Something I should have more clearly stated was that this is very much an opinionated reflection, and I chose the title specifically to point that out. People are more than welcome to disagree with such a bold statement and I’m interested to know what YOUR greatest character is. Nobody is wrong for simply harbouring an opinion so try to keep it civil. Have a great day!
I agree with literally everything you said here. This game leaves me speechless and Arthur Morgan is probably the best character to ever be written, it’s just perfect, nothing else to say.
Losing Arthur really felt like losing someone you know. Not someone close enough to grieve for, but close enough that it makes you sad to know they are gone. His death felt so "real".
I think the only reason some of us didn't burst in tear was because he is a fictional character. If we knew him and lived with him in 1899, I bet he would be even more "real".
@@SHAH-UZER Honestly, yeah. I'm going to cry on his final scene (I haven't finished the game yet lol). But then again, I get attached too easily. But I also see them as real people, not being real as you and I are, but real as in they exist. Like, in their own universe, I mean. I'm on the outside looking in, y'know?
@@Assassin5671000 Yeah, I had tamed the white arabian. For some weird reason it had black tail and mane (haven't seen it anywhere else, a glitch maybe?). That horse was so special for me. :(
@@bearby3285 he killed those only who shot at him first he didnt want to kill anyone. Obviously he didnt love micah as he knew his intentions of destroying the gang. Did you even play?
@@bearby3285 clearly you have absolutely no idea what your on about. Canonically?? Bro the game is canon micah started shooting first and everyome started shooting at arthur straight after like were you knocked out during the scene. Arthur never even wanted to free micah you tool dutch forced him too like im so confused how your arguing about literal things you can just look up and watch. Stop it
@@agustinvenegas5238 you’ll never regret playing it man, just play the good story line. You won’t get true redemption for Arthur without playing it right
I come back to that scene every so often because it's just so damn well done. From the voice acting, to the animation on the facial expressions, it gets me every time man. The expressions are so well done that even if you've got the fullest beard possible, you can still see and feel the emotion on his face underneath. I may not like where Rockstar has been going with their practices, more specifically their treatments of both gta online and rdr2 online, but damn can they crank out an amazing game/story when they put their minds to it.
I read a quote once. If I remember: "Playing as Arthur Morgan didn´t just make me want to play with more honor, he made me want to Live with more honor".
Bro when i started playing RDR2 i just walking through anyone, killing everybody, then Arthur, in Saint Denis, fell off his horse. Then i just turned 180 and played the rest with highest honour i can. You are a good man, Arthur Morgan.
Yeah, it happened to me watching this video, getting in the feels. I feel it's because as men, we know what it's like to "mask" our emotions, to be "brave" and put on a smile for our loved ones when we aren't truly in the smiling mood, and seeing a character just like that in media, truly being honest with himself and someone he cares for admitting and accepting a fear, how they truly feel. Gives us this sense of sadness, relief, pain, joy. A mix of emotions as we too want to "man-up" like Arthur and admit how we feel yet we "can't" at times, We understand the want to admit the negativity we feel, whether we choose to avoid it or just can't admit it but we get this familiar sense of fresh air when he is true to himself and others. We truly "feel" for Arthur. The realest character in fiction.
I love that moment so much. Here's a guy who isn't afraid to run into gunfire, who's faced greater dangers than any of us could ever imagine. So when he says "I'm afraid," he's not really talking about fear. It's a much bigger, much more existential dread, the horrifying realization that his life has meant nothing. He's not just facing the terrible unknown of death, but the even greater horror that his life might have been pointless, that everything that mattered to him, everything he fought and suffered for, was an illusion. Facing the certainty of death has a way of forcing us to face the hideous possibility that our life doesn't matter, that oblivion erases all meaning. What is there to hold onto when we know everything we worked or fought for will come to nothing? Back when I was a teenager in the late 80s, I took my dad to see Barton Fink, and he instantly became a huge Coen Brothers fan. When we watched "No Country for Old Men," and I felt like it pulled the rug out from under me, he focused on the moment when Sheriff Ed Tom Bell goes to see his uncle, and complains that he's been waiting in vain for God to come into his life and make it all make sense. My dad felt that, in that moment when Ed Tom found himself wondering where the hell God was, that was the moment he began to connect with whatever it was he'd been looking for, the answer to that existential question, "What actually is all this?" I think that moment Arthur admits for the first time that he's afraid, that's the moment he finds meaning.
he is the most heartbreaking character. My first play-through i kept one horse the entire game, named after my pet dog. That last mission in chapter 6 made me weap.
I didn't actually cry at Arthur's death. I thought it was the best he could've hoped for as an outlaw. But then as I started playing John, even though I love him too, I felt that very real gaping hole of "oh, he's really gone". It was crazy how Arthur's death felt like missing a real person, missing the little quips and jokes he'd make. I was probably 5 missions into the epilogue when it hit me and I started crying.
Same I love Arthur so much but I couldn't cry I felt like he didn't want me to cry and I felt proud of him when he died he went out the way he wanted to go while accepting that end of the Western civilization and the rise of the Eastern civilization. but a game did make me cry a lot that year and it was Spiderman that ending was equally emotional
Fr, it's amazing. I know they also did this before, but it's so effective to let you keep playing and add a whole two chapters after he dies. You can't just move onto the next game and conclude with his death - you have to continue the story to complete it, and actually live in the world where he's gone, and notice and feel his absence. It's a brilliant way to make the death of a character impactful more than conclusive. I think it also helps that his redemption is so in character. He doesn't flee and redeem himself by just being good moving forward. He doesn't magically fix all the problems he's created for people. He helps people who he can still help while being unable to fix the damage he's already done, and he's still tied to his found family and there is no escape from that. He goes down doing the best he can _at this point_ , having already done all the damage he's done. Which is far, far below than the best possible outcome he could have hoped for if he was a different person leading up to this moment - but unlike in many other games/stories, he can't just have the happy ending after all he was part of. That and the fact that all the "bad" stuff he does, you can see the duality of both his morality disagreeing with what he's doing, but also knowing he's part of the group and this is just what he's gotta do/being raised knowing that this is part of the job description despite Dutch's "teachings." I seriously appreciate that he doesn't just flip and refuse to do evil after the first quarter or half the story. He comes to terms with his position in life and the contrast between his morality and his actions very slowly, and even after that he still listens to Dutch for a long time. As well he should, he was raised in that life after all, people don't just flip a switch and become angels all of a sudden.
The thing that gets me the most about the ending is that in a conversation with Hosea and Lenny he is asked how he would want to be buried, and he says he would like to be facing west, watching the sun set on all the good times they had. Instead, he dies facing East, the opening to the new life he managed to give John, Abigail and Jack.
Him dying to the Sunrise is also symbolic of the new, advent 20th Century. With Arthur's death, the age of The American Outlaw and Old West has officially died with him, and come to an end; now is the age of machines, Government ruled by few powerful (rich) men, Laws and World War.
and the funny thing is you can miss it entirely. I only saw this scene on my second playthrough because I didn't do many side quests during that part of the game. After hearing about it, though not seeing it, I replayed it and saw this absolute masterpiece of a scene. Even now, rewatching it in this video had me tearing up just because it meant so much to Arthur to have that conversation. And it meant so much for the audience to hear it as well.
Every time I watch or play the scene with Arthur finally letting his feeling out, every time he says “I’m afraid”, I just tear up. It’s such a powerful scene, it’s gut wrenching and emotional.
For real, I’ve been saying this everywhere, after seeing how he manages to scare the sh*t out of anybody, and then seen his face in a mixture of fear/sadness just broke me to the core, I had to pause the game because my tears keep covering my eyes from seeing the rest of the scene…
it's such a overrated scene to make up for the sake of trying to seem 'deep' and 'complex' enough for someone like Arthur to say 'I'm afraid' - it's a scene made to be as OP wrote 'powerful' for the sake of it... the Low Honor version of the Reverend scene (instead of Cauldron) does the same thing without having to resort to the lengths that the Sister Cauldron scene goes to although they're different because, one tries to make it seem as if Arthur 'can change' and his way of life doesn't 'determine' whether he's a bad person or not although Sister Cauldron contradicts herself by determining Arthur is good simply because of what she saw in Arthur in his doing from her own perspective which goes against her point about 'determining' and how Arthur 'can change' but with that comes with determining 'change' for Arthur... the other one is about how one can't seem to change but only that you keep fighting (trying) but not rationalise it by determining change or the morality within you or to others. This is something that RDR1 discusses about (although in a much better written way because RDR2s writing is convoluted for the wrong reasons), with John, Dutch and practically Humanity in general since the 'paradox' that Dutch talks about is something that is contradictory by nature with those who can't fight their own nature as well as change (and gravity) and that's the paradox of it. This is something that John comes to the conclusion that 'maybe we can't change, but we can at least try' - this is in correlation to Arthur Morgan via Low Honor in chapter 6... The 'redemption' aspect isn't supposed to be taken in its literal form as its meant to represent a mere catalyst of it that isn't supposed to be taken in its literal form.
in rdr2 there were only 3 moments that made me cry. Arthurs death, John's iconic theme playing in Jim Milton rides again? and Arthur saying that he's afraid no other game I've played has made me emotional like the way rdr2 has.
mine are very memorable 1.Hot Air Baloon Man death ( idk) 2. Arthur’s Last Ride back to camp , thay song i was legitimately bawling, saddest part of the whole game 3. Susan Grimshaw death 4. Malibu my trusty black arabian death in last mission 5. arthur death but i was only tearing By far the saddest was his last ride
@@victoryteamtv These are the heartbreaking moments that made this gamer shed a tear. 1. Not finding Gavin 2. Not finding Gavin 3. Not finding Gavin 4. Not finding Gavin 5. And of course who could forget the death of the Hot Air Balloon Man. Truly one of the most heartbreaking moments in modern media. RIP Hot Air Balloon Man, we hardly knew ye
@@Toy1er we lost an innocent soul, gone but not forgotten. and who could forget my first morgan house wetty fap, hit by an oncoming train as i was experimenting with death
And watching him say goodbye to his horse... Man that ending. I've never wished I could go into a game and stop anyone from doing anything like I want to go in and stop Arthur from going near Downes. This goes for movies too, with the exception of iron man.
I was 32 when this game came out. No game had ever made me cry. This game made me cry twice in the same mission. I ugly cried when Arthur said goodbye to his horse. Then when he finally died... best story-driven game ever
The Last of Us (Sarah's death, and Ellie refusing to let Joel abandon her to Tommy) was the first video game to ever make me cry; the entire game was a lesson in just how much emotional depth a game can give. Soma (2015) left me in a existential, depressed state for a week. But RDR2 was the first time that I felt I was actually subject to 'looking in' to a human being from 1899's life, more than playing a game. A masterpiece.
I've become so cynical and jaded about the state of UA-cam that I kinda expected that bit about it never being too late to do good, work harder, etc. to segue into, "And that brings us to the sponsor of today's video..." So thanks for being a serious person.
Something I'm surprised you didn't reference was Arthur's journal. He writes openly about how disgusted he is by the money lending and how he is "revolted" by his part in it. As well as how, while he loves Dutch as a father, he loves Hosea more because Hosea feels human but Dutch doesn't; and that was in the very beginning before any of the plot even started.
yeah it makes sense. Dutch and Hosea were his fathers but it always feels like Dutch was cultivating a soldier while Hosea was raising a son. If you do missions with them seperately, even in the earlier chapters, Dutch seemed to keep subtly reminding Arthur of his place, while with Hosea they act like father and son.
He writes a surprising amount in his journal actually, like when you do the Black Belle mission, he'll write afterwards that he thinks he could've had something good going with Black Belle if she was younger and it was a different time period
When Arthur died and I saw the sunrise. I felt relievrd. Relieved that Arthur could die watching the sunrise and resuce the last person he cared about. Relieved that I, the butcher of Valentine and Saint Denis, managed to miraculously end with a high honor ending. Relieved that I, like Arthur, managed to Red Dead Redeem myself.
