10 Facts About the Development Behind Red Dead Redemption 2 and Cut Content You’re Hearing for the First Time (Part 2 and Final)
Whether it’s designing playable virtual characters, members of the acting team, or even non-playable characters scattered throughout the world, well-designed characters that reflect the player’s emotions are one of the things that elevate good games to greatness. Red Dead 2 stands out with one of the best teams in the industry’s history, whether it’s Sadie Adler’s rough behavior and refusal to play by the rules; Lenny Summer’s contemplative look at the cultural expansion outside the bubble the gang is trying to live in; or Susan Grimshaw’s instinct towards camp care and protection, all make up some unforgettable moments in the game.
On the other hand, Arthur is easily the best-written protagonist in Rockstar’s history, alongside Roger Clark’s powerful voice acting performance, he is able to achieve all the emotional rhythms that the narrative designers wanted while being flexible in a believable way when it comes to player actions.
It can be said that Red Dead Redemption 2 is the crown jewel for Rockstar Games when it comes to realism, excitement, deep dramatic story, and unforgettable charismatic characters. To deliver such a creative and precise work of art, the work is not usually done on the chapters and stages we saw in the 2018 game only, but rather, tremendous content development is carried out with most of it not reaching the final product due to continuous modifications and changes during the development period. Now, let’s take a look at some of the standout content cut from the masterpiece of the American West that will remain timeless in the history of the gaming industry.
Character Eliza
Originally, Eliza was supposed to be Arthur’s second love, the mother of his deceased child Isaac, and there are many lines related to Eliza in the game files indicating she was involved in at least one mission before being completely disposed of.
IKZ the missing princess
The poster claiming a reward for finding the princess exists in the game, but it is impossible to find IKZ. However, it was discovered that IKZ has a model within the game and it was confirmed that you could originally find her somewhere in RDR2, the mission involved taking her to the sheriff’s office to claim the reward.
Mexico
This is the most elusive matter, indeed. It was possible to fully explore new Paraiso at some point in the development of RDR2, but it was eventually deleted due to time constraints. All roads and views of new Paraiso were essentially developed if you ventured beyond the borders, as well as work on towns and more at some point with unique billboards and a customized level of pursuit by the authorities. Additionally, some of the original soundtrack music remains.
Guarma Island
It was originally planned for Guarma Island to be much larger, with the ability to take a ferry at any time after Chapter 5 and return to the island, including unique side missions and treasures for the island. In addition to unique animals like sharks, Guarma was almost entirely cut as an open-world area before the final release due to changes in the story and pacing issues, as well as a lot of code instructions, art designs, and even the pirate outfit found here before all being removed in the final version.
John Marston in the game’s conclusion
John was supposed to look more like his counterpart in RDR1, with a classic outfit and more accurately styled hair, but that part was likely cut to implement the beard/hair growth system on John alongside Arthur. Therefore, both were made to fit the new direction.
As shown in the pictures below, there is a lot of other cut content, from a general store in Emerald Ranch to swapping locations of Van Horn and Annesberg on the map and even the legendary Salmon fish!
