When Red Dead Redemption was first released in 2010, it broke new ground as to what video games can be in terms of gameplay mechanics and storytelling. But for all the innovations Red Dead Redemption ushered in, it’s greatest legacy will be the introduction of John Marston, one of the best video game protagonists ever created.
Speaking of great video games, the GOAT team gush about ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ on ‘It’s Been A Big Day For…’ below:
Cowboys are usually romanticised as badarses whose skills with a gun are only matched by their ability to make a fedora or cowboy hat look cool and are usually cold-blooded mercs out to make a quick buck.
Red Dead Redemption manages to subvert those tropes by humanising John Marston with an unexpectedly complex characterisation while saddling him with realistic flaws. He looks cool and you can make him do cool things, but he’s definitely not a cool character.
Sure John can ride a horse and shoot a gun, but that’s really the only things he’s good at. He lacks book smarts but he’s practical. He has done his share of criminal activity but expresses regret for his actions. He’s trying to be a better person but worries about never escaping his past. He has a steadfast yet limited view of the world and what’s “right” and “wrong,” which can lead to moments where his morals are contradictory.
Cowboys are meant to be cool as ice yet John Marston is messy as hell. But it’s that messiness that makes him more human. Who among us haven’t been a wild mess at some point in our lives?
Red Dead Redemption also isn’t afraid to let John Marston get emotionally vulnerable. His driving motivation to live with in peace with his family and his devotion to making that happen is far more relatable than the usual “saving the world” schtick we see in gaming.
Having a flawed character with a very personal high-stakes goal like John be the driving force of Red Dead Redemption‘s story only enriches the experience because we’re drawn to his very relatable plight. We want him to succeed and be happy with his family.
So when John’s past and flaws come back to haunt him by the game’s tragic climax, it really resonates because he put in all this effort to be a better person only to not get the happy ending he wanted. It’s brutal and it’s realistic because life doesn’t pan out the way we expect, and John’s journey in Red Dead Redemption is no exception.
Red Dead Redemption is a brilliant game that still holds up after all these years, but John Marston will be its greatest legacy for demonstrating how complex and compelling video game protagonists can be.
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