I adored Cherry-red Expressionless Redemption when it first came out. Rockstar'southward behemoth game about the final desperate throes of the outlaw era is matched but by its successor, Ruby Dead Redemption 2 - a behemoth game about the final desperate throes of the outlaw era. From the grim and snowy prologue to the bloodshot epilogue, the story of the latter is simply as much of a narrative masterpiece as its iconic predecessor, if not more so. The 2 games have many other parallels, as well, although ane of biggest things that connects them for me is that I hated both of their endings the offset fourth dimension I played through them.

Although he'south an outlaw, Arthur Morgan is clearly written to be a generally proficient man no affair how you choose to play as him. Non necessarily expert in the sense of following the rules of the law and non robbing and murdering people, just proficient in the sense that he has a code he lives by and a sense of morality that guides him away from being a truly despicable bandit. He'south a neat antihero, which is what makes his futile fight against the inevitable painful for me to play through - his final affiliate was almost likewise much for me to bear.

The showtime time I played through Red Expressionless 2, I realised pretty early that I would accept to forgo a lot of the game's side content in club to keep the momentum of the primary story going. I did spend the get-go few capacity exploring, doing stranger missions, and completing challenges, but one time the Pinkertons started to close in on the Van Der Linde gang, it felt weird taking fourth dimension off to help a photographer or aid a scientist with his strange robot. I enjoyed every moment of the story - even the infamous island of Guarma chapter - all the way up until Arthur's tuberculosis started to go bad.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Arthur and John walking in front of a house

What started out as a piddling coughing gradually progressed to full-on consumption. Arthur became a worn-out vanquish of the rough and ready outlaw he once was, and information technology felt similar my fault. Honestly, I wasn't sure what had done information technology initially, but when he remarked information technology was a human being he beat up while collecting a debt my heart sank - I instantly recalled the poor homo I beat half to death in front end of his married woman and son. I couldn't remember if there was an alternative mode to collect the money, and if this was some barbarous punishment for an immoral option I'd fabricated.

As Arthur grew weaker, guilt festered inside of me. I know he isn't real, I know he'southward just lawmaking, just he'due south and so brilliantly brought to life by Rockstar and his player Roger Clark that I couldn't help but feel for him. Progressing through the concluding moments of the game felt like a expiry march - I knew I was going to impale Arthur if I kept going. My guilt wasn't helped past his continually worsening land. Information technology was a cruel sight to force onto players.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Arthur Morgan

I did my best to brand Arthur's final days as adept as possible. I chose to accept him aid the family unit of the man who inadvertently doomed him, and I played through the Native American plotline, too. While I understand it was included to offer Arthur some redemption - before he got all red and dead - these missions felt very tacked on and only dripped with white saviour tropes. All the same, I wanted to try and redeem Arthur as much as I could, more to assuage my ain guilt than annihilation else.

Likewise equally these accolade missions, I likewise revisited one-time friends and strangers, went dorsum to burnt out campsites, and simply did annihilation other than playing the final few story missions. Equally hard as it was seeing Arthur suffering, I didn't want to go along going because everything was merely also bleak. Somewhen, though, I knew I had to go on with it. With Arthur wheezing and gasping, finishing the game felt similar mercy.

arthur morgan with sadie adler

I recall I did everything I could for Arthur at the end, just I worried I hadn't done enough for him when he still had time to enjoy his life. I promised myself that when I played through the game again, I'd spend as much time every bit I could with Arthur before progressing to the debt collector missions. Unfortunately, in that location is no other style to collect the sick homo'due south bill. Arthur'due south fate is sealed. Yet, I spent far more time singing at camp and drinking in bars - I made sure that, at least on my second playthrough, I would give Arthur the all-time life possible.

Now that I've had some distance from my showtime feel with the game, I capeesh what Rockstar managed to practise a lot more. I knew Arthur was doomed from the commencement, but I still wish he didn't suffer as much as he did. Merely, considering I know of his suffering to come, I make sure every moment he has is equally joyous as possible now, and that feels like a good life lesson to take from the game. I'thou not proverb nosotros should all go out and shoot up saloons, but we should take the time to enjoy what we're doing while nosotros tin. Arthur can have every bit many lives as I want, but I tin't.

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