How Red Dead 3 can complicate the dynamics of high and low honor

Rock stars Red Dead Redemption The franchise will likely be immortalized as one of the gaming industry’s best narrative adventure games, regardless of whether it continues with the release of Red Dead Redemption 3. Of course, that hasn’t stopped fans of the series from hoping that Rockstar will pull the trigger with a third entry, and it’s interesting to speculate how Red Dead Redemption 3 could further develop the franchise, especially considering how big a leap forward it is RDR2 was from his predecessor.

Either way Red Dead Redemption 3 can build on the foundations laid by the games before it via the honor mechanic. This feature has been introduced Red Dead Redemptionwhere it was a measure of John Marston’s reputation rather than his morals. This is reflected in the fact that actions committed while wearing an identity-obscuring headscarf have no bearing on John’s honor, even if they otherwise would have. Red Dead Redemption 2 advances the system by having low and high honor actions affect Arthur’s honor level, regardless of witnesses, and having his honor level play a larger role in the story, ultimately affecting the ending and certain aspects of the epilogue. With Red Dead Redemption 3Rockstar could potentially experiment more with this system and incorporate the best aspects of both RDR‘s and RDR2‘s incarnations.

Brainstorming Honor changes in Red Dead Redemption 3

Red Dead Redemption 3 could split honor into two axes

The above differences between the way honor works Red Dead Redemption and its successor could play a role in how such a system would work in the third game. Maybe Rockstar could do without it Red Dead Redemption 2The dichotomy between high and low honor is overcome by introducing a new vector for players to engage with. Since “honor” in the Red Dead Redemption Perhaps the series previously seemed to be pushing the boundaries between morality and reputation Red Dead Redemption 3 could split the system into two different categories, such as:

• Morality and order
• Honor and ethics
• Karma and reputation

Whatever these hypothetical mechanisms are called is ultimately secondary to their function, which is to delineate players’ actions that are ethical or moral in the context of the game world and to separate them from those that impact their reputation. This big change from Red Dead‘s previous honor systems would mean that players could have a larger, deeper variety of honor states for the player character and enjoy benefits such as shop discounts based on their reputation, while still suffering negative story consequences due to their low honor, for example could.

How bringing another “honor” axis to Red Dead Redemption 3 could benefit the game

By complicating the honor/reputation system in this way, Red Dead Redemption 3 could not only provide a more realistic role-playing experience, but also grant more meaningful narrative rewards depending on the player’s choice. For example, the hypothetical system is called Karma and Reputation: Red Dead Redemption 3A player with low karma and high reputation could have their story greatly influenced. Perhaps a key plot point could focus on the character’s inner guilt over her immoral actions, compounded by the fact that the people around her viewed her as a model of virtue. Conversely, a player with high karma and low reputation might experience an ending that reflects this: the character ends their journey in peace, but is reviled by those around them.

Of course, these are just possible paths Rockstar could take. In all likelihood, if it is ever published, Red Dead Redemption 3 will take a different form than anyone could have predicted. But still theorizing about it Red Dead 3The equivalent of the honor system shows how much potential the game could have.

America, 1899. The end of the Wild West era has begun as law enforcement hunts down the last remaining outlaw gangs. Anyone who does not surrender or give in will be killed.

After a robbery goes wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang have to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the country on their heels, the gang must make their way through America’s harsh heartland to survive. As increasing internal divisions threaten to tear the bonds apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang that raised him.

From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic story about life in America at the dawn of the modern era.

Released

October 26, 2018

Multiplayer

Online multiplayer

Motor

FURY

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and gore, intense violence, nudity, sexual content, strong language, drug and alcohol use

How long to beat

50 hours

Steam Deck Compatibility

Yes

X|S optimized

Yes

PS Plus availability

Extra & Premium

OpenCritic review

Powerful

Cross Save

N/A

Cross-platform play

N/A

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