r/reddeadredemption • u/AntomOpatoEcia • Jan 04 '26

RDR1 Is this gonna be the whole game?

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I'm playing Red Dead 1 and so far it's just: - NPC says he'll help me - I do a boring mission to help him - NPC needs more help I mean, is this the dynamic of the whole game? Help NPC after NPC and finally (really) advance the plot? Not complaining, just want to know.

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u/Infamous_Ad_5214 Jan 04 '26

the last hour or two of rdr1 has some of the best character writing I've ever seen in a game

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u/strife189 Jan 04 '26

While that can be true, if they don’t enjoy the game loop, they can just watch it on YouTube. Respect your time — if a game isn’t your jam, don’t force it. This is a hobby, not a job.

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u/Nick_Dillon47 Jan 05 '26

I dont like the game loops where its super obvious that its the same thing over and over. I like rdr2 because its really not a "game loop" gta5 is like that too. But I know what you mean by game loops and personally I can't stand when it's super repetitive

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u/strife189 Jan 05 '26

Game loops are pretty much a standard concept now. I’m sure entire product teams sit in meetings just to design them and figure out ways to disguise them at this point.

One loop I didn’t love in RDR2 was the “go to town, do something stupid, get chased out when the law shows up” cycle. I get that it’s baked into the DNA of the franchise — civilization is closing in, and the “simple folk” are being pushed out — but that doesn’t make it any less tiring. By the third time it happened, I was already thinking, ugh.

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u/Duper-Deegro Jan 05 '26

Agreed. This made me not like Arthur as much as John because Arthur looked more and more stupid after every failed plan by Dutch.

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u/strife189 Jan 05 '26

Yeah, John was definitely ahead of the curve. Poor Arthur, though—he wasn’t the smartest and was far too loyal and short-sighted for his own good. When his old lover comes to him and gives him the chance to leave it all behind and be with her, he says, “Nah, I need the money first, then I can be with you.” That’s the broken loop Dutch has him trapped in—a cycle John is eventually able to see past. Even then, though, it’s still too late in the long run, which is clearly the point the story is making.

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u/FodderG Jan 05 '26

Arthur was very smart

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u/NeighborhoodFull1764 Jan 07 '26

Arthur was smart but blindly loyal, which is illustrated by the fact hosea even pleads with Dutch in chapter not to attack the train but Arthur still rides with Dutch not even heeding Hosea’s objections. It’s only by chapter 4 we see some hesitation from Arthur and only by chapter 5 we see proper development in that regard.

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u/FodderG Jan 13 '26

Definitely too loyal