Red Dead Redemption 2 was a crowning achievement in video game storytelling, but Red Dead Redemption 3 can impress me just as much by doing one thing: making me like Dutch van der Linde. Dutch has appeared in both Red Dead Redemption games so far, and while he took on very different roles in each, I didn’t like him in either. However, this is a game series with the word “redemption” right in the title, and there are hints that Dutch may have been a better man at some point during his life.
As of now, there’s no official word if any of the characters from the first two Red Dead Redemption games will be present in Red Dead Redemption 3. It also isn’t clear when the game will take place, but it can’t take place too long after the first two games. After all, Red Dead Redemption takes place near the end of the “Wild West” period, so it would be hard to make a Western game that takes place any later. If RDR3 does end up being a prequel, then it may give me the backstory I need to like Dutch.
Red Dead Redemption 3 Could Focus On Dutch And His Gang When They Are Younger
Red Dead Redemption 2 Took Place Before The First Game And RDR3 Could Follow That Pattern
Similar to how Red Dead Redemption 2 showed players a younger John Marston and Dutch’s gang before they split up, Red Dead Redemption 3 might opt to go even further back and show players a young Dutch and his gang. This would allow the game to include fan-favorite characters who die by the end of RDR2 like Arthur Morgan. More importantly, to the aim of redeeming Dutch, it could prove that he really is the person his followers seem to think he is.
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Will Red Dead Redemption 3 ever happen?
A recent leak has seemingly confirmed that the original Red Dead Redemption is finally about to hit PC, reigniting interest in Rockstar’s iconic Western franchise. With it also being eight years since the last installment came out, the question remains whether Red Dead Redemption 3 will ever come to fruition. While I do think it’s probable after the 2018 sequel’s success, I don’t imagine development will begin properly until at least 2026 after Rockstar has completed the similarly long-awaited Grand Theft Auto VI.
Throughout Red Dead Redemption 2, older members of the gang like Arthur show shocking levels of devotion to Dutch despite it becoming increasingly obvious that Dutch has no idea how to help them out of their bind. According to Arthur during one of RDR2‘s first missions, this is because Dutch “saved most of [the gang]” at some point. While the second game shies away from giving in-depth details about what exactly Dutch did to earn this unfaltering loyalty from Arthur and the others, showing it in the third game would be the perfect way to redeem Dutch’s image.
For the most part, Dutch’s gang is likable. Sure, there are outliers, and I may or may not have tried at every opportunity to see if the game would let me pull the trigger while aiming at Micah Bell. But on the whole, I cared about what happened to Arthur’s companions as much as him. If RDR3 shows Dutch saving these characters, it could go a long way toward convincing me that he wasn’t just a huckster taking advantage of them. Still, the game will have its task cut out for it if it tries to redeem Dutch.
Red Dead Redemption 3 Has An Uphill Battle For Making Me Like Dutch
Dutch Has Been An Unlikable Character Since The First Red Dead Redemption
Although seeing the good things Dutch had done in his past may help me have a more nuanced appreciation of his character, Red Dead Redemption 3 will still be hard-pressed to make me actually like him. At this point, I’ve spent about 14 years disliking this character, going back to his initial appearance in Red Dead Redemption. From manipulating Indigenous people’s frustration against the government for his own selfish needs to shooting an unarmed woman in the head, pretty much everything Dutch does in the game is despicable.
When I started playing Red Dead Redemption 2, I initially thought the game would succeed in making me like Dutch. He seemed to genuinely care about the people around him, and I was interested to see what would cause him to go from the person he was in this game to the person he was in the first one. However, throughout the game, it becomes apparent that Dutch only seems to care about his gang so long as he can use them for his own selfish ends.
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Ironically for a character whose most powerful line in the first Red Dead Redemption game was about law enforcement’s need to justify their own authority, Dutch similarly begins demanding the respect and loyalty of his followers in Red Dead Redemption 2 despite not offering much in return. What’s worse is, for the majority of RDR2, I was forced to go along with all of Dutch’s schemes due to Arthur’s sense of devotion to him. While this was perfect for creating dramatic irony, it also made me increasingly frustrated with Dutch and his plans.
If done right,
Red Dead Redemption 3
could very well surprise me.
That said, I don’t think it’s impossible that Red Dead Redemption 3 redeems Dutch in a meaningful way. While I think it would take a lot of effort and some very effective storytelling to do so, Red Dead Redemption 2 had both in spades. If done right, Red Dead Redemption 3 could very well surprise me.
Red Dead Redemption 3 Could Earn Its Title By Redeeming Dutch
Red Dead Redemption 3 Redeeming Dutch Would Be An Impressive Accomplishment
Now, Red Dead Redemption 3 does have an easy built-in way that it could get me, and other players who dislike Dutch, to come around to his character: he could be the playable protagonist of Red Dead Redemption 3. If the last two games are any indication, it seems unlikely players will be taking on the role of either previous protagonist, and it could be an interesting twist to take on the role of a previous antagonist. Still, I can’t help feeling like this would be a bit of a crutch.
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Players tend to sympathize with the character they play, sometimes to a fault. Just look at how Abby’s role in The Last of Us Part 2 was judged based on this attachment. Players’ strong connection to the character they had inhabited made it difficult to see the very clear reasons why someone might act in the way that Abby did. While players would presumably already be coming into RDR3 with an opinion on Dutch, having players take control of him would likely do a lot to rehabilitate his image. However, this isn’t the method I would prefer.
If Red Dead Redemption 3 includes Dutch and wants to make players empathize with him, I’d like to see them do it with Dutch as an NPC. Making a player care for a character they inhabit is easy, but redeeming a character like Dutch through the eyes of a third-party observer would be truly impressive. However, if Red Dead Redemption 3 can convince me Dutch really was the man Arthur thought he was at one point without using any tricks, then I will be blown away.
- Released
- October 26, 2018
