Red Dead Redemption 2‘s release date has been pushed all the way back to spring 2018, with Rockstar stating that they need more time to work on the Western sequel. Though this news was disappointing, the developer at least gave us a collection of new screenshots to fawn over, indicating that their next release is probably going to be one of the best looking video games of all time.
However, that’s not the only thing that these screenshots potentially revealed. Though on the surface these new images don’t tell us much about the upcoming game, we’ve scratched beneath the surface and have taken a closer look at the small details in order to uncover more information about Rockstar’s return to the American Frontier. Take a look at what we’ve discovered below:
Red Dead Revolver
The most visually impressive screenshot is this close-up image of a character dual-wielding revolvers, which are complete with metallic blemishes and complemented by almost photo-realistic lighting. The attention to detail on the guns is staggering, with Rockstar adding meticulous details to their engravings in further evidence that Red Dead Redemption 2 is set to be one of the best looking games of all time.
The guns depicted in the image appeared to be based on the Smith & Wesson’s Model No. 3 revolver, specifically a redesign of the gun first introduced by Major George W. Schofield of the 10th Cavalry around the year 1870. According to America Remembers, “Major Schofield’s design relocated the barrel latch from the barrel to the frame.” As a result, the gun’s shooter “could operate the latch with his thumb and open the gun for loading and unloading with just one hand.” This provided a “major advantage for a mounted soldier,” which suggests that the revolver will be a great choice of weapon in Red Dead Redemption 2 for players on horseback.
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The engravings also follow a similar pattern to a special model created by Smith & Wesson in tribute to “Texas Jack” Omohundro, a frontier scout, actor, and cowboy who served in the Confederacy during the American Civil War. A replica of this gun can be viewed below:
Image Credit: America Remembers
So what does this tell us about Red Dead Redemption 2? Well, the Smith & Wesson Model 3 was manufactured from 1870 to 1915, though by the end of its life cycle there were better weapons at the disposal of soldiers and outlaws alike. With the original Red Dead Redemption set in the years 1911 and 1914, this adds further credibility to the now almost certain rumor that its sequel will actually be a prequel.
Dual wielding, train robberies and telegraphs
It’s very likely that Red Dead Redemption 2 will allow players to dual wield their weapons, with the above image depicting a masked outlaw carrying revolvers that appear to be different sizes, suggesting that players will be able to carry two different weapons simultaneously. Hopefully we’ll be able to really mix up our weapon configurations in the final game.
The absence of train robberies in the first Red Dead Redemption was disappointing, as while players could technically hop aboard one and steal from its travelers, it felt no different from holding up any other group of people. Considering that train heists were a staple of old Western movies, not being able to orchestrate a true raid felt like a missed opportunity. Fortunately it looks like that will change in Red Dead Redemption 2, with the above screenshot appearing to suggest that Rockstar has something more exciting in mind when it comes to the sequel’s locomotives. To further tease that trains will be a major part of Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar also added another screenshot of one barreling across a bridge. Maybe we’ll get to take control of them this time around?
There are also what appear to be telegraph lines running alongside the railway, which could either have been implemented for decorative purposes, or because Rockstar is looking to implement a realistic in-game communication service similar to the smartphone players could use in Grand Theft Auto V. With the sequel set to include a Red Dead Redemption 2 Online component similar to Grand Theft Auto Online, it could be that telegraphs will be used to organize these sessions, in the same way that the smartphone was used to navigate GTAV‘s online component. Either that, or we’re reading way too much into things.
The Blackwater Massacre
More incredible visual details are on display in this screenshot, with the horse in the background leaving behind imprints of its hooves in the mud, while the stagecoach and wooden buildings are illuminated by the lamps that hang from their walls. The settlement itself resembles Blackwater, a location from the first Red Dead Redemption that was the site of ‘The Blackwater Massacre,’ a bloody gunfight between outlaws and lawmen that is often referenced in the game.
One of the shootout’s only known survivors is former lawman Landon Ricketts, though it’s also suggested that Marston, who would have been 26 at the time, could have also been a survivor. It is also speculated that Cole MacFarlane, the brother of Red Dead Redemption‘s Bonnie MacFarlane, died during the shootout, though the events surrounding it remain a mystery. Could this be Blackwater, and could this mean that we’ll get to experience one of the bloodiest gunfights in Red Dead Redemption‘s American Frontier?
Red Dead Redemption 2 Online Heists?
Escorting missions typically aren’t much fun in video games, but Red Dead Redemption bucked this trend by way of taking players on lengthy journeys through hostile territories, wherein they were typically instructed to defend a stagecoach on horseback while enemies swarmed them. The armed escort depicted in the above screenshot suggests that these missions will make a reappearance, with several men seemingly defending the coach as it passes through a desolate landscape.
Grand Theft Auto V introduced a multi-character structure to its story, wherein players could hop between protagonists on a whim and begin their own set of respective missions. Considering that Red Dead Redemption 2 appears to prominently feature a gang, this format could make a reappearance, with each character meeting up for the larger missions a la GTAV‘s excellent Heists. It’s not yet known whether or not Red Dead Redemption 2 will follow one character who works in a gang, or if players will be able to control various members of that gang throughout the duration of the story, though these screenshots feature these gang members both working alongside one another and flying solo.
Grand Theft Auto V boasted a huge map with plenty to see and do, whereas one of the best parts about Red Dead Redemption was travelling through its gorgeous landscape as the game progressed, so it remains to be seen whether or not Rockstar will allow for switching between characters in-game. However, these screenshots do seem to suggest that players won’t be working side-by-side with their gang for the entirety of their game.