Arthur and Hosea are the best representation of good people caught in a bad situation. Hosea was Arthur’s morale compass, he openly challenged Arthur and the gangs decisions in early chapters. After Hosea died Arthur started to act in the same way Hosea does, even Dutch mentions how Arthur is turning into Hosea in later chapters. Even when he rescues John from prison, a something Hosea would have done with him if he was alive. The vander lin gang were referred to as the sons of Dutch. But given how things ended I always view Arthur, John and Charles as the sons as Hosea.
Charles joined the gang 6 months before the events of rdr2 which means he wasn't raised by dutch & hosea , although he is very similar to hosea , he is not like a son of him
The Vander Lin gang isn’t referred to as the children of Dutch. Only John and Arthur, Dutch (and Hosea) took in Arthur when he was 14, and took in John when he was 12. He basically raised both.
I literally finished RDR2 the first time while I was going through cancer and rethinking the actions, relationships, and time in my own life (though with a much better prognosis, to be clear). There aren't enough words to conveny how much Arthur's story hit me.
I hope you’re doing better man. That really an odd and specific way to have been able to view the game through and I feel like you may have gotten something from it that no one else was quite able to
When I was playing this game my dad was diagnosed with not treatable cancer. He didn’t stopped fighting till the end. As I finished the game, i was so broken hearted because of Arthur’s death but it reminded me that Arthur was a fighter for those who loved and what it matters is what you give to those who you love and how they will remember you. After 3 weeks my dad passed away. Then I remembered that he did what he had to do and what it matters is that he gave me everything he had. I see Arthur like my father and John like me. Rdr2 is the only game I haven’t stop playing and every time I see Arthur passing out I feel blessed that I witnessed this great journey and blessed that I had such a great dad. The death scene doesn’t hurt anymore, is just a reminder of how blessed I am. Thank you Arthur, thank you Rockstar and thank you dad ❤ 2/1/1968 - 8/1/2020
God damn... First time I saw this scene I was in my living room with my headset on and my wife walked in. She saw me crying like a kid. I've never felt like that about any other video game character ever.
Thanks for pointing this out, you’re so right. Looking away from the other person so you can gather your emotions before facing them again, wincing in the eyes to stop any tears from flowing, the clenching and jutting out the jaw. Incredible animation of non-verbal communication
When Arthur gave John his hat it hit me really hard. That means so damn much. When someone in that culture finds the right hat it becomes a part of who they really are. So when he passed on his hat to John, that was the biggest way Arthur could truly say I love you. This is why whenever I play as John I always have him wearing Arthur’s hat.
The hat which Arthur gave to John, is the same hat which Arthur's father use to wear. You can see it in the picture's which are hanging on his caravan.
Since Arthur never really says he loves someone, him passing on his hat to John quite literally brought me to tears. That scene and the sister Calderone train station scene are the two most cathartic scenes in the whole game
I love that John wears Arthur’s hat while fighting micah and his men. No matter how much John repeats that he left the pass behind.. he never let Arthur in the past. We can see that he is still on his mind, every day.
@shadowwylde That's so dumb. John is his own person. He holds onto past, but he does have his own identity. John started the series and deserves his own persona along with his own hat instead of being Jarthur Margan.
@@Coltist...6g3 it would still be cool if they added in a couple refrences to Arthur and sadie and charles and such, they could also give you arthurs hat and johns hat like in the epilogue of rdr2, that way once you get around to jack you have the full protag hat set
Arthur is an insanely well written character because in the beginning most people we’re probably like “ugh I don’t want to play as this Arthur guy I wanna play as John” then by the end EVERYONE was saying “noooooo I wanna keep playing as Arthur not John” It genuinely makes me shed a tear when he dies. The last time I played the game I completely forgot that he died but when I was on the last mission I had to pause the game and take a break because I knew what was coming up
so care to elaborate how Arthur is 'an insanely well written character'... plus im sure those were not the only reasonings for not wanting to play as Arthur since he's also an evil scumbag...
@@godzillazfriction did you play the game and finish it? If so you would know that he became very kind at the end and sure he was “evil” at the start but then ended up becoming kinder and instead of leaving himself he allowed John to escape and be with his family. And also if you do all the debtor missions and other stuff he eventually gives the money back to some families and helped Sadie with getting revenge and being one of the only people she trusts We see him (Arthur) go from a criminal to someone who helps other before himself
Red Dead Redemption 2 is easily one of the most amazing stories ever told. I'd like to think that one day it'll be studied as heavily as a lot of other works of fiction. I've never been so attached to a story as I was with Arthur Morgan's
I'd argue it already up there from an online essay and analysis front. If video game storytelling is studied in the same way film does, I bet RDR2 will be one of the first games leading that charge alongside classics like TLOU.
@@themadtitan7603 honestly I think its a huge shame that some people don't view video games the same way as books and movies. Hell most of the time these days games do a better job storytelling than any other form of media. But I agree that hopefully one day video games are studdied in schools, and it would be a bad call to not have the Red Dead series, The Last of Us, Telltales The Walking Dead, or Persona 3, 4, and 5 not being the first since they all leave a lasting impression, and most importantly, a message that stays with you long after
"You can't live a bad life and have good things happen to you." Arthur understands this and uses his limited time to help others and make sure everyone he is loyal to makes it out. It's too late for him, but not for everyone else. This is such an amazing and unique character trait.
@MrWepx-hy6sn You can't be a bad person and have good things happen to you. But you can also be a good person and have bad things happen to you. It's the unfairness of life. I can relate to you, my brother died, my friend died. That's just how it goes. The uncaring cruelty of the universe, as long as you have joy, you don't have nothing. There's always something. "People die, but the potential for fun never does."- what I said a day after my brother died and I was going to a New Years party, had a great time, did karaoke, got a woman, don't let the unfairness and cruelty bog you down man
@@MrWepx-hy6snI also only told one person at the party, other than my friends that actually knew. I didn't want anyone feeling bad for me, kind of like Arthur with his TB
There's a few moments where the motion capture absolutely shines through. "I didnt know i was talking to a Lady" and "I'm afraid". I've spent 400 hours laughing and crying with Arthur Morgan. He is the greatest fictional character
I agree he is the best character I've ever gotten to play. When he died I was legit down for a whole week, I was so connected to this fictional character. I will always believe him dying on the top of the mountain and seeing the sunrise is his true canon ending.
in the epilogue, charles n john had a convo about author’s body being found n charles said he was looking at the sun rise even though i got the low honor ending so even the plot says its canon.
The sadest part for me is that Arthur's final redemption is undone when John is betrayed and murderd by Edgar Ross which, I believe, leads to Abigails early death and for Jack to seek out revenge against Ross and then turn into an outlaw himself. Thus rebirthing the cycle that Arthur tried to end.
In one of GTA games, there is a book titled Red Dead written by J. Marston. And knowing that Jack really loves literature, I think it was his book. Maybe he become a writer after killing Ross
@@rikybarbeito4123 because he gets forced into it because they somehow find out that he killed murdered that one guy. Super easy to figure that out… come on man. Use brain a bit.
29:01 made me cry. Your beautiful analysis of Arthur's character and his victory in death, coupled with "May I Stand Unshaken" was extremely emotional and sad (in a sweet, heartwarming way). This moment was the highlight of a generally insanely good analysis of one of my favourite fictional characters ever. Awesome video, keep it up!
so care to elaborate how good this game is especially Arthur's character and with him being deemed as a 'good person' by the majority of the RDR2 community...
@@godzillazfriction dude how do i see you in literally almost every comment sub-area. Just let ppl say their opinions cuz opinions matter to them and if you don't like them just ignore them man.
Yep. It's Amazing that a New Protagonist Can Outshine a Legendary One. Especially One Like John Marston, Who Was Renown For His Iconic Death, Not Unlike Arthur Morgan.
Yeah,i still remember people being angry when they discovered that the main protagonists is not John while later after the story everyone wanted to play more as Arthur
@@alladeenmdfkr2255 *beats red dead one* I hate playing as jack *rdr2 announced as a prequel* MORE JOHN *revealed you’re playing some unmentioned character from the gang* The heck is this *beats rdr2* I hate playing as John
Yes and no I think. The game’s epilogue isn’t something I talked about but I think while it does serve to pretty seamlessly set up the events of the first game, I think it’s also a pretty beautiful demonstration of what Arthur died for. I think John building a house and proposing to Abigail is made a lot sweeter knowing that such events were solely enabled by Arthur’s sacrifice. But yes, knowing John’s fate at the end of the first game is pretty rough hahaha
@@TheSnolana not quite His sacrifice wasn't only for John but for Jack too, as Jack got to live on avenging John and have a life. Who knows what would happen to Jack if Arthur didn't save Abbigail and John. It basically comes down to securing the future generations to survive and live on
Not ashamed to say that the scene with the sister on the train platform, had me shedding a tear, as a grown ass man. Arthur's an onion, the greatest character ever written for a video game, a true testament to Rockstars amazing skills at their craft. When he says 'I'm afraid' the look is so real
Your portrayal of Arthur's character is a profound testament not only to his depth but also to your own artistic prowess. I find myself moved to tears as I absorb the intricacies you've woven into his persona. Your deliberate selection of poignant scenes, the eloquence of your words, and the heartfelt manner in which you conveyed it all have elevated Arthur to unprecedented depths. Sir, I extend my utmost respect to you for this masterful depiction.
Everytime Arthur coughed it hurted me, reminding of the inevitable end. When I reached his last mission, I was playing with a teary eye. In my 20 years in gaming, I can't remember a game where I cared for a character this much(except Geralt). I couldn't continue the epilogue; I went back one and a half year later to kill the rat and finish the game. This is not just a game it's an experience that I will remember forever. Thank you Rockstar :)
Very interesting you mention Geralt. If there's one game I feel like has something close to the emotional depth that RDR2 does, it would be the witcher 3. I think I ultimately came to the conclusion that while overall, I think Witcher 3 is the better game, RDR2 has a better story. But no discredit to the Witcher 3 because it has an outstanding story too.
I love the small details during the scenes, like how the doctor washes his hands after he diagnoses Arthur with infectious TB. Or how sister Calderon doesn't go further away from Arthur, even after Arthur tells her he has TB, showing that Calderon genuinely cares for Arthur.
When you sit down and think about it, it’s hard to put any characters in fiction over Arthur. The shear amount of hours and days you can spend with his character hearing him talk and grow is almost unmatched
One character I'd argue about that would be Kiryu Kazuma, of course not saying he is necessarily a greater character than Arthur but having lived decades through his life from the Yakuza series was just amazing seeing it all conclude to Yakuza 6
@@SKtasaras agreed but I like Arthurs conclusion much more despite only being with him for one game. Y6 felt rushed in ways that rdr2 did not. Also rdr2s ending is just so much sadder and gut wrenching, I have to side with that because of how well they did it.
This video is opening up my wounds again . I mourned a lot after Arthur passed away . Rockstar did an amazing job in making the audience care so much for a character.
"I ain't got no lazy eye, nor respect for the likes of you" is such a good line. Pretty badass of Archie to say that to the person who basically just beat his father to death.
I have never ever been so moved by a character, as I was by Arthur Morgan. A stunning character that had such real and tangible depth. You felt his change as naturally as you felt your own.
I cried a lot during this game. I'm currently on my second playthrough and dear god, I'm still crying. Just because I see things I didn't before, and because I'm reminded how hard everything hits. This story is easily the best one, and I will die on that hill.
The line that hit me the hardest in the entire game is when Hosea asks arthur how he wants to die and he says "Just face me to the west so I can see the setting sun and remember all the fine times we had."
@@TheRealArcher-gn6wo His dream changed when he realised death was coming. Its symbolic that he watched the rising sun. The sun is rising for John and more importantly Jack, and not setting for Arthur, and he understands that.
