Red Dead Redemption fell into the same trap as The Last of Us

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There's a potential problem that some narrative-driven games face when they end up focusing too much on a singular protagonist, and because of the audience's strong emotional ties to that character, it becomes a double-edged sword when the story is trying to evolve . Red Dead Redemption and The last of us they may seem like very different games and yet have some similarities. The last of us faced this very problem with Joel and Ellie. Both characters also became iconic when the story tried to shift its focus The last of us part 2some fans felt conflicted, even resistant, because they were so emotionally invested in the original duo.




In case Red Dead Redemptionthe series is largely synonymous with the stories of John Marston and Arthur Morgan. Their deeply personal and complex arcs are what made the games so compelling. However, this dynamic also creates the same dilemma if the developers want to advance the story at some point or introduce new main characters.

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The transition to new perspectives of the characters becomes alienating

While switching from the original characters during a trap like this is a whole new direction, even introducing different perspectives could become difficult. In The last of us part 2the game spends significant time trying to get players to understand and sympathize with Abby, whose motivations are in direct conflict with those of Ellie, the series' original protagonist. This was a bold move and Red Dead Redemption facing a similar problem.


Even if Red Dead Redemption 2 gave players a new protagonist in Arthur Morgan, the game still tied its narrative strongly to John Marston. In the epilogue, players return to John, and much of the prequel is designed to set up the events of the original game. This approach, while it might help desensitize the audience to more significant changes in the story, is not a surefire solution.

Expanding the universe beyond established characters

Another pitfall shared by both The last of us and Red Dead Redemption it's their struggle to create new stories that don't revolve around established characters. In The last of usthe universe is rich with potential, but Joel and Ellie's relationship has become the core of the story, making any attempt to move beyond them feel risky. Similarly, Red Dead Redemption offers a vast open-world Western setting with the potential for countless stories, but the narrative still gravitates toward the Van der Linde gang and John Marston's legacy.


To expand these worlds without alienating fans, both series should introduce new game protagonists or perspectives that feel organic to their universes. However, this risks severing the emotional connection players have with the original characters.

Getting out of it requires a Witcher franchise-like approach

The Witcher 3 effectively ended Geralt's story while still leaving the door open for the series to continue, but the franchise needed three games to do so. If only the franchise had opted for a major change like this The Witcher 2would have completely alienated his fan base because of how strongly the audience connected with Geralt. One way to successfully transition to new characters is to give the existing protagonist a definitive and satisfying conclusion while developing the overall story and world in other ways.


while Red Dead Redemption it wrapped up John and Arthur's arcs in one way or another, which the series could still draw from the sorcerer in terms of the departure from the themes established by those characters. For example, it could introduce entirely new characters or focus on secondary characters like Sadie Adler or Jack Marston, while maintaining the emotional depth and thematic focus of the original games. However, focusing too much on building emotional connections with the main characters rather than the overall story is a trap, and one that's hard to fully break out of.

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