Why 1899 is an extra special year for the franchise

Spoilers ahead for Red Dead Redemption 2.Red Dead Redemption 2 The game is full of subtle storytelling and rich symbolism, and this approach to storytelling extends to where the game is set. The choice to set the game in 1899 is far from trivial, and this setting has implications for the wider Red Dead Redemption Narrative, linking to key themes such as freedom, the flow of history and the mentality of the outlaw.

In some ways, the Red Dead Redemption Games are the most successful part of contemporary Western media, with the Western film genre decades past the height of its popularity. Both though Red Dead Redemption The games pay homage to these classic westerns through imagery, character archetypes, and music, a further retrospective deconstruction of the franchise’s “Wild West” mythos, using outlaw characters to explore deeper themes. While the story of Arthur Morgan is memorable and emotional, he should also be seen as a mythical figure, not in a legendary or supernatural sense (although he is certainly influential in many ways), but in a tragic and allegorical one.

Red Dead Redemption 2’s 1899 setting explained

Arthur, multifaceted and whatever his base, is a character who represents the rough and lawless Wild West, at least as defined in American culture and by Arthur’s fellow gang members. Of course, Arthur dies tragically at the end of the game, his death marking the end of the Van der Linde gang and a new beginning for the others. Red Dead Redemption 2 Characters like John, Sadie and Charles.

This is where the year 1899 comes into play. When the Red Dead While the series looks vibrant and action-packed, it’s really a franchise about the decay of a certain lifestyle, necessitated by the relentless march of time. Arthur, a man who embodies the virtues of a lawless, despotic America, dies in the last year of the 1800s, driving home the idea that the lives these outlaws lead are coming to an end, and that they either Need to adapt or bring down. with it. Essentially, the 1800s are characterized by a romantic outlaw mentality, to say the least Red Dead Universe As society progresses, however, old ways of life must change, so 1899 serves as the sunset year for the century of the cowboy.

The 1900s: A new century for the heroes of Red Dead Redemption

Of course, Rockstar does not suggest that the idea of ​​the Wild West outlaw died immediately and definitively on the last day of 1899—the existence of the first Red Dead Redemption

It is proof. However, just as the first day of January symbolizes a new beginning for many people, so does the beginning of the 20th century. Red Dead Redemption. Red Dead 2, in its entirety, shows players how the Wild West is disappearing and being replaced by modern civilization. At the end of the tumultuous game year of 1899, the van der Linde gang disbands and the ultimate cowboy Arthur Morgan dies, running a stake in the heart of the doomed outlaw’s dream.

In the early 1900s, there were still a few cowboys roaming the West. significantly, Red Dead Redemption 2 Characters like Bill Williamson and the despicable Micah Bell are still active. John Marston, the soon-to-be pawn of “Civilized Man”, hunts down Bell at the end of the play to get his revenge. When Marston confronts Bell, they briefly argue about Arthur’s fate. “Arthur is long gone, it’s a new century,” Bell says. He says this in an attempt to minimize Arthur’s death, not knowing that he himself is part of the “Dead Century”. When John finally kills Bell and the rest of the van der Linde gang, and is himself hanged, it is an elaborate metaphor for the death of the Wild West and its ideals.