I'm not too man to admit that when Arthur said he was afraid, I broke down. That was the moment that Arthur became more than a character to me. He became someone I wanted to know and learn from. I've read and played through many stories, fictional and not, and none thus far have meant to me personally what RDR2 did. Live well, die well, do everything you can to make the world even just a little bit better, and there really is nothing to be afraid of. Because that's all we or anyone else could ask of us.
The final ride was ridiculously emotional. I’ve never cried after watching a movie or tv show but RDR2 had me choked up and teary eyed at the end of the final mission.
The problem with other games, is every line could be said by every character. In this game, every character has had so much attention and depth, that they genuinely have their own personalities and the things they say can only be said by them
My favorite line is when John says "Arthur what about the money for my Red Dead Redemption" and Arthur says "Forget the money, This is my Read Dead Redemption Too" truly heart wrenching.
ive played thru this game like 4 times now but when I decided to 100% it recently it made arthurs death even more heartbreaking because of all the things I had never seen before like the stranger missions and just playing poker. the main story of this game is a masterpiece but if you also decide to do side missions you will fall even more in love with arthur as a character.
I applaud you for going 'round again. This game, to me, was like trying to re watch Magnolia or Logan. Going step by step, inexorably to something that was so tremendously sad? Can't do it. I look to my left, there's the game box ready to play. CAN'T DO IT
I 100% agree! I’m doing this now. Just finished the story and Arthur’s death was so heavy I had to turn the game off before I could start the first epilogue.
@@guyjperson I feel that! Knowing that Arthur was going to die no matter what I did made me explore further and complete many more challenges as him. I dreaded moving the story along toward the end of chapter 4.
@@mstorrence79 I'm no completionist, but I searched every nook and cranny I could think of to continue to hang out with Arthur before getting him to the end. Just rode around with him for a while. Had him talk to folks. I had no idea what the game had in store for him, but I just liked the guy.
That talk he had with the nun at the train station (17:20) will always be my favorite scene. He’s scared and doesn’t want to admit it, and has questions in his own morality. The nun comes at perfect time and makes him see the good in his heart so he can finally have the confidence to fight behind it. I just wanted to give him a hug through the screen and tell him “it’ll be okay brother”. You just don’t get that with other games. For a moment, it feels like you’re playing a real person, with a real conscience, living out the end of their life. Rockstar truly made a masterpiece. And honestly you did too, Snolana. Great video!
I do honestly believe that at one point or another in the story, Dutch was genuinely a nice, honorable, and kindhearted man. I don’t think Dutch descended into villainy and madness just because he felt like it. I think it was a combination of his blatantly obvious head injury after the trolley accident, Micah playing into his every move and telling him exactly what he wants to hear like the silver tongued snake he is, and the helpless death of his nearly lifelong best friend. I think the combination of all those traumatic experiences are what transformed Dutch’s character the closer you got to the end of the game. I don’t think Arthur or the other gang members were manipulated. I genuinely believe that in the beginning, to them, Dutch was their father figure. He was the hero who pulled them out of a rough time and saved them, not because he wanted an ego trip, but simply because he felt like it. These people ( Arthur and John for example ) weren’t manipulated cult members, they were borderline the sons of Dutch and Hosea. This can be heard in a camp dialogue where Hosea recollects on teaching John how to read and write and all the good times they had. Even after Dutch’s slowly progressing character change, I believe that most of them continued to stay because of their loving feelings for Dutch. It was only after the gang got too sloppy with their actions that people decided to leave. Dutch at the beginning of the game would’ve seen that as understandable and just common sense. Dutch at that point in the game, however, only views it as lack of loyalty and subterfuge. I think that right there showcases that the changes in Dutch’s character weren’t the revealing of an underlying character. I think they were changes influenced by physical and mental trauma, as well as brainwashing done by Micah. Even in the end, after his character has already begun to break, Dutch still recognizes the mistakes he has made and that they were wrong. Someone who had always been that way from the start wouldn’t recognize that the way that Dutch did because they tend to possess high levels of narcissism. Dutch recognizes it because even he knows that this is not the person he originally set out to be. He has become the very type of man that he was running from. 1. When Arthur was dying and admitting his loyalty/love for Dutch and exposing Micah for what he was, Dutch was speechless. He was lost for words at the sight of his dying adopted son basically admitting that everything he did was out of love for him. Then, even given the chance to escape with Micah and all their money, Dutch chose to turn his back on him, to turn his back on all of it. 2. At the end of the epilogue, when Sadie and John hunt down Micah, they are pleasantly surprised by the surprise arrival of Dutch. Originally, they are led to believe that he and Micah joined forces again and had been working together. However, that opinion changes when Dutch admits he has nothing to say and shoots Micah in cold blood. Even after hunting down Micah for the money, Dutch abandons it all once more and leaves the money he took so much time and effort to work for just like that. Do you honestly think a genuinely cruel and evil man would do such a thing? I don’t. 3. Finally, even at the end of the first game, Dutch still shows a subtle sign of humility and awareness. The events in the second game broke Dutch and ultimately changed him from the man he was to the man he would be for the rest of his time on screen. On top of that, I think the events of the end of the game only proved to break the character more and mold him into the character he ultimately turns into during the entirety of the first game. Only recognizing his faults entirely and believing he’s a lost cause that can’t be fixed just like Arthur used to believe all those years prior. Instead, choosing to take his own life because he knew there was no redemption left for him to make ( no pun intended ) and that leaving this world would be the best gift to it he could give. Dutch wasn’t a cold hearted villain, he was a broken man, a man broken by the world that was out to kill him and the experiences he had to deal with.
This deserves a pin, and way more than 20 likes! Well said. And we all can agree Micah is the one that ultimately ruined this gang. There would have been a much better outcome for all of Micah would have swung when he got arrested!
Dutch openly admitted to John that he was there specifically to kill Micah. Micah was trying to set up Dutch to turn him in to the Pinkertons, red handed with the blackwater money (adjusted for inflation, Dutchs bounty In today's money is around half a million dollars). This is why Ross shows up on the mountain seemingly out of nowhere. Dutch however wasn't fully sold on the money. He wanted Micah's head, as he tells John. "What are you doing out here, Dutch?" "Same as you, I suppose."
It wasn't the head injury jfc. That's the dumbest fan theory there is. It was a plot device, used to shine light on Lenny, before his death in the next mission. The death of Hosea is what changed Dutch. That's when Micah started getting into his head. I can't believe you didn't even mention that. Which is the biggest factor to Dutch's change.
@@chriscuts7029 I did mention the death of Hosea, it’s literally listed as one of the top three contributors to Dutch’s shift in character right at the beginning of my comment.
He is so real, that weeks after finishing the game, I had dreams about him, like I knew him in real life. I finished the game before my partner did and when my Arthur died and his was still alive, I felt this weird mix of envy and deep sandess... I was geniuenly going through griefing process. I believed every second of this beautiful performance, Arthur was as real as my friends and fanily to me. It actually took me two years to come back to the story mode, I could only play online for quite a while. There is a special kind of love in my heart for Arthur Morgan, I will never forget him.
Last time I played was in 2018, I'm replaying it right now. I tried a time or two before but it felt too weird, like I watched him die so it didn't feel right idk.
low honor helping john ending is the best ending and shouldve been canon to majority of the communities opinion about it but since ppl want to bring in their own moral compass to an already established evil character, this is what me and others have to suffer with
My favourite character interaction is when Arthur tells Mary Beth he has TB. It captures the love and genuine care they have for eachother so well. When Mary Beth tells Arthur that maybe its a sign for him to good things, it feels as if Arthur genuinely was moved by what his long time close friend has said, and further progressed his quest to be 'a better man.' Love the video man, keep up the good work.
The Hamish questline is one of my all-time favorite questlines ever it's such a superbly executed quest with the contrast between man who fought for something he believed in and a man who fought for something he didn't understand and the friendship that blooms i can't even do it justice in 2 mins to write this but it's one of the only quest that effected me deeply in a videogame
I knew the end of RDR2 before I started playing but had no idea about the Hamish missions. Let's just say the last one made me put the controller down in despair. After watching Arthur find a true friend who was happy to see him it really broke me
Arthurs emotional scenes always manage to get a couple tears out of me, now I wouldn’t consider myself a tough guy exactly, but I don’t usually cry very easily, I didn’t even cry when I found out that my grandpa died and I loved him very much. But something about this character (Arthur Morgan) is just so powerful and heartbreaking, brave and scared, good and evil, or happy and sad that I just can’t help but shed a tear for him. Amazing job to Rockstar, I envy those who have never played the game before because it gives them the chance to play it for the first time, something I can only dream of doing again. That’s all, thanks for reading.
@@Word420-hv7yx I think sometimes people don't let out what they feel, and it comes through at other times. There have been times where I feel sad but don't show it, and I think that kind of thing builds up, so when the emotions do break through, you're feeling all of it.
I find that for real people I have a far tougher time processing it and understanding that, while for Arthur it was a bit simpler to understand.@@Word420-hv7yx
@@rawman44yeah, that's just waiting for every toxic little thing to build up and make a person explode from time to time. My guy should try to learn his Pops history, it's probably filled with just as much trouble and sorrow knowing what most our grandparents had to endure.
Man I just checked your channel out, and how does someone comeback after years of uploading nothing and create a completely different style of video compared to their past content, yet still manage to make one of the best character studies I've ever seen.
This is pretty much what I was gonna say after finishing I figured I'd watch another video essay by you and all I saw was Fallout base videos or something. It really is impressive that this is a first go at something.
I experienced Arthur's death two weeks ago for the first time!!! I started a new game and playing as him again. This time i will not play the last mission of Arthur!
2:32 Is my favourite Arthur quote of all time. The way Roger Clark delivers it is just perfect, with the slight over-emphasis on the word 'lady' ... gets me every time
I just finished this game for the first time (I know I am hella late). What a ride. What hit me like a train was the fact that you dont really know Arthur at all untill chapter 6 when I first learned that *Spoiler* he had a child and a wife ever before mary. And the fact that they died just entirely changed my perception of his relationships with Sadie and Mary and Jhon. Especially Jhon. At the beginning I didn't know why he was nagging jhon constantly about leaving. Its because he had done that in the past and paid the ultimate price for it. He still had his best intrest at heart. And the Charlotte side quest. Shes just like him hanging on to something even after all she had (her husband) was gone. That part also beautiful got intertwined with Rains Falls missions. Arthur was a man in much more pain than I imagined. I had my doubts when doing high honour run cause part of me wants to believe in Dutch as I have had but that was the easy way out. and Not Brave. Brave way out is to struggle with all to salvage anything possible of that family Arthur had. I cant remember how many times I had the flashbacks of the gang singing around the campfire and bantering while doing the last chapter. God damn this is enough to make a grown man cry.
Even in a game where every VA performance is immaculate, Roger Clark as Arthur is completely unmatched. You did a great job piecing together his most powerful moments too. Fantastic video
This was recommended to me by chance. Phenomenal exposition, great writing, great edit, and you told a complete story. Please, please consider making more content like this. A phenomenal, phenomenal piece.
You took your time and I am grateful. I came back to RDR2 in my PC and I played this on PS4 first time... It's been years when I played the game and now.... I still think about Arthur and the end of his journey... I teared up when I had to go back to the camp.
Arthur is probably my #1 or 2 favorite character from any form of media, alongside Jin from Ghost of Tsushima. His dialogue is literally like reading a book. Watching his development arc was probably one of the most satisfying gaming experiences I've ever had.
Same. I loved writing haikus as Jin. Both games have their good and bad points and both were amazingly immersive. I doubt I’ll get tired of either one.
The stars seemed to align just right when Rockstar put this game together. I was talking to a friend that hadn't played it yet and he said "Everyone who tells me about it all say it's the best game they ever played". He finally finished his first playthrough and said "I get it now".
