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As double-dyed grounds that the suspense and anticipation of a major announcement can often be sweeter than getting it , the postponement for an official confirmation ofRed Dead Redemption 2has come to an end … leaving lover hungrier than ever for more details . But Rockstar Games is still playing it coy , releasing justone epitome of cowboysaligned across the purview , anda gameplay trailer spill more Christ Within on the game ’s worldthan its character or story . Of course , that does n’t stop devoted fans from reel theories to their hearts ' content .
Count us among that chemical group , as we ’re as eager as anyone to see howRedemption 2will be continuing or expanding on the story or feel of its predecessor . The preview did n’t offer up many hints of how the game would be linked to the life of premature hero John Marston , or to the first plot in the series -Red Dead Revolver(if at all ) . But after admit a ( much ) closer look at the official graphics , and digging back through our memories of the two previousRed Deadgames , we do have a hypothesis .
What ifRed Dead Redemption 2was finally the game to linkRevolverandRedemptionas part of the same story ? That ’s our theory , and it all begins by break downeverythingthat Rockstar has uncover so far .
7. John Marston
We ’ll start by pointing out the one graphic symbol among the align silhouettes that capture the attention ofRed Deadfans right away : the scruffy man on the utmost left , gun resting over his shoulder . The image are designedly rough , but the outline and introductory lineament are a pure match for John Marston , the submarine sandwich ofRedemption(the beginning of his facial scar are perchance visible in the effigy , too ) . There ’s one immediate problem to cope with then : the previous game concluded with Marston ( plunderer warning ) being shot to death and buried .
The inclusion of Marston here is an obvious selection - he was critically acclaimed as a well - rounded and expertly crafted booster - and the previous plot ’s setting at thecloseof the Old West mean a more aloof past is mandatory . But Marston ’s cellular inclusion , and specifically , his placement on the outside of the group , not the center , could carry even more meaning . Especially when you remember that the story ofRedemptionfollowed John as he tracked down his former crowd in central for his amnesty and freedom . A crowd which he did n’t lead … but which also included some other familiar faces in this promo image .
6. Bill Williamson
If Marston is easy to fleck , then the tincture of Bill Williamson is downright obvious . It ’s his signature lid that behave as the clearest check that the yammer , menacing , barbate bandit in the range is Bill , another former crew appendage who once call John his sidekick in arms . InRed Dead Redemption , it ’s really Bill who give up the story into motion , reject to surrender when John seeks him out years after they parted path , bruise him and leaving the game ’s bomber for dead . In the end , John bring forth his revenge . But by then players learned that the couple ’s story is more complicated than former coworkers .
Both John and Bill came to contention , and finally unlimited ill will over their gang leader , with each vie for the ' veracious hand human being ' role ( one more meet to John ’s talent , but one more seek after by Bill ’s mogul hungry nature ) . The crew finally disbanded , with Bill prepare his own way and becoming a famous crew leader of his own . The pieces of theRedemptionprequel begin to strike into place with both John and Bill hinted at in the artwork , implying that the oftentimes - talked - about past of pain , betrayal , and at one time , criminal success could act as the main narrative of another adventure .
5. Dutch van der Linde
If you ’ve got the two man contend for the 2nd - in - dictation function of an Old West work party , it only make sense that the former drawing card should appear in the image as well , if it ’s depicting a fourth dimension when they radical remained intact . Look no further than the grim , mustachio - ed cheek of Dutch van der Linde , the eponymous founder of " Dutch ’s pack " ( as it ’s relate to by John and Bill inRedemption ) . Dutch is n’t actually fancy in his typical cowboy accessory in the course of the secret plan , having shed most of his clothes for an orange shirt , but the placement among John and Bill makes the case on its own .
While John ’s character and disposition make his location in the image - placed at the utmost edge , looking off at something unseen ( a future ? ) - Bill and Dutch , as we speculate , are direct alongside the central figure , looking determined to do some filthy body of work . The narration ofRedemptionmakes Dutch out to be more ideological than practical , hop to call on his gang into an Old West version of Robin Hood and his Merry Men . But John accommodate that the fairy tale was only ever used to justify their crime , and Bill was probably just as smutty deep down as any of the residue of them .
Even if his picture lacks a signature weapon or article of clothing , his presence in the promotional artwork mean the secret plan ’s independent three characters are all report for . But there ’s one other detail of potentially monolithic importance : Dutch ’s Gang was made up of more than the character ascertain inRedemption … player just never ground out who they were .
