Summary
Red Dead Redemption 2has broken more records than anyone can realistically keep track of and is widely regarded as Rockstar’sultimate Western experience. The game presented the best-realized version of the Wild West yet in gaming, and record sales numbers along with massive critical applausemake aRed Dead Redemption 3all the more likely. But despite the likelihood of Rockstar rounding out itsRed Dead RedemptionTrilogy, not much else is certain about the hypothetical game.
Fans will know that the timeline of bothRed Dead Redemptiongames puts the story in a precarious position. With the sequel’s status as a prequel, theRed Deadtimeline currently ends in the year 1911. Anyone familiar with US history will be able to attest that stretching the “Wild West” theme that far into the 20th century would be pushing it, to put it lightly. But the franchise’s hallmark honor system stands to dramatically change if the series keeps pushing closer to the modern day.
A Jack Marston-focused RDR3 Might Be Too Modern for the Old Honor System
A major theme of the first twoRed Dead Redemptiongames is the Death of the Wild West.The Van Der Linde gang was one of the last great outlaw crewsof the time period, and the games are ultimately about the end of the lawless no man’s land that was the American Frontier. The last thing players see in theRed Deadcanon is Jack Marston, all grown up in the year 1911, possibly considering going down the same road as his father and uncle Arthur.
If a thirdRed Dead Redemptionmoves forward to tell the story of an adult Jack, the honor system can be something of a double-edged sword. A major plot point of the second game was John and Arthur wanting to ensure thatJack Marston did not fall into the outlaw lifestyle, but after the (arguably justifiable) killing of Ross, Jack could pretty much go either way with his life. That’s where the honor system would need to come in.
A return to the honor system inRed Dead 3would be very fitting for a story about Jack choosing his path, but it would need a big overhaul from its current state, which was constructed with the Old West environment in mind.A more modernRed Deadgamemay need to tweak its relationship with the honor system in order to better suit its new time period.
Ironically, the answer may lie somewhere in Rockstar’s other major franchise.GTAhas long given players the freedom to do whatever they want in an open-world sandbox much like theRed Deadgames. In fact, when the originalRed Dead Redemptionlaunched all those years ago, a lot of gamers took to calling it “GTAwith horses” or other such monikers. As a result, the honor system of a more modernRed Deadgame might take some cues from the Wanted systeminGTA.
The game could dynamically adjust the protagonist’s reputation based on their choices and interactions in both the story and free-roam gameplay. Players mightaccrue infamy for actions like robbery or murder, which could increase bounty values and trigger pursuit by lawmen or bounty hunters. Conversely, acts of kindness could earn a reputation by lowering bounties and potentially granting benefits like discounts or assistance from law-abiding NPCs. Higher infamy might make law response to even minor crimes more severe, while lower infamy may give players some level of leniency when committing crimes, whereas the response may not be as strong or long-lasting.