Man, I remember seeing the trailer for the 1st time and being so angry that I wasn't gonna be John Marston (obviously the Epilogue was far from known yet) RDR1 was the first game I 100% finished (cept for the glitched fabric for the last uniform) At that point, John Marston was a part of me it felt like, and I wasn't gonna be him in RDR2!! F THAT! I didn't buy the game until 2 years after release. I got a digital copy of Ultimate Edition for like $30 bucks, and still didn't install for almost another year. Yeah, I was super angry still that I wasn't gonna be John Marston. At this time I was heavy into the Borderlands series, well mostly BL2 so it was easy to stay away from RDR2 spoilers. This fella I work with was playing and said to trust him I wasn't gonna be disappointed. So, I was on vacation from work, and on the first night I fired it up, and honestly, I haven't played much else since. Arthur Morgan is a f'n amazing character, goin back and watchin some playthroughs of streamers and u can tell how good Arthur is, almost all the streamers eventually start talkin like him, then sounding like him. I did exact same. Ain't nobody do that for John really. I agree with this video... Arthur Morgan > John Marston and all fictional characters
I was skeptical as well, and was a subject I considered talking about in early drafts for the script for this video, but I still bought it day one, set aside my bias for John and was completely blown away by Arthur (and of course the story as a whole).
@@TheSnolana I still can't believe how freakin good the story is, plus the acting, and the score. The game should still be winning awards to this day. I'm playing rn and I was just fishing. So, I'm walkin back to my horse (I play on 3rd camera view) and a bloody Cardinal kinda jump scared me cuz it almost hit my camera view.
I have the first red dead redemption and now want the other 2 games now problem is I have a playstation 3 system I had a playstation 4 but my playstation 4 got stolen by a female drug addick but still want the other two games
That was just about one of the best video essays I've ever seen. My dull brain didn't even think about the character that much when I first played the games. And this is what a video essay should strive to be: add more to the narrative and breakdown characters. Thank you. After this video I have much more appreciation of the game. Also good editing. The emotional beats are really well controlled. It aint easy to make a 21st century man feel something but you did. I am surprised you didn't get more recognition. subscribed, and look forward to more great contents
As a game, older Rockstar titles had more fleshed out or even sophisticated gunplay, combat, movement or balance of systems imo. As a story though, Rockstar outdid themselves than most games out there with RDR2. You can see how it's a culmination of the characterization, commentary on America, and gradual maturation of their storytelling since 2001 and more recently from 2008.
@@themadtitan7603 I think given the fact that rdr2 is huge, very long, laced with countess details, and has incredible graphics, the game's gunplay suffered. They didn't have time to make it better I guess. Even though the game was delayed twice
@@BourbonBandit- There's lots of things they arguably they couldn't or had the time to develop well, down to chunks of the story if you heard about Guarma. Nevertheless, this isn't the first Rockstar title to experience a downgrade in gunplay, we went from Max Payne 3's shooting mechanics which are regarded as some of the best in a 3rd person game to GTA V's a year later.
@@themadtitan7603 You can't make a realistic game with those arcady gun mechanics. RDR online feels completely different and unrealistic because they made it feel much more like GTA.
@@BourbonBandit- I dont know how you can possibly play RDR2 and call the combat engine bad…its one of the best and versatile combat engines Ive seen. The way you can blend the melee combat and shooting in a fight is beautiful. The highly detailed gore, dismemberment, and burn effects combined with the highly realistic NPCs makes a lot of people hesitant to kill people compared to a lot of Rockstar games. Or makes killing them a lot more enjoyable if you have psychopathic tendencies…but either way its a testament to the detail and realism that went into these features.
Arthur to me was that man who realized he’s had a rough life and has made other people’s lifes hard. He’s trying to make what positive change he can with the time he has left. He’s making the mends he feels he needs to do. I related a lot to him when I originally played it but it’s much more deeper now considering my recent life choices and consequences. RIP
Arthur’s change in characterization throughout the course of the game is truly a masterclass in writing. Going from beating a dying man for a couple of bucks to sacrificing himself so someone else can have the chance at a better life is incredible. The only other game character that has impacted me this way is Ezio from Assassin’s Creed, as his arc went from being a carefree party boy to being a quiet, reflective master assassin who is in the last stage of his life. But Ezio’s arc took place over the course of three games, whereas the brilliance of Arthur’s is that it all happened in one game while still making it feel organic and natural. You cared about him as a character and understood his motivations for doing the things he did, and you were proud of him when he decided to start doing the right thing. The goal of any writer is to get the audience to feel something, and when you’ve done that, you know you’ve done your job well. Major kudos to Rockstar for creating this amazing character. Arthur will now be looked at as the gold standard for writing quality characters.
Ezio did have three games dedicated to him and was obviously great, but the playtime as Arthur is probably about the same overall. Rdr2 is just that much bigger in size and has a lot more things to do that take up way more time like hunting for gear. Even if Arthur doesn't say much, he writes everything down. He grows on ya. First playthrough took me 200+h till I started the epilogue (didn't allow myself to use the fast-travelling system)
only issue: the sacrifice is entirely meaningless as rockstar wrote themselves into a corner in order to make sure john escapes regardless of what you do.
The bit that got me the most in this whole game was Arthur saying goodbye and thank you to his horse, that really showed his heart and definitely made me tear up
This game is just more than a masterpiece in my eyes, from every tiny, little, miniscule detail to every interaction with a person. The character of Arthur Morgan made me feel a connection that I never really realized until the very end where I started to shed a few tears at the ending. This is a game that I could play a million times and never get tired of it, all just to get the feeling to play as arthur morgan another time.
By far the best game I’ve ever played. The fact it didn’t win GOTY in 2018 is a joke. I’m replaying it now intentionally doing low honour and it’s so hard to play that way!
@Free Tate although RDR2 edges it for me, God of War 2018 was a certified masterpiece. The re invention of God of War and the story arc of Kratos was done so perfectly by Cory Barlog
Arthure saying : "Im afraid" to sister Calderón and "Im sorry maam" to Arthurs wife are the most genine and soul breaking moments I saw in the entire film and game industry.,
Arthur Morgan dying was the first time I played a video game where I cried. Arthur is such a perfectly complex written character that we can relate to as much as Joel or Kratos. These types of characters is something we like to see because we so much of us in them
Dutch is always the villain. He didn’t just randomly start thinking of that chess move; he just slipped to a point where he could no longer keep his internal dialogue in his head
Arthur's whole conversation with Jimmy Brooks after he pulled him up instead of letting him fall to his death...that conversation sealed the deal for me. He used a gentle voice, diplomacy and wits to intimidate the man. He didn't just bully Brooks, he gave him options and made clear he understood them. He wasn't rude, but intense. All of that was very, very effective and made me understand what kind of man I am dealing with here. I loved Arthur from that very point on.
This story made me cry more than once, not just for Arthur's death, but the whole tragedy, seeing that gang from Horseshoe, who treated each other like family, falling apart in Beaver's Hollow, was heartbreaking specially if you played the first game before... a tragedy. Rdr2 is not just a game, it is a masterpiece of entertainment and storytelling. Loved your takes from the video
on my third playthrough and this video has really helped me view arthur in a new way and i thank you for it. one of the best videos on youtube as of current
One of the best written charachters EVER. Shed tons of tears on him, felo lost when he died like never before. His path, the way he chose to go on in life, his growin awareness of a changing world, a world to wich he didn't belong anymore. I'm a gamer since the early '80s and YES, this is the most amazing charachter I've ever play, and I've seen a lot.
The Downe's family questline is such a beautifully told story on my first playthrough i didnt really think much of it, but you keep returning to the Downeses throughout the end of the game and it makes you think about the connections we make with people really can take us on the strangest of paths.
I completed the main story 3 days ago. Ever since then, I have a feeling of grief, a feeling that I’ve only ever felt when one of my family members died. It feels like a pit in my stomach. Knowing that their gone. It’s truly amazing how they designed the character Arthur Morgan so well that Im feeling sad 3 days after he died in game.
I was the same. I literally felt like I was in mourning for a couple days after playing his death scene. It's probably the most difficult death to get over out of any other videogame protagonists because he felt so human
We are on the same boat partner. My days were so gloomy even my wife asked what happened to me. I explained to her what happened but somehow she understood what I felt even though it was only a fictional character. it felt really real.
I finished a few days ago as well, I will admit I did not cry during the ending, but I truly felt devastated and almost in denial that my time with Arthur was over. During the epilogue as much as I loved John I couldn’t help but think about Arthur, especially when greeting random NPCs with different dialogues now. Major props to the developers, for creating a character changing perspectives of people across the world.
Something I should have more clearly stated was that this is very much an opinionated reflection, and I chose the title specifically to point that out. People are more than welcome to disagree with such a bold statement and I’m interested to know what YOUR greatest character is. Nobody is wrong for simply harbouring an opinion so try to keep it civil.
Have a great day!
Max Payne when it comes to Rockstar characters
Every single rdr2 documentary.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I LOVE YOUR CONTENT EVEN THOUGH THIS IS YOUR MOST RECENT UPLOAD IN 5 YEARS OR SO
I agree with literally everything you said here. This game leaves me speechless and Arthur Morgan is probably the best character to ever be written, it’s just perfect, nothing else to say.
This game is literally the definition of perfection, of _course_ Arthur rules
Losing Arthur really felt like losing someone you know. Not someone close enough to grieve for, but close enough that it makes you sad to know they are gone. His death felt so "real".
I think the only reason some of us didn't burst in tear was because he is a fictional character. If we knew him and lived with him in 1899, I bet he would be even more "real".
@@SHAH-UZER Honestly, yeah. I'm going to cry on his final scene (I haven't finished the game yet lol). But then again, I get attached too easily. But I also see them as real people, not being real as you and I are, but real as in they exist. Like, in their own universe, I mean. I'm on the outside looking in, y'know?
Man and they even killed my horse ,my good girl that was like an extra gut punch for me
@@Assassin5671000 Yeah, I had tamed the white arabian. For some weird reason it had black tail and mane (haven't seen it anywhere else, a glitch maybe?). That horse was so special for me. :(
@@diskoelfas same for me but that was my old save but I lost the white arabian so if you want to get it back you’d have to load a new save
Arthur is the perfect example of “fighting not because you hate who’s in front of you but because of love you have of those behind you”.
Except for the O'Driscolls. Fuck those guys
That also applies to John, especially in the first game
low bonor is the canon and best arthur especially in writing a morally bad person who guess what has 'redemption' at the end
@@bearby3285 he killed those only who shot at him first he didnt want to kill anyone. Obviously he didnt love micah as he knew his intentions of destroying the gang. Did you even play?
@@bearby3285 clearly you have absolutely no idea what your on about. Canonically?? Bro the game is canon micah started shooting first and everyome started shooting at arthur straight after like were you knocked out during the scene. Arthur never even wanted to free micah you tool dutch forced him too like im so confused how your arguing about literal things you can just look up and watch. Stop it
“I’m afraid” is the most heartbreaking and relatable thing a video game character has ever said.
Agreed you hear it in his voice too it makes me tear up a bit just rehearing it
Haven't ever played rdr2, still teared up a bit hearing that conversation here
That's the moment that breaks me. The delivery in his voice and the look on his face. 😢
@@agustinvenegas5238 you’ll never regret playing it man, just play the good story line. You won’t get true redemption for Arthur without playing it right
I come back to that scene every so often because it's just so damn well done. From the voice acting, to the animation on the facial expressions, it gets me every time man. The expressions are so well done that even if you've got the fullest beard possible, you can still see and feel the emotion on his face underneath.
I may not like where Rockstar has been going with their practices, more specifically their treatments of both gta online and rdr2 online, but damn can they crank out an amazing game/story when they put their minds to it.
