The Last of Us 2 and Red Dead Redemption 2 Approach Closure Very Similarly
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Highlights
- Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Last of Us 2 are hailed as immersive games, featuring impressive visuals and mature storytelling that doesn’t spoon-feed the audience.
- Red Dead Redemption 2 tells the complex story of Arthur Morgan, a gang member who experiences love and betrayal, ultimately sacrificing himself to give his fellow member, John Marston, a chance at a better life.
- The Last of Us 2 also explores themes of loss and lack of closure, as characters like Ellie and Abby are driven by revenge and struggle to find resolution, resulting in tragic consequences for their relationships and lives.
Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Last of Us 2 were both heralded as some of the last console generation’s most immersive games. This reputation was born of many things. Both games have incredible visual presentation and graphics that still hold up today, over three years into the proceeding console generation’s life. Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Last of Us 2 are also both known for their narrative prowess. Both games told memorable stories, and while that of TLoU2 proved more controversial with fans, the storytelling of each game presents content in a mature way that doesn’t spoon-feed its audience. This approach to storytelling creates immersion.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel that tells the story of Arthur Morgan, a lifelong member of the Van der Linde Gang. Arthur found a sense of family among the gang’s founders Dutch and Hosea, and has spent much of his life riding with them and the group. Through their time together, the gang has committed many terrible crimes and some members have been killed horrifically, but still, Arthur has found a home among them. The game begins with the group on the run and tells the story of the terminally ill Arthur’s final days and his betrayal of the gang to buy his fellow gang member John Marston’s freedom.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Tells a Complex Story
Arthur Morgan and his story are beloved because of its complexity. Arthur has done great evil but also shows tremendous love to those around him. Arthur loves Dutch but betrays him as his actions become careless and selfish, condemning more and more of his gang’s members to death. Arthur can’t escape his past but can use his final days to redeem himself. He knows he will die of his illness, so he sacrifices himself to let John Marston escape the group. While players of the first game know that John could not escape his past, Arthur died to give him and his family a chance at a more honest life, one that he perhaps wished he had been able to live himself.
Arthur dies with much left unsaid between him and John. John feels thankful, but there is no clear resolution to their historically rocky relationship. This element mirrors the story of The Last of Us 2. The story switches between the perspectives of Ellie and Abby, the daughter of the doctor Joel killed to save Ellie in the first game. She comes to Jackson to kill Joel as revenge and, upon doing so, feels empty. Ellie then sets out for her own revenge as Abby tries to protect her loved ones and navigate her lack of closure. Ellie ultimately finds Abby but opts not to kill her. While she realizes revenge won’t fix things, her quest has cost many friends’ lives and her partner’s companionship.
A Lack of Closure Defines The Last of Us and Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Last of Us 2 both have clear messages, but these messages are not born from a conclusive resolution to personal stories. Much is left unsaid between John Marston and Arthur Morgan, and Abby Anderson and Ellie Williams both do the things they do because of the lack of closure they find in the death of their father figures. Ellie and Joel had been fighting before his death, and the end of the game reveals that they had just started to patch things up, making the sudden end of their relationship all the more tragic. This directly echoes the relationship between John and Arthur. While John feels thankful, he is left in debt to a man he can never thank.
The lack of closure in the stories of Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Last of Us 2 contributes greatly to each game’s ability to immerse its audience. In real life, death and loss are often surprises, and no amount of preparation can truly prepare someone for them. Each of these stories captures the impact of sudden loss and a real sense of trying to find meaning and closure in a situation where it can never truly be found. This storytelling element has not only made each game feel immersive but has made them some of the saddest video game stories ever told.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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