it’s when you remake a game. I wanted to be clear on that because I don’t want any confusion.
Disclaimer #3: I didn’t want to write a Listicle, but I feel like I kind of have to. This won’t be a ranking, I’m just going to be making a list of things that I want out of this game.
New Mechanics: I might as well start with the most boring one. Red Dead Redemption 2 brought a multitude of new mechanics to the series like caring for your horse, cleaning your weapons, buying clothes, growing hair, etc, but then when you go to play the original none of those things are there making it a more mundane playing experience. I would like to bring the more advanced mechanics to the remake.
Same Plot, but Better: I don’t want to change the core story elements. I only want to make the two games fit together more realistically and entertainingly. I want them to make hunting down Bill Williamson, Javier Esculla, and Dutch Van Der Linde a more emotional and difficult task. Throughout the entire game, you get the feeling that John wanted to hunt these men, I don’t want that. I want this game to have John hate being pulled back into this life.
Charles Smith: Charles is one of my favorite characters in Red Dead Redemption 2. The fact that he doesn’t die at the end of the game means that he’s most likely still alive by the time John Marston begins his crusade. I don’t want him to be hunted by John, but I do want him to be a friend. For this game, Charles isn’t being hunted by the government because he’s been out of the game for years. He’s considered a low priority, but when John is forced to hunt his former brothers, Charles returns to protect Jack and Abagail alongside Uncle.
Add Dialogue about John’s Past: It’s so strange playing this game and having John not mention Arthur, Charles, or Hosea. Put something in there that acknowledges that time and makes Red Dead Redemption 2 feel valid to the players.
Make the World Feel Real: The original game is set in 1911. Meaning that the Marston’s have been living on the same range for nearly half a decade. Why does John not know any of the locations or people? What did John not ever go east? Isn’t that a little weird? I mean, the obvious answer is that the game was released in 2010, eight years before Red Dead Redemption 2, but this is the remake so...add it.
Mexican Civil War: I understand that Bill and Javier are most likely in Mexico because they are criminals, but instead of making John and soldier for BOTH sides, let’s have him work with one. Maybe Javier can be working with the Mexican Government for some reason and Bill runs to Javier for help after John starts to hunt him. By doing that, you know have a reason Bill is with De Santa, and you don’t have the plot hole of John working with both sides.
Same Ending, but Better: I’m not going to go into much detail on this yet because it’ll be part of my Red Dead Redemption 3 pitch, but the ending still needs to kill John, but also Uncle and Abagail. Charles also needs to be at the ranch when the soldiers come for John, I’ll explain later I promise.
No Jack Marstan Revenge Plot...yet: Having Jack Marstan take up his father’s mantel never really felt right to me. He was never the violent type nor was he ready. It rushed something that could have been a really good story with him hunting Agent Ross, however, I do understand that it is a Red Dead Tradition to be able to play as a new character at the end of the game, so I propose two alternatives.
Charles Smith. He finds John’s journal or something and goes out to set his friend’s affairs in order. This one is fine, but you’ll understand in a minute why this won’t work with my overall story.
Landon Ricketts. I think that this would be pretty sweet. Have Ricketts hear about John’s death, then have him go to the ranch only to find a list of all the tasks John has. I prefer this alternative to Jack and Charles because Landon is an experienced and skilled gunfighter and it would make sense for him to have all the mechanics unlocked, unliked Jack who is just as good as his father with three years of experience.
Red Dead Redemption 3:
I think that you probably have an idea as to what I want to do with the plot for this game. After John and Abagail Marston’s death, Charles has taken Jack under his wing. You play as Charles in this game. Jack has been obsessed with finding and killing Agent Ross for years, but Charles has managed to keep Jack’s anger at bay. One day Jack has had enough and sets out to find Ross. Charles goes out to find Jack before he can kill Ross but doesn’t. Jack gets arrested, but Charles manages to bust him out. The only problem is that Charles was recognized and now is being hunted as a former member of the Van Der Linde Gang. Charles and Jack are now forced to leave the country, but now only have one place to go, South America, home of Sadie Adler. The rest of the game is about the two of them making their way to Sadie whilst being hunted. Once finding Sadie it is revealed that she now lives a quiet life and she openly accepts Charles and Jack. The game ends with Charles and Jack finally becoming content with their life. Charles and Sadie marry and treat Jack as their son. Jack pursues a life in writing rather than one of violence. No more revenge and no more violence, it’s a new world now, one of peace, and one of redemption.
I hope you enjoyed my ideas for what they should do with this series. I know I could probably flesh this out, and maybe I will at some point. I also have ideas for another prequel game and a few ideas for some spin-offs, so let me know if that is something you would be interested in hearing, but for now, I want to know what you think? Would you add anything or leave it the same? Let me know in the comments or in our Facebook group Meisterkhandriacs.
Oh, and don’t think I forgot about my promise. I said that I’m going to tell you my Red Dead Revolver theory, and that’s what I’m going to do. The only way Red Dead Revolver would make sense is for it to be a story. I believe that Red Harlaw is a character from spoken legend and that he never existed, he’s the Gunslinging Beowulf.