I read a quote once. If I remember: "Playing as Arthur Morgan didn´t just make me want to play with more honor, he made me want to Live with more honor".
For real, crazy how a video game character makes you want to be a good person because you played and saw his journey and his end.
Him and Micheal Corelone really change and impact you alot @@nonamemcgee1295
It's similar to how vinland saga makes you want to be a better person funny how both are masterpieces
Its funny the places people can find inspiration from. If that quote is true of you, then all I can say is: God bless you on your journey.
Bro when i started playing RDR2 i just walking through anyone, killing everybody, then Arthur, in Saint Denis, fell off his horse. Then i just turned 180 and played the rest with highest honour i can. You are a good man, Arthur Morgan.
Arthur simply saying the words "I'm afraid" is still heartbreaking everytime I hear it
Always hits me in the feels like a fully loaded freight train 😔
@@johnpurdy3336 i hope you dont plan on getting hit by a fully loaded freight train
Yeah, it happened to me watching this video, getting in the feels. I feel it's because as men, we know what it's like to "mask" our emotions, to be "brave" and put on a smile for our loved ones when we aren't truly in the smiling mood, and seeing a character just like that in media, truly being honest with himself and someone he cares for admitting and accepting a fear, how they truly feel. Gives us this sense of sadness, relief, pain, joy. A mix of emotions as we too want to "man-up" like Arthur and admit how we feel yet we "can't" at times, We understand the want to admit the negativity we feel, whether we choose to avoid it or just can't admit it but we get this familiar sense of fresh air when he is true to himself and others. We truly "feel" for Arthur. The realest character in fiction.
I love that moment so much. Here's a guy who isn't afraid to run into gunfire, who's faced greater dangers than any of us could ever imagine. So when he says "I'm afraid," he's not really talking about fear. It's a much bigger, much more existential dread, the horrifying realization that his life has meant nothing. He's not just facing the terrible unknown of death, but the even greater horror that his life might have been pointless, that everything that mattered to him, everything he fought and suffered for, was an illusion.
Facing the certainty of death has a way of forcing us to face the hideous possibility that our life doesn't matter, that oblivion erases all meaning. What is there to hold onto when we know everything we worked or fought for will come to nothing?
Back when I was a teenager in the late 80s, I took my dad to see Barton Fink, and he instantly became a huge Coen Brothers fan. When we watched "No Country for Old Men," and I felt like it pulled the rug out from under me, he focused on the moment when Sheriff Ed Tom Bell goes to see his uncle, and complains that he's been waiting in vain for God to come into his life and make it all make sense. My dad felt that, in that moment when Ed Tom found himself wondering where the hell God was, that was the moment he began to connect with whatever it was he'd been looking for, the answer to that existential question, "What actually is all this?"
I think that moment Arthur admits for the first time that he's afraid, that's the moment he finds meaning.
he is the most heartbreaking character. My first play-through i kept one horse the entire game, named after my pet dog. That last mission in chapter 6 made me weap.
I didn't actually cry at Arthur's death. I thought it was the best he could've hoped for as an outlaw. But then as I started playing John, even though I love him too, I felt that very real gaping hole of "oh, he's really gone". It was crazy how Arthur's death felt like missing a real person, missing the little quips and jokes he'd make. I was probably 5 missions into the epilogue when it hit me and I started crying.
Same I love Arthur so much but I couldn't cry I felt like he didn't want me to cry and I felt proud of him when he died he went out the way he wanted to go while accepting that end of the Western civilization and the rise of the Eastern civilization. but a game did make me cry a lot that year and it was Spiderman that ending was equally emotional
Bro said he started crying💀
@@RS-gh5df if you didn’t tear up playing this game you have no heart
@@AJB-mo5gx FR
Fr, it's amazing. I know they also did this before, but it's so effective to let you keep playing and add a whole two chapters after he dies. You can't just move onto the next game and conclude with his death - you have to continue the story to complete it, and actually live in the world where he's gone, and notice and feel his absence. It's a brilliant way to make the death of a character impactful more than conclusive.
I think it also helps that his redemption is so in character. He doesn't flee and redeem himself by just being good moving forward. He doesn't magically fix all the problems he's created for people. He helps people who he can still help while being unable to fix the damage he's already done, and he's still tied to his found family and there is no escape from that. He goes down doing the best he can _at this point_ , having already done all the damage he's done. Which is far, far below than the best possible outcome he could have hoped for if he was a different person leading up to this moment - but unlike in many other games/stories, he can't just have the happy ending after all he was part of.
That and the fact that all the "bad" stuff he does, you can see the duality of both his morality disagreeing with what he's doing, but also knowing he's part of the group and this is just what he's gotta do/being raised knowing that this is part of the job description despite Dutch's "teachings." I seriously appreciate that he doesn't just flip and refuse to do evil after the first quarter or half the story. He comes to terms with his position in life and the contrast between his morality and his actions very slowly, and even after that he still listens to Dutch for a long time. As well he should, he was raised in that life after all, people don't just flip a switch and become angels all of a sudden.
The thing that gets me the most about the ending is that in a conversation with Hosea and Lenny he is asked how he would want to be buried, and he says he would like to be facing west, watching the sun set on all the good times they had. Instead, he dies facing East, the opening to the new life he managed to give John, Abigail and Jack.
Him dying to the Sunrise is also symbolic of the new, advent 20th Century. With Arthur's death, the age of The American Outlaw and Old West has officially died with him, and come to an end; now is the age of machines, Government ruled by few powerful (rich) men, Laws and World War.
This but then I remember the end of the first game and sink into a deep depression.
@@50HamstersInATrenchcoat Your goddamn right
Charles buried him facing West.
Until Edgar Ross fucked it up
My man comes back to UA-cam after 6 years with something profound to say, grabs 2M views and then rides off into the sunset again
Gotta respect it 🤷
He’s got plans beyond our comprehension
Rockstar designed the game so good that you actually bonded with Arthur Morgan. Such a good character.
Npc tier comment. Was this written by ai?
@@theskyizblue2day431🤡
@@theskyizblue2day431🤡
generated by chatgpt.
@@theskyizblue2day431🤡
Let's all give Sister Calderon some applause because I think she played an important role and also helped shift Arthur's view on life... 😊
and the funny thing is you can miss it entirely. I only saw this scene on my second playthrough because I didn't do many side quests during that part of the game. After hearing about it, though not seeing it, I replayed it and saw this absolute masterpiece of a scene. Even now, rewatching it in this video had me tearing up just because it meant so much to Arthur to have that conversation. And it meant so much for the audience to hear it as well.
Im afraid
@@marbleherogaming735 I'm afraid
@@Blessupph777 There is nothing to be afraid of. Take a gamble that love exists, and do a loving act
@@averywot. thanks for making me cry
I LOVE Sister Calderón. Her missions and interactions were so good and genuine. When Arthur admits he's afraid and she gave him hope, you felt it too.
I teared up in their final exchange before she left on the train
@@beedlebur me too. The writing and acting in this game was superb. You almost forget that it's a game at times.
@@jmgfx4161 it is better than most of the stories ever written
I cried during the final train scene
love doing it but kinda sad i don’t get to talk to reverend swanson for the last time
Every time I watch or play the scene with Arthur finally letting his feeling out, every time he says “I’m afraid”, I just tear up. It’s such a powerful scene, it’s gut wrenching and emotional.
For real, I’ve been saying this everywhere, after seeing how he manages to scare the sh*t out of anybody, and then seen his face in a mixture of fear/sadness just broke me to the core, I had to pause the game because my tears keep covering my eyes from seeing the rest of the scene…
it's such a overrated scene to make up for the sake of trying to seem 'deep' and 'complex' enough for someone like Arthur to say 'I'm afraid' - it's a scene made to be as OP wrote 'powerful' for the sake of it...
the Low Honor version of the Reverend scene (instead of Cauldron) does the same thing without having to resort to the lengths that the Sister Cauldron scene goes to although they're different because, one tries to make it seem as if Arthur 'can change' and his way of life doesn't 'determine' whether he's a bad person or not although Sister Cauldron contradicts herself by determining Arthur is good simply because of what she saw in Arthur in his doing from her own perspective which goes against her point about 'determining' and how Arthur 'can change' but with that comes with determining 'change' for Arthur...
the other one is about how one can't seem to change but only that you keep fighting (trying) but not rationalise it by determining change or the morality within you or to others. This is something that RDR1 discusses about (although in a much better written way because RDR2s writing is convoluted for the wrong reasons), with John, Dutch and practically Humanity in general since the 'paradox' that Dutch talks about is something that is contradictory by nature with those who can't fight their own nature as well as change (and gravity) and that's the paradox of it. This is something that John comes to the conclusion that 'maybe we can't change, but we can at least try' - this is in correlation to Arthur Morgan via Low Honor in chapter 6...
The 'redemption' aspect isn't supposed to be taken in its literal form as its meant to represent a mere catalyst of it that isn't supposed to be taken in its literal form.
@@godzillazfrictionit’s okay man.
What the fuck kinda peyote shit are you smoking dawg cuz I want some @@godzillazfriction
It’s such a simple sentence, just two words. But it took his whole life to say them.
in rdr2 there were only 3 moments that made me cry. Arthurs death, John's iconic theme playing in Jim Milton rides again? and Arthur saying that he's afraid no other game I've played has made me emotional like the way rdr2 has.
4 moments for me
Arthur says he afraid
Death of Eagle Flies
Death of Arthur Morgan
The Ending credits
I’ve played a lot of games with sad shit that happens but Arthur saying he’s afraid like he did actually made me cry
mine are very memorable
1.Hot Air Baloon Man death ( idk)
2.
Arthur’s Last Ride back to camp , thay song i was legitimately bawling, saddest part of the whole game
3. Susan Grimshaw death
4. Malibu my trusty black arabian death in last mission
5. arthur death but i was only tearing
By far the saddest was his last ride
@@victoryteamtv These are the heartbreaking moments that made this gamer shed a tear.
1. Not finding Gavin
2. Not finding Gavin
3. Not finding Gavin
4. Not finding Gavin
5. And of course who could forget the death of the Hot Air Balloon Man. Truly one of the most heartbreaking moments in modern media.
RIP Hot Air Balloon Man, we hardly knew ye
@@Toy1er we lost an innocent soul, gone but not forgotten. and who could forget my first morgan house wetty fap, hit by an oncoming train as i was experimenting with death
almost 5 years later and 6 playthoughs, i still always tear up seeing him take his final breath
Same man 😢
And watching him say goodbye to his horse... Man that ending. I've never wished I could go into a game and stop anyone from doing anything like I want to go in and stop Arthur from going near Downes. This goes for movies too, with the exception of iron man.
Same, Even watching someone else experience it for the first time.
i cant even get 45 fps :((
"tear up" yeah, just like, a single manly tear. I don't ugly cry like a baby. Not every single time. Nope.
I was 32 when this game came out. No game had ever made me cry. This game made me cry twice in the same mission. I ugly cried when Arthur said goodbye to his horse. Then when he finally died... best story-driven game ever
Oh god dude, him saying goodbye to the horse was brutal, even more so if it was Beull who you got from the old veteran.
R.I.P. Artemis, my brave, beautiful girl.
@@AP-op4rc I always get the white Arabian pretty early and name it Shadowfax. I use it the whole playthrough every time.
The Last of Us (Sarah's death, and Ellie refusing to let Joel abandon her to Tommy) was the first video game to ever make me cry; the entire game was a lesson in just how much emotional depth a game can give. Soma (2015) left me in a existential, depressed state for a week. But RDR2 was the first time that I felt I was actually subject to 'looking in' to a human being from 1899's life, more than playing a game. A masterpiece.
@@inthemiddleofsomecalibrations I always choose female horses and female characters in online or mmo games typically. Not sure why.