4. Jack Swift?
If there ’s one silhouette that stands out from the rest , it would likely be the man 2d from the left wing , dress in the fashion more befitting an English gentleman than a cattle thief . But the side arm in his helping hand and the bandolier across his cap confirms he ’s a dangerous hitman , appearances aside . And when you look for someone fitting that description , one man rises above all others : Jack Swift , the " Sandhurst military personnel " who left England behind for the cant robberies and trick shooting of the American West . But the most important part of Swift ’s chronicle ? It was told inRed Dead Revolver , notRedemption .
As we mentioned above , the links between the first game in the series and its phantasmal sequel are scarce , if any subsist at all . While Jack Swift may not have been the main reference ofRevolver , he was a underpin role player ( and even playable ) . Although it’simpliedthat he perished in that biz ’s story , he was known to have cheated death once before - and in a campfire sequence hidden inRed Dead Redemption , NPC ’s saucer the fact that Jack Swift is still active , while also making mention of the biz ’s real hero .
3. Shadow Wolf?
Theothercharacter standing out from the residue of theRedemptionfaces ( or so we speculate them to be ) is placed on the extreme right , look to have a mohawk , braids , and vesture reminiscent of Native Americans of the era . There were several aboriginal American character in bothRevolverandRedemption- playing a substantial role in the story of both - but the key to this character is hisage . The younger recruits ofRedemptionare ruled out , if this image is set far enough in the past that Dutch ’s Gang remained intact .
The answer , then , seems to beRevolveragain . Where Jack Swift now looks a bit more raddled and ragged , could fans also be seeing the aged Shadow Wolf , friend and half - chum toRed Dead Revolver ’s protagonist ? Again , it wasimpliedthat Shadow Wolf give in to trauma as well - but this was at a time when dialog was scarce , and Shadow Wolf ’s " death " fit lasted a matter of seconds . If Jack exist to get a new mission - one that Dutch claimed was morally just for all people struggling in the Old West - then it would make sense for an older Shadow Wolf to follow along .
He would be older , given the conflict in fourth dimension periods of the games . onetime enough that he might not even be placeable to musician base on his visual aspect alone …
2. Red Harlow?
Since most telecasting game fans and role player will be most familiar with Red Harlow , the hero ofRed Dead Revolveras he come out in the above image - or in polygonal form on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox - a few details are key to excuse our thinking . For starter , Revolverbegins in close to 1880 , a full thirty - one days before the events ofRedemption . allow for Red ’s maturation from a teen to a untried homo , and John Marston ’s explicit age ( as check on his headstone ) , it can be estimated that Red Harlow is as much as adecadeolder than his successor . So ifRedemption 2were determine in the years prior to the bunch disbanding , Red Harlow would have been moving into his mid-forties at the time .
Take a spirit at the image , and the age seems about right . If one were so disposed , the hat would be a compeer , and you might even be able to make out a similar scar on the bridge of the nose . But the biggest clue , by our idea , is his weapon– sorry , weaponsof choice . For those who have forgotten or simply never played the originalRed Deadadventure , the write up centered on Harlow ’s Padre and his champion and cooperator - a friend who would soon toss off the sr. Harlow for complete possession of a amber - filled mountain .
Red hold out the attack , and set out for justness hold his father ’s brand new revolver … one of a matching stage set that the former cooperator had commissioned to symbolise their deal .
No surprise here : Red Harlow get that revenge , picking up the villain ’s matching revolving door , and striding off into the sunset never to be see from again . Now the first look-alike forRed Dead Redemption 2arrives , set in the yearsbetweenthe two game , and have an aging gunslinger with a face almost completely obscured , wave a pair of revolvers .
We wo n’t import it out for you , but give the unmistakable intimation toothercharacters in the assembly line - up , this being a completely new character seem less likely than a cagey way of linking all three game in the serial into one cohesive story .
There ’s just one mystery left to figure out , assuming our theories are anywhere penny-pinching to the mark .
1. Our New Protagonist
lastly , we make it at the real enigma : the human being at the center of it all . Typically in the time slot reserved for the hero of the tale , the man rank between Bill and Dutch is a complete unknown , largely take over to be either the main player character , or a stand - in for a created one , for all players know . The presence of a new figure work sense : plainly walking down computer memory lane and seeing Dutch ’s Gang as John Marston described it would be a largely unpointed labor ( it ’s a safe story , sure , but players know it by heart ) . Unless , of course of instruction , Redemptionhadn’t give the whole story .
add together in one unexampled fibre that led the group before Dutch , or Bill , or John considered a life history after the crimes - perchance even the gunslinger that inspired Dutch to be more than a uncouth criminal - and you ’ve experience a compelling , surprising story that fleshes out the living of beloved characters . Doing it in a game that miraculously links two antecedently unconnected entryway in the same franchise ? That ’s just showing off .
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Red Dead Redemption 2arrives in Fall 2017 .
