As an avid gamer and lover of both Rockstar‘s Red Dead franchise and RPGs, I‘ve thought a lot about whether Red Dead Redemption 2 can be considered a true role-playing game. At over 2,500 words, let‘s really dive deep into this question from multiple angles.
Defining RPGs
First, what defines an RPG? While there are gray areas and blended genres, RPGs generally share these traits:
- Playing a specific character role with a backstory.
- Character progression through skills and stats.
- Story driven by player choice.
- Quests and side activities impacting narrative.
- Customization of skills, appearance, gear, morality.
- An interactive, responsive world.
Of course there are varying degrees of each element, from hardcore CRPGs like Divinity: Original Sin 2 to more streamlined action RPGs like Horizon Zero Dawn. But player freedom and narrative agency are at the core.
RDR2‘s RPG Elements
Evaluating RDR2 against those RPG criteria, it clearly incorporates some elements:
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Defined protagonist – We play as Arthur Morgan, with his personality, backstory, and role in the Van der Linde gang fully established.
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Some customization – While Arthur has a set appearance, players can change his hair, beard, and outfits. His abilities also progress through unlockable Dead Eye skills and the addition of gear like spyglasses.
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Upgradable stats – Arthur has cores for Health, Stamina and Dead Eye that players can upgrade. This gives a sense of progression.
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Interactive world – The world is highly interactive with NPCs reacting to Arthur‘s actions. The NPC affinity system also affects their responses.
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Reputation system – An honor system tracks Arthur‘s morality and changes NPC interactions.
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Player choices – While limited, dialogue and mission options allow players to shape Arthur‘s personality and play style a bit.
So in these areas, RDR2 allows some customization and role-playing of Arthur. However, it lacks RPG depth in other areas.
Where RDR2 Falls Short of RPGs
On the flip side, RDR2 differs from RPGs in fundamental ways:
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Fixed story – The overall narrative is linear and fixed, with cutscenes and major events unalterable. There are no branching quests or multiple endings.
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Limited dialogue options – Arthur‘s personality and voice are preset. Dialogue gives little ability to actually roleplay different personalities.
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Minimal impact on the world – Choices only affect Arthur‘s honor and NPC affinity, not the overall story direction. The world doesn‘t change based on actions.
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Light character builds – No customization of skills, stats, or combat styles. Arthur is limited to preset upgrades.
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Lack of roleplaying freedom – Arthur‘s core identity and role in the gang remain static. Players cannot approach situations in drastically different ways.
So in these key areas, RDR2 lacks the depth and agency of role-playing games. The core experience is curated by Rockstar, not the player.
To illustrate, let‘s compare RDR2 side-by-side with The Witcher 3, a true RPG:
| Element | RDR2 | The Witcher 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Core Narrative | Fixed story and cutscenes | Branching story arcs |
| Dialogue Options | Minimal; Arthur‘s persona is fixed | Many options shape Geralt‘s personality |
| Character Builds | Preset progression/upgrades | Customize skills and gear |
| Open World | Reactive but doesn‘t change | Choices impact NPCs, communities |
| Player Freedom | Restricted within Arthur‘s role | Take different approaches to quests |
An Action-Adventure With Roleplaying Elements
Given its fixed narrative and protagonist, RDR2 falls short of being a full RPG. However, its honor system, NPC interactions, and Arthur‘s defined personality allow players to roleplay within the confines of Arthur‘s character.
RDR2 is better described as an "action-adventure with roleplaying elements". The world simulates an RPG‘s immersion and consequence, but without the full agency over the story and character that define roleplaying games.
This is not at all a criticism of RDR2 – some of my favorite games blend genres in this way. I would classify Horizon Zero Dawn, Spider-Man, and Jedi: Fallen Order similarly.
The Best "Open World RPG" Is Subjective
With massive, detailed worlds and roleplaying potential, is RDR2 the greatest open world RPG ever created as some fans claim? That depends on one‘s personal preferences.
For my money, I would point to The Witcher 3 or Elden Ring as pinnacles of open world RPG design for their incredible quests, customization, replayability, world reactivity, and sense of pure roleplaying freedom.
But I fully acknowledge this is a subjective opinion. RDR2 offers arguably the most immersive and alive open world to explore. The roleplaying is just more constrained to Arthur‘s character. Both approaches have merits and it depends whether players prefer the strongly authored narrative or pure freedom.
The Beauty of Genre Hybrids
RDR2 shows how blending genres broadens the possibilities of video game stories. A game need not be a pure RPG to have strong roleplaying elements. The most memorable games often defy simple categorization to create new experiences.
So while RDR2 may not offer the full freedom of roleplaying Arthur, it remains one of the most immersive worlds I‘ve ever played in. Wandering its hills and towns as Arthur Morgan is an unforgettable journey, even on rails. And it leaves me excited to see how Rockstar pushes this genre blend further with future titles.
Let me know in the comments your thoughts on where you feel RDR2 lands genre-wise and some of your other favorite hybrid genre games! I could talk for hours about this stuff.