I've become so cynical and jaded about the state of UA-cam that I kinda expected that bit about it never being too late to do good, work harder, etc. to segue into, "And that brings us to the sponsor of today's video..."
So thanks for being a serious person.
Something I'm surprised you didn't reference was Arthur's journal. He writes openly about how disgusted he is by the money lending and how he is "revolted" by his part in it. As well as how, while he loves Dutch as a father, he loves Hosea more because Hosea feels human but Dutch doesn't; and that was in the very beginning before any of the plot even started.
yeah it makes sense. Dutch and Hosea were his fathers but it always feels like Dutch was cultivating a soldier while Hosea was raising a son. If you do missions with them seperately, even in the earlier chapters, Dutch seemed to keep subtly reminding Arthur of his place, while with Hosea they act like father and son.
@@wasabi5338rip hosea
He writes a surprising amount in his journal actually, like when you do the Black Belle mission, he'll write afterwards that he thinks he could've had something good going with Black Belle if she was younger and it was a different time period
@@guerrero-iw9mw I remember that too. One of my favorite things to do was just sit down and read his journal between story missions
@@guerrero-iw9mw damn I really need to read the journal more
When Arthur died and I saw the sunrise. I felt relievrd. Relieved that Arthur could die watching the sunrise and resuce the last person he cared about. Relieved that I, the butcher of Valentine and Saint Denis, managed to miraculously end with a high honor ending. Relieved that I, like Arthur, managed to Red Dead Redeem myself.
😂😂
The Butcher of Valentine and Saint Denis😂 love it lol
@@TheSnolana low honor is canon and the best arthur
@@godzillazfriction high honor is canon
@@godzillazfriction it's not canon nor is it the best
Arthur and Hosea are the best representation of good people caught in a bad situation. Hosea was Arthur’s morale compass, he openly challenged Arthur and the gangs decisions in early chapters. After Hosea died Arthur started to act in the same way Hosea does, even Dutch mentions how Arthur is turning into Hosea in later chapters. Even when he rescues John from prison, a something Hosea would have done with him if he was alive. The vander lin gang were referred to as the sons of Dutch. But given how things ended I always view Arthur, John and Charles as the sons as Hosea.
Lenny and Sean, too.
Hosea and Charles seemed to give Arthur a moral compass
Charles joined the gang 6 months before the events of rdr2 which means he wasn't raised by dutch & hosea , although he is very similar to hosea , he is not like a son of him
The Vander Lin gang isn’t referred to as the children of Dutch. Only John and Arthur, Dutch (and Hosea) took in Arthur when he was 14, and took in John when he was 12. He basically raised both.
@@ForeignCaponeI think Javier was also raised by Dutch
bro casually dropped this banger of a video and then left lol
Lmao
I know right.
Real lol
fr
I literally finished RDR2 the first time while I was going through cancer and rethinking the actions, relationships, and time in my own life (though with a much better prognosis, to be clear). There aren't enough words to conveny how much Arthur's story hit me.
I hope you’re doing better man. That really an odd and specific way to have been able to view the game through and I feel like you may have gotten something from it that no one else was quite able to
Wow, thanks for sharing. I can only imagine!
Are you doing ok now?
I hope you are doing ok buddy, glad you share it with us
@@ari1758 damn he's dead
When I was playing this game my dad was diagnosed with not treatable cancer. He didn’t stopped fighting till the end. As I finished the game, i was so broken hearted because of Arthur’s death but it reminded me that Arthur was a fighter for those who loved and what it matters is what you give to those who you love and how they will remember you. After 3 weeks my dad passed away. Then I remembered that he did what he had to do and what it matters is that he gave me everything he had. I see Arthur like my father and John like me. Rdr2 is the only game I haven’t stop playing and every time I see Arthur passing out I feel blessed that I witnessed this great journey and blessed that I had such a great dad. The death scene doesn’t hurt anymore, is just a reminder of how blessed I am. Thank you Arthur, thank you Rockstar and thank you dad ❤ 2/1/1968 - 8/1/2020
i wonder if the man who coughed in his face is the reason he contracted tuberculosis? im sorry about your father, may he r.i.p.
@@mainsource8030 That's where Arthur got it from. That's why him getting TB is so poetic.
@@NcK_146 mind blown!
Im sorry for your loss
As a dad I can say 100% your father would be very grateful to hear that. May he party in paradise! 🎉
At 18:58, Arthur's facial expressions are what a lot of men do when they're trying to hold back tears. Really well done.
it is true and it was indeed very well done
God damn... First time I saw this scene I was in my living room with my headset on and my wife walked in. She saw me crying like a kid. I've never felt like that about any other video game character ever.
@@felathar1985 me either
Thanks for pointing this out, you’re so right. Looking away from the other person so you can gather your emotions before facing them again, wincing in the eyes to stop any tears from flowing, the clenching and jutting out the jaw. Incredible animation of non-verbal communication
Outstanding observation !
I'm so glad that when you look up 'The greatest fictional character ever' on both youtube and google this is the first thing that comes up.
"I said DON'T thank me..." Has to be one of the best delivered lines in videogame history.
When Arthur gave John his hat it hit me really hard. That means so damn much. When someone in that culture finds the right hat it becomes a part of who they really are. So when he passed on his hat to John, that was the biggest way Arthur could truly say I love you. This is why whenever I play as John I always have him wearing Arthur’s hat.
The hat which Arthur gave to John, is the same hat which Arthur's father use to wear. You can see it in the picture's which are hanging on his caravan.
After seeing a clip of that scene with the raccoon hat, it was so ridiculous that I can't think of that scene the same again 🤪
Since Arthur never really says he loves someone, him passing on his hat to John quite literally brought me to tears. That scene and the sister Calderone train station scene are the two most cathartic scenes in the whole game
@@Michael-jj8gz both their hats are stylish as hell
@@Michael-jj8gz you really have no understanding of what I said then
I love that John wears Arthur’s hat while fighting micah and his men. No matter how much John repeats that he left the pass behind.. he never let Arthur in the past. We can see that he is still on his mind, every day.
i rememberd to always pick up the hat in american venom so that when i finally get to kill micah i will do it in arthurs hat
If they ever remaster RDR1 they should change Johns hat to Arthur’s.
@@shadowwyldethey should just give you both like in the epilogue
@shadowwylde That's so dumb. John is his own person. He holds onto past, but he does have his own identity.
John started the series and deserves his own persona along with his own hat instead of being Jarthur Margan.
@@Coltist...6g3 it would still be cool if they added in a couple refrences to Arthur and sadie and charles and such, they could also give you arthurs hat and johns hat like in the epilogue of rdr2, that way once you get around to jack you have the full protag hat set
Arthur is an insanely well written character because in the beginning most people we’re probably like “ugh I don’t want to play as this Arthur guy I wanna play as John” then by the end EVERYONE was saying “noooooo I wanna keep playing as Arthur not John”
It genuinely makes me shed a tear when he dies. The last time I played the game I completely forgot that he died but when I was on the last mission I had to pause the game and take a break because I knew what was coming up
so care to elaborate how Arthur is 'an insanely well written character'... plus im sure those were not the only reasonings for not wanting to play as Arthur since he's also an evil scumbag...
@@godzillazfriction did you play the game and finish it? If so you would know that he became very kind at the end and sure he was “evil” at the start but then ended up becoming kinder and instead of leaving himself he allowed John to escape and be with his family. And also if you do all the debtor missions and other stuff he eventually gives the money back to some families and helped Sadie with getting revenge and being one of the only people she trusts
We see him (Arthur) go from a criminal to someone who helps other before himself
@@Hell_diver1 same old, same old...
This whole video elaborates on how he is a well written character.@@godzillazfriction
@@mezz3036 😐... wUaaattt... i DidNt kNoW TgAT.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is easily one of the most amazing stories ever told. I'd like to think that one day it'll be studied as heavily as a lot of other works of fiction.
I've never been so attached to a story as I was with Arthur Morgan's
I'd argue it already up there from an online essay and analysis front.
If video game storytelling is studied in the same way film does, I bet RDR2 will be one of the first games leading that charge alongside classics like TLOU.
@@themadtitan7603 honestly I think its a huge shame that some people don't view video games the same way as books and movies. Hell most of the time these days games do a better job storytelling than any other form of media. But I agree that hopefully one day video games are studdied in schools, and it would be a bad call to not have the Red Dead series, The Last of Us, Telltales The Walking Dead, or Persona 3, 4, and 5 not being the first since they all leave a lasting impression, and most importantly, a message that stays with you long after
It is now Epic Gamer Time. 😎
@@themadtitan7603 TLOU is really amazing by video game standards but honestly its just "good" by book standards.
@@TheUndeadOhioan1999 Its because video games have much worse writing than any other for of media on average. Thats just a fact.
"You can't live a bad life and have good things happen to you." Arthur understands this and uses his limited time to help others and make sure everyone he is loyal to makes it out. It's too late for him, but not for everyone else. This is such an amazing and unique character trait.
Too bad that it's literally not true.
@@FuckUA-camAndGoogle how so? He spends the last bit helping his friends try and get out. If you're not a bastard he dies helping john get away.
If only that were true my best friend would be sharing a drink with me instead of being six feet under due to a negligent truck driver
@MrWepx-hy6sn You can't be a bad person and have good things happen to you. But you can also be a good person and have bad things happen to you. It's the unfairness of life. I can relate to you, my brother died, my friend died. That's just how it goes. The uncaring cruelty of the universe, as long as you have joy, you don't have nothing. There's always something. "People die, but the potential for fun never does."- what I said a day after my brother died and I was going to a New Years party, had a great time, did karaoke, got a woman, don't let the unfairness and cruelty bog you down man
@@MrWepx-hy6snI also only told one person at the party, other than my friends that actually knew. I didn't want anyone feeling bad for me, kind of like Arthur with his TB
There's a few moments where the motion capture absolutely shines through. "I didnt know i was talking to a Lady" and "I'm afraid". I've spent 400 hours laughing and crying with Arthur Morgan. He is the greatest fictional character
I agree he is the best character I've ever gotten to play. When he died I was legit down for a whole week, I was so connected to this fictional character. I will always believe him dying on the top of the mountain and seeing the sunrise is his true canon ending.
Same , I was grieving about 2weeks 💔
Sameee!
Aren't you the dude that makes the movie clip video? I love those
in the epilogue, charles n john had a convo about author’s body being found n charles said he was looking at the sun rise even though i got the low honor ending so even the plot says its canon.
The game is called "Red Dead _Redemption_", of course that ending is canon.
The sadest part for me is that Arthur's final redemption is undone when John is betrayed and murderd by Edgar Ross which, I believe, leads to Abigails early death and for Jack to seek out revenge against Ross and then turn into an outlaw himself. Thus rebirthing the cycle that Arthur tried to end.
I still want a game with Jack as the main character.
Send him to Germany or France for a war and have him come back to become a gangster.
In one of GTA games, there is a book titled Red Dead written by J. Marston. And knowing that Jack really loves literature, I think it was his book. Maybe he become a writer after killing Ross
@@jaimeruiz7837Why would jack be part of the goverment? They killed his dad
@@GunnGunn10it was just a reference. The games are set in different universes
@@rikybarbeito4123 because he gets forced into it because they somehow find out that he killed murdered that one guy. Super easy to figure that out… come on man. Use brain a bit.
I love how the memory of Arthur still lives on, as if he existed outside of the game.
29:01 made me cry. Your beautiful analysis of Arthur's character and his victory in death, coupled with "May I Stand Unshaken" was extremely emotional and sad (in a sweet, heartwarming way).
This moment was the highlight of a generally insanely good analysis of one of my favourite fictional characters ever. Awesome video, keep it up!
so care to elaborate how good this game is especially Arthur's character and with him being deemed as a 'good person' by the majority of the RDR2 community...
@@godzillazfriction dude how do i see you in literally almost every comment sub-area. Just let ppl say their opinions cuz opinions matter to them and if you don't like them just ignore them man.
