RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2

More information emerges, from characters to a lush Louisana setting. Go west, young fan.

The original Red Dead Redemption remains arguably the first, and last, great western videogame. Despite acclaim from critics and fans alike, however, it seems developer Rockstar wasn’t in a rush to churn out a successor, remaining curiously silent on the subject of a sequel for six long years, until it unceremoniously dropped the announcement almost a year ago. That’s right: A YEAR AGO. It’s taken 11 long, painful months, but a new video for one of gaming’s most anticipated sequels, Red Dead Redemption 2, has finally arrived.

The new teaser’s just one minute and 29 seconds long, but Rockstar is masterful in its delivery of a trailer that intimates much, but, in actuality, gives very little away. Let’s break it down, shall we?

We’re throwing around the word ‘sequel’, but that’s not actually what we’ve got here. Red Dead Redemption 2 is technically a prequel, predating Marston by half a decade or so, we reckon. Dutch Van Der Linde – the scoundrel you chase for much of the original game – is very much alive and kicking here, with nary a salt-and-pepper hair to be seen. The Dutch we encountered at the end of Red Dead’s original story looked older and… well, it didn’t turn out so good for him, did it? And that’s how we know this is a prequel.

DEAR JOHN

We’re just going to say it: there’s no sign of John Marston. Yet.

When rumours of a sequel first surfaced, some people hoped Red Dead 2 would focus on John Marston’s formative, less lawabiding years, perhaps even on the time we know culminated in Red Dead’s original protagonist being shot and left for dead in a robberygone-wrong. But apparently not. The single-line video description tells us that Red Dead 2 is “the story of outlaw Arthur Morgan and the Van Der Linde gang as they rob, fight, and steal their way across the vast

and rugged heart of America in order to survive.”

Although his name suggests he might be a miner from the Rhondda, turns out Arthur Morgan, like Marston, is an outlaw, seemingly a debt collector of sorts. Think Scrooge, but with a cowboy hat. Unlike Marston, though, Morgan seems to take great delight in being a *blorp*head (at one point he cheerfully suggests executing a young chap so his mother can remain in her mourning clothes), so it doesn’t look like he’s seeking redemption any time soon.

But just because we haven’t seen Marston yet, it doesn’t mean he won’t return. After all, Rockstar is known for holding back a secret or two prior to launch. One of Grand Theft Auto V’s early trailers focused purely on Michael, whereas, as we now know, the game actually charts three individual protagonists. Could this happen again with RDR2? Maybe it’s another member of the gang we ultimately play as, perhaps the cowgirl (possibly called Abigail) we see insisting that someone (no idea who, though) is the only one of “these fools” she believes in?

SOMEWHERE BAYOU

It’s not yet clear where in the Wild West the events take place. But given a voiceover laments that the gang have been chased out of three states, chasing them “from the West” and “over the mountains”, with a little map work and a rusty Geography GCSE, Louisiana is a plausible guess.

Not convinced? That’s okay. But what if we told you there are alligators taking out unsuspecting piggies (sorry, Porky), glimpses of swampy bayous (which may or may not mean we’ll finally get to souse ourselves in RDR’s numerous waterholes), and huge plantation houses ablaze? It’s possible, right?

Of course, it’s also possible this story will take us across all three of those aforementioned states and beyond, as coupled with the scenery you’d expect – campfires, sunsets, that kind of thing – there are also cowboys hotfootin’ it through the snow… so numerous locations aren’t totally out of the question.

THE WILD BUNCH

Rumour has it you’ll be able to individualise your crew for your missions, a little like you do in Mass Effect, although who’ll be available – Marston? Abigail? – is anyone’s

TRAIN HEISTS, BANK ROBBERIES, STABBINGS, DUAL-WIELDING PISTOLS, HUNTING; IT’S ALL HERE.

Grizzly bears once extended as far south as New Mexico and Arizona – but those mountains don’t look like western plains to us. guess. The trailer intimates it’s the end-days of Dutch’s gang, and it looks as though Dutch wants his boys to go out with a bang. Train heists, bank robberies, street brawls, stabbings, lassoing horses, dual-wielding pistols, chasing down debtors, and hunting with a bow and arrow ( yes, finally); it’s all here, with our man Morgan usually front-row and centre for the carnage. And it’s stunning. From the craggy mountains to the sun-drenched vistas, the weatherbeaten towns to the soupy bayous, each backdrop is gorgeously realised, and stuffed with detail.

Oh, and there are still bears on the prowl. Excellent. Can’t wait to be mauled by one of those again.

Incidentally, there are many parallels to draw from The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, including the bandana’d bandits, the landscapes, the overall aesthetic – even how Dutch’s gang take down the train. Homage, inspiration, or an example of devs using a movie on which to base an entire design? (Silent Hill, we’re looking at you – we know Midwich Elementary was based on the school in Kindergarten Cop.) Who knows? Guess we’ll find out soon enough. We’ve waited six years, so six more months won’t hurt… Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to PlayStation 4 in Spring 2018. The plantation house looks similar to the real Oak Alley Plantation in Louisiana. The Native American gent features in the original RDR2 art. Playable, we hope.