RDR3 Should Double Down on One of RDR2's Darkest Side Quests (2024)

Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption 2 has no doubt earned its high place in the annals of videogames. As the followup prequel to the first epic Western title, Red Dead Redemption 2 managed to one-up nearly every aspect of its predecessor. On top of a sprawling, visually stunning and massively detailed world, RDR2's narrative about outlaw Arthur Morgan's time with Dutch van der Linde's gang and their collective struggles to come to terms with changing times and themselves, has been etched into the hearts and minds of numerous fans.

While Rockstar is well-known for impactful storytelling, outside the core tale, fans have spent thousands of hours combing the world uncovering incredible secrets and previously unknown parts of Red Dead Redemption 2 for over 5 years. In true Rockstar fashion, Easter eggs, cryptic locations, and bizarre encounters abound in RDR2. Although pulling from many of the historical aspects of the era, RDR2 also features some truly unnerving characters and encounters. One of these, Edmund Lowry Jr., is perhaps high on the list of scariest, and RDR3 should strive to have a similarly frightening mission.

Red Dead Redemption 3 Should Include A Disturbing Quest Encounter Like RDR2's American Dreams

Red Dead Redemption 2's Edmund Lowry Jr.

Among Red Dead Redemption 2's more macabre and unsettling inclusions, such as the vampire stalking the shadowy alleys of Saint Denis or the relentless zombie-like Night Folk, the American Dreams stranger encounter brought players face to face with a true monster that wasn't supernatural in nature: Edmund Lowry Jr. Lowry was based on notorious real-life serial killers like Jack the Ripper and H. H. Holmes, who terrorized their respective city's populations at the time, combining their horrific deeds into Lowry's character and an equally disturbing storyline. Players who wished to see the quest through needed to track down and confront Lowry in his grotesque den, seeing his bloody "work" up close and finally putting an end to his actions. It was an intense and memorable mission that provided a taste of true horror while fitting seamlessly and believably into the world of RDR.

How Red Dead Redemption 3 Could Include Another Serial Killer-Related Mission

Rockstar's other juggernaut IP, Grand Theft Auto, has long contained off-putting characters who turned out to be serial killers or something similarly terrible, and players have often come to expect to find missions along these lines. It would thus be natural for RDR3 to continue this tradition. Of course, a big open question at this stage is when exactly Red Dead Redemption 3 might be set relative to the previous entries, which might in turn inform how Rockstar will approach this. RDR2 being a prequel allowed for the interpretation of the above figures known to have lived at around the time that was easily enough inserted into the setting.

If Red Dead Redemption 3 is later in the established timeline, it still could provide a chance to reference other infamous killers, like Ed Gein, who was known to be active in the early 20th century. If it goes the opposite direction, however, and is set earlier than RDR2, this might then necessitate some more creative liberties in terms of taking inspiration from records of real life people and events in this area. Rockstar has certainly shown it is able to incorporate more outlandish and disquieting elements into its otherwise meticulously extremely realistic worlds, though, and whenever RDR3 may be set, it should ensure to keep the creepy factor intact by giving fans an encounter as disconcerting as Lowry.

Red Dead Redemption 2

RDR2 is a Western-themed action/adventure game by Rockstar. It's a prequel to Red Dead Redemption and stars Arthur Morgan, an outlaw who adventures across the land avoiding and fighting other outlaws, the government, and anyone else looking to cause trouble.

Platform(s)

PS4 , Xbox One , PC , Stadia

Released

October 26, 2018

Developer(s)

Rockstar Games

Publisher(s)

Rockstar Games

Genre(s)

Action , Adventure

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol

How Long To Beat

50 Hours

Metascore

97

Engine

RAGE

PS Plus Availability

Extra & Premium

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