I think there's something to be said about a character that people prefer to play as over a legendary character like John Marston.
Yep. It's Amazing that a New Protagonist Can Outshine a Legendary One.
Especially One Like John Marston, Who Was Renown For His Iconic Death, Not Unlike Arthur Morgan.
Yeah,i still remember people being angry when they discovered that the main protagonists is not John while later after the story everyone wanted to play more as Arthur
@@alladeenmdfkr2255
*beats red dead one*
I hate playing as jack
*rdr2 announced as a prequel*
MORE JOHN
*revealed you’re playing some unmentioned character from the gang*
The heck is this
*beats rdr2*
I hate playing as John
@Ayo Can't Argue with That.
Though Can You Imagine the Shock When John Died the 1st Time?
@Ayo Ashame.
I Don't Even Have a PS.
Aside From This PS4 I Have Yet to Use Since I Moved House.
What really makes it even more heart breaking is that in the end, he failed to save John
Yes and no I think. The game’s epilogue isn’t something I talked about but I think while it does serve to pretty seamlessly set up the events of the first game, I think it’s also a pretty beautiful demonstration of what Arthur died for. I think John building a house and proposing to Abigail is made a lot sweeter knowing that such events were solely enabled by Arthur’s sacrifice. But yes, knowing John’s fate at the end of the first game is pretty rough hahaha
@@TheSnolana not quite His sacrifice wasn't only for John but for Jack too, as Jack got to live on avenging John and have a life. Who knows what would happen to Jack if Arthur didn't save Abbigail and John. It basically comes down to securing the future generations to survive and live on
no he told john to run and never look back but john instead of doing that John went after Micah
@@yorickmori7735 but jack also succumbs to the path of vengeance just like his father
@@thatguy-lo3cn exactly
Not ashamed to say that the scene with the sister on the train platform, had me shedding a tear, as a grown ass man. Arthur's an onion, the greatest character ever written for a video game, a true testament to Rockstars amazing skills at their craft. When he says 'I'm afraid' the look is so real
"iM a gOdDaMn oNIoN mArstOn, yOu sHoUlD kNoW tHaT"
I cried when he said he was afraid of dying
Eh i loved Sergio Leone characters more
@@letsplayitoutmannn8646 which game were they in?
@@bigbadt "Or I'll turn you into a CauLiFloWEr!"
Your portrayal of Arthur's character is a profound testament not only to his depth but also to your own artistic prowess. I find myself moved to tears as I absorb the intricacies you've woven into his persona. Your deliberate selection of poignant scenes, the eloquence of your words, and the heartfelt manner in which you conveyed it all have elevated Arthur to unprecedented depths. Sir, I extend my utmost respect to you for this masterful depiction.
Thank you ❤️
Everytime Arthur coughed it hurted me, reminding of the inevitable end. When I reached his last mission, I was playing with a teary eye. In my 20 years in gaming, I can't remember a game where I cared for a character this much(except Geralt). I couldn't continue the epilogue; I went back one and a half year later to kill the rat and finish the game. This is not just a game it's an experience that I will remember forever. Thank you Rockstar :)
i said so many times “Arthur please stop coughing bro” 😂 countless times
I still have never went back and finished the game.
As much as I love John, I wasn’t as attached to him, so I had to wait a couple weeks to even stomach playing the epilogue. Still haven’t finished it
It took me a good minute to recover to after Arthur’s death so yeah I didn’t play the game for a good amount of time too😢
Very interesting you mention Geralt. If there's one game I feel like has something close to the emotional depth that RDR2 does, it would be the witcher 3. I think I ultimately came to the conclusion that while overall, I think Witcher 3 is the better game, RDR2 has a better story. But no discredit to the Witcher 3 because it has an outstanding story too.
I love the small details during the scenes, like how the doctor washes his hands after he diagnoses Arthur with infectious TB. Or how sister Calderon doesn't go further away from Arthur, even after Arthur tells her he has TB, showing that Calderon genuinely cares for Arthur.
If its the 1890s and a doctor examines you and then washes his hands, your f*cked
Naw sister is out of her mind being anywhere near someone with tuberculosis it was a literal death sentence in that era
@@Uknown76 I mean fair but also you kinda missed the point there didn't you
When you sit down and think about it, it’s hard to put any characters in fiction over Arthur. The shear amount of hours and days you can spend with his character hearing him talk and grow is almost unmatched
@@Ghost_001 🧢
One character I'd argue about that would be Kiryu Kazuma, of course not saying he is necessarily a greater character than Arthur but having lived decades through his life from the Yakuza series was just amazing seeing it all conclude to Yakuza 6
@@SKtasaras agreed but I like Arthurs conclusion much more despite only being with him for one game. Y6 felt rushed in ways that rdr2 did not. Also rdr2s ending is just so much sadder and gut wrenching, I have to side with that because of how well they did it.
Luffy better
Bruce Wayne/Batman is a better character. But Arthur us up there too.
Tyrion Lannister is another kne
This video is opening up my wounds again . I mourned a lot after Arthur passed away . Rockstar did an amazing job in making the audience care so much for a character.
"I ain't got no lazy eye, nor respect for the likes of you" is such a good line. Pretty badass of Archie to say that to the person who basically just beat his father to death.
18:00 that scene always makes me cry so much. its so insane how they were able to make a fictional character feel so real dude.
I have never ever been so moved by a character, as I was by Arthur Morgan. A stunning character that had such real and tangible depth. You felt his change as naturally as you felt your own.
Wholeheartedly agree, he feels like a real person to me. I legitimately felt empty inside when he died.
Thank you BOAH, your nice comments about me are very heartwarming.
I cried a lot during this game. I'm currently on my second playthrough and dear god, I'm still crying. Just because I see things I didn't before, and because I'm reminded how hard everything hits. This story is easily the best one, and I will die on that hill.
The line that hit me the hardest in the entire game is when Hosea asks arthur how he wants to die and he says
"Just face me to the west so I can see the setting sun and remember all the fine times we had."
At least in the end Arthur got what he wanted
@@AA-bz1pr He was facing the east towards the rising sun, dying without his dream found
When was this line?
@@jack_74 random interaction in camp I’ve always gotten it in horseshoe overlook
@@TheRealArcher-gn6wo His dream changed when he realised death was coming. Its symbolic that he watched the rising sun. The sun is rising for John and more importantly Jack, and not setting for Arthur, and he understands that.
I'm not too man to admit that when Arthur said he was afraid, I broke down. That was the moment that Arthur became more than a character to me. He became someone I wanted to know and learn from. I've read and played through many stories, fictional and not, and none thus far have meant to me personally what RDR2 did. Live well, die well, do everything you can to make the world even just a little bit better, and there really is nothing to be afraid of. Because that's all we or anyone else could ask of us.
Still the greatest story mode / campaign I have ever ever played. An absolute masterpiece
The final ride was ridiculously emotional. I’ve never cried after watching a movie or tv show but RDR2 had me choked up and teary eyed at the end of the final mission.
This is one of those rare pieces of art where the main character is the BEST character. Arthur will forever live in our hearts.
The problem with other games, is every line could be said by every character. In this game, every character has had so much attention and depth, that they genuinely have their own personalities and the things they say can only be said by them
My favorite line is when John says "Arthur what about the money for my Red Dead Redemption" and Arthur says "Forget the money, This is my Read Dead Redemption Too" truly heart wrenching.
Arthur did not said that
@@nate1735yes he did, and then he red dead redemption’d all over the place
@@nate1735yes I did
@@nate1735see Arthur Morgan himself confirmed it
@@Doginawallngga you alive?
I start to drop tears when he said "I'm afraid" and at his last moments, lying to the ground and watch the sun rises, just like what he wanted.
me too
Well, he actually wanted to watch the setting sun
The care and attention to this video, for Arthur's life deserves all the subs.
“Be loyal to what matters.” - Arthur Morgan
ive played thru this game like 4 times now but when I decided to 100% it recently it made arthurs death even more heartbreaking because of all the things I had never seen before like the stranger missions and just playing poker. the main story of this game is a masterpiece but if you also decide to do side missions you will fall even more in love with arthur as a character.
Doing that now. This will be the 3rd time but first going for 100%.
I applaud you for going 'round again. This game, to me, was like trying to re watch Magnolia or Logan. Going step by step, inexorably to something that was so tremendously sad? Can't do it. I look to my left, there's the game box ready to play. CAN'T DO IT
I 100% agree! I’m doing this now. Just finished the story and Arthur’s death was so heavy I had to turn the game off before I could start the first epilogue.
@@guyjperson I feel that! Knowing that Arthur was going to die no matter what I did made me explore further and complete many more challenges as him. I dreaded moving the story along toward the end of chapter 4.
@@mstorrence79 I'm no completionist, but I searched every nook and cranny I could think of to continue to hang out with Arthur before getting him to the end. Just rode around with him for a while. Had him talk to folks. I had no idea what the game had in store for him, but I just liked the guy.
That talk he had with the nun at the train station (17:20) will always be my favorite scene. He’s scared and doesn’t want to admit it, and has questions in his own morality. The nun comes at perfect time and makes him see the good in his heart so he can finally have the confidence to fight behind it. I just wanted to give him a hug through the screen and tell him “it’ll be okay brother”. You just don’t get that with other games. For a moment, it feels like you’re playing a real person, with a real conscience, living out the end of their life. Rockstar truly made a masterpiece. And honestly you did too, Snolana. Great video!
I do honestly believe that at one point or another in the story, Dutch was genuinely a nice, honorable, and kindhearted man. I don’t think Dutch descended into villainy and madness just because he felt like it. I think it was a combination of his blatantly obvious head injury after the trolley accident, Micah playing into his every move and telling him exactly what he wants to hear like the silver tongued snake he is, and the helpless death of his nearly lifelong best friend. I think the combination of all those traumatic experiences are what transformed Dutch’s character the closer you got to the end of the game. I don’t think Arthur or the other gang members were manipulated. I genuinely believe that in the beginning, to them, Dutch was their father figure. He was the hero who pulled them out of a rough time and saved them, not because he wanted an ego trip, but simply because he felt like it. These people ( Arthur and John for example ) weren’t manipulated cult members, they were borderline the sons of Dutch and Hosea. This can be heard in a camp dialogue where Hosea recollects on teaching John how to read and write and all the good times they had. Even after Dutch’s slowly progressing character change, I believe that most of them continued to stay because of their loving feelings for Dutch. It was only after the gang got too sloppy with their actions that people decided to leave. Dutch at the beginning of the game would’ve seen that as understandable and just common sense. Dutch at that point in the game, however, only views it as lack of loyalty and subterfuge. I think that right there showcases that the changes in Dutch’s character weren’t the revealing of an underlying character. I think they were changes influenced by physical and mental trauma, as well as brainwashing done by Micah.
Even in the end, after his character has already begun to break, Dutch still recognizes the mistakes he has made and that they were wrong. Someone who had always been that way from the start wouldn’t recognize that the way that Dutch did because they tend to possess high levels of narcissism. Dutch recognizes it because even he knows that this is not the person he originally set out to be. He has become the very type of man that he was running from.
1. When Arthur was dying and admitting his loyalty/love for Dutch and exposing Micah for what he was, Dutch was speechless. He was lost for words at the sight of his dying adopted son basically admitting that everything he did was out of love for him. Then, even given the chance to escape with Micah and all their money, Dutch chose to turn his back on him, to turn his back on all of it.
2. At the end of the epilogue, when Sadie and John hunt down Micah, they are pleasantly surprised by the surprise arrival of Dutch. Originally, they are led to believe that he and Micah joined forces again and had been working together. However, that opinion changes when Dutch admits he has nothing to say and shoots Micah in cold blood. Even after hunting down Micah for the money, Dutch abandons it all once more and leaves the money he took so much time and effort to work for just like that. Do you honestly think a genuinely cruel and evil man would do such a thing? I don’t.
3. Finally, even at the end of the first game, Dutch still shows a subtle sign of humility and awareness.
The events in the second game broke Dutch and ultimately changed him from the man he was to the man he would be for the rest of his time on screen. On top of that, I think the events of the end of the game only proved to break the character more and mold him into the character he ultimately turns into during the entirety of the first game. Only recognizing his faults entirely and believing he’s a lost cause that can’t be fixed just like Arthur used to believe all those years prior. Instead, choosing to take his own life because he knew there was no redemption left for him to make ( no pun intended ) and that leaving this world would be the best gift to it he could give. Dutch wasn’t a cold hearted villain, he was a broken man, a man broken by the world that was out to kill him and the experiences he had to deal with.
I loved your comment just as much as I loved the video
This deserves a pin, and way more than 20 likes! Well said. And we all can agree Micah is the one that ultimately ruined this gang. There would have been a much better outcome for all of Micah would have swung when he got arrested!
Dutch openly admitted to John that he was there specifically to kill Micah.
Micah was trying to set up Dutch to turn him in to the Pinkertons, red handed with the blackwater money (adjusted for inflation, Dutchs bounty In today's money is around half a million dollars). This is why Ross shows up on the mountain seemingly out of nowhere.
Dutch however wasn't fully sold on the money. He wanted Micah's head, as he tells John.
"What are you doing out here, Dutch?"
"Same as you, I suppose."
It wasn't the head injury jfc. That's the dumbest fan theory there is. It was a plot device, used to shine light on Lenny, before his death in the next mission.
The death of Hosea is what changed Dutch. That's when Micah started getting into his head.
I can't believe you didn't even mention that. Which is the biggest factor to Dutch's change.
@@chriscuts7029 I did mention the death of Hosea, it’s literally listed as one of the top three contributors to Dutch’s shift in character right at the beginning of my comment.
I always think, “Bad people don’t care that they’re bad, Kind people worry if they’re kind.” Arthur definitely worried.
Arthur Morgan and Roger Clark’s performance of him moved me in a way I can’t describe. But I will never forget his story
He is so real, that weeks after finishing the game, I had dreams about him, like I knew him in real life.
I finished the game before my partner did and when my Arthur died and his was still alive, I felt this weird mix of envy and deep sandess... I was geniuenly going through griefing process. I believed every second of this beautiful performance, Arthur was as real as my friends and fanily to me.
It actually took me two years to come back to the story mode, I could only play online for quite a while. There is a special kind of love in my heart for Arthur Morgan, I will never forget him.
Last time I played was in 2018, I'm replaying it right now. I tried a time or two before but it felt too weird, like I watched him die so it didn't feel right idk.
I grew up watching jhon Wayne and finally after playing as Arthur Morgan I wanted to be like him.
I ugly cried at the sunrise. And watching this articulate reflection of Arthur damn near made me do it again.
low honor helping john ending is the best ending and shouldve been canon to majority of the communities opinion about it but since ppl want to bring in their own moral compass to an already established evil character, this is what me and others have to suffer with
@@godzillazfriction K
@@godzillazfrictionyou’re very persistent with telling everyone that
@@godzillazfrictionj
You’re very emotional, get your testosterone checked
My favourite character interaction is when Arthur tells Mary Beth he has TB. It captures the love and genuine care they have for eachother so well.
When Mary Beth tells Arthur that maybe its a sign for him to good things, it feels as if Arthur genuinely was moved by what his long time close friend has said, and further progressed his quest to be 'a better man.'
Love the video man, keep up the good work.
The moment Arthur contracts TB. 4:50
This man came
Dropped one of the best videos on the platform
and left
Really hope in 100 years we get him back!
The Hamish questline is one of my all-time favorite questlines ever it's such a superbly executed quest with the contrast between man who fought for something he believed in and a man who fought for something he didn't understand and the friendship that blooms i can't even do it justice in 2 mins to write this but it's one of the only quest that effected me deeply in a videogame
I knew the end of RDR2 before I started playing but had no idea about the Hamish missions. Let's just say the last one made me put the controller down in despair. After watching Arthur find a true friend who was happy to see him it really broke me
Arthurs emotional scenes always manage to get a couple tears out of me, now I wouldn’t consider myself a tough guy exactly, but I don’t usually cry very easily, I didn’t even cry when I found out that my grandpa died and I loved him very much. But something about this character (Arthur Morgan) is just so powerful and heartbreaking, brave and scared, good and evil, or happy and sad that I just can’t help but shed a tear for him. Amazing job to Rockstar, I envy those who have never played the game before because it gives them the chance to play it for the first time, something I can only dream of doing again. That’s all, thanks for reading.
Wtf How can you not cry over a real person (even tho sorry for your loss) but have emotion over arthur even tho it was sad, thats kinda...
people handle things different i was the same doesn't mean you loved them any less@@Word420-hv7yx
@@Word420-hv7yx I think sometimes people don't let out what they feel, and it comes through at other times. There have been times where I feel sad but don't show it, and I think that kind of thing builds up, so when the emotions do break through, you're feeling all of it.
I find that for real people I have a far tougher time processing it and understanding that, while for Arthur it was a bit simpler to understand.@@Word420-hv7yx
@@rawman44yeah, that's just waiting for every toxic little thing to build up and make a person explode from time to time. My guy should try to learn his Pops history, it's probably filled with just as much trouble and sorrow knowing what most our grandparents had to endure.
“Take a gamble that love exists and do a loving act” one of my favorite quotes from the game probably gonna get it tatted on me at some point
in a world full of dutch and micah , be an arthur.
Man I just checked your channel out, and how does someone comeback after years of uploading nothing and create a completely different style of video compared to their past content, yet still manage to make one of the best character studies I've ever seen.
This is a really nice comment. The positive reception has inspired me to potentially make a whole channel around videos like this one.
@@TheSnolana That’d be a good idea, your definitely good at it.
This is pretty much what I was gonna say after finishing I figured I'd watch another video essay by you and all I saw was Fallout base videos or something. It really is impressive that this is a first go at something.
@@TheSnolana Yes do more!
@@TheSnolana incredible content. The video came with onion chopping ninjas.
I cried so damn hard at Arthurs death I literally had to take a month long break before playing the epilogue.
bruh i took a 3 year long break before playing my second playthrough, i couldnt go through that pain again
I experienced Arthur's death two weeks ago for the first time!!! I started a new game and playing as him again. This time i will not play the last mission of Arthur!
@@tamilpariyan that’s the way to play it matter of fact don’t even visit Thomas downes that’s the true ending for Arthur
Jesus Christ it is not that sad
2:32 Is my favourite Arthur quote of all time. The way Roger Clark delivers it is just perfect, with the slight over-emphasis on the word 'lady' ... gets me every time
Man this game's voice acting is so good, every other game feels like a classroom drama in comparison
I just finished this game for the first time (I know I am hella late). What a ride. What hit me like a train was the fact that you dont really know Arthur at all untill chapter 6 when I first learned that *Spoiler* he had a child and a wife ever before mary. And the fact that they died just entirely changed my perception of his relationships with Sadie and Mary and Jhon. Especially Jhon. At the beginning I didn't know why he was nagging jhon constantly about leaving. Its because he had done that in the past and paid the ultimate price for it. He still had his best intrest at heart. And the Charlotte side quest. Shes just like him hanging on to something even after all she had (her husband) was gone. That part also beautiful got intertwined with Rains Falls missions. Arthur was a man in much more pain than I imagined. I had my doubts when doing high honour run cause part of me wants to believe in Dutch as I have had but that was the easy way out. and Not Brave. Brave way out is to struggle with all to salvage anything possible of that family Arthur had.
I cant remember how many times I had the flashbacks of the gang singing around the campfire and bantering while doing the last chapter. God damn this is enough to make a grown man cry.
This video is the best I’ve seen in Arthur’s character. Brilliant job, you deserve to have a tonne of views and likes.
Thanks mate, really appreciate that and I’m very glad to see it’s being received so well.
Agree 100%. Wonderful job.. I was glued every minute, every word. Well, done!
Even in a game where every VA performance is immaculate, Roger Clark as Arthur is completely unmatched. You did a great job piecing together his most powerful moments too. Fantastic video
This was recommended to me by chance. Phenomenal exposition, great writing, great edit, and you told a complete story.
Please, please consider making more content like this.
A phenomenal, phenomenal piece.
You took your time and I am grateful. I came back to RDR2 in my PC and I played this on PS4 first time... It's been years when I played the game and now.... I still think about Arthur and the end of his journey... I teared up when I had to go back to the camp.
Arthur is probably my #1 or 2 favorite character from any form of media, alongside Jin from Ghost of Tsushima. His dialogue is literally like reading a book. Watching his development arc was probably one of the most satisfying gaming experiences I've ever had.
i hope they make a movie or tv series from this in the future. i would pay to see it
I played both games at the same time. They are my two favorite protagonists in video game history. I love them so much
Same. I loved writing haikus as Jin. Both games have their good and bad points and both were amazingly immersive. I doubt I’ll get tired of either one.
Same with me. Both are badass.
The stars seemed to align just right when Rockstar put this game together. I was talking to a friend that hadn't played it yet and he said "Everyone who tells me about it all say it's the best game they ever played". He finally finished his first playthrough and said "I get it now".
You can explain Dutch’s actions with a simple quote: “The cup you choose to fill has no bottom…” - Kung Fu Panda 2
Man, I remember seeing the trailer for the 1st time and being so angry that I wasn't gonna be John Marston (obviously the Epilogue was far from known yet) RDR1 was the first game I 100% finished (cept for the glitched fabric for the last uniform) At that point, John Marston was a part of me it felt like, and I wasn't gonna be him in RDR2!! F THAT! I didn't buy the game until 2 years after release. I got a digital copy of Ultimate Edition for like $30 bucks, and still didn't install for almost another year. Yeah, I was super angry still that I wasn't gonna be John Marston. At this time I was heavy into the Borderlands series, well mostly BL2 so it was easy to stay away from RDR2 spoilers. This fella I work with was playing and said to trust him I wasn't gonna be disappointed. So, I was on vacation from work, and on the first night I fired it up, and honestly, I haven't played much else since. Arthur Morgan is a f'n amazing character, goin back and watchin some playthroughs of streamers and u can tell how good Arthur is, almost all the streamers eventually start talkin like him, then sounding like him. I did exact same. Ain't nobody do that for John really. I agree with this video... Arthur Morgan > John Marston and all fictional characters
I was skeptical as well, and was a subject I considered talking about in early drafts for the script for this video, but I still bought it day one, set aside my bias for John and was completely blown away by Arthur (and of course the story as a whole).
@@TheSnolana I still can't believe how freakin good the story is, plus the acting, and the score. The game should still be winning awards to this day. I'm playing rn and I was just fishing. So, I'm walkin back to my horse (I play on 3rd camera view) and a bloody Cardinal kinda jump scared me cuz it almost hit my camera view.
The sounding like him part is super accurate haha, caught myself doing that a few times too when playing the game
Lol no
I have the first red dead redemption and now want the other 2 games now problem is I have a playstation 3 system I had a playstation 4 but my playstation 4 got stolen by a female drug addick but still want the other two games
That was just about one of the best video essays I've ever seen.
My dull brain didn't even think about the character that much when I first played the games. And this is what a video essay should strive to be: add more to the narrative and breakdown characters.
Thank you. After this video I have much more appreciation of the game.
Also good editing. The emotional beats are really well controlled. It aint easy to make a 21st century man feel something but you did.
I am surprised you didn't get more recognition. subscribed, and look forward to more great contents
agreed
Bro good job on the video, he will go down as one of the most legendary character in gaming history.
Without having seen this video I told my friend today that Arthur is the best character in the history of fictional storytelling.
As much as I prefer red dead 1 as a game over red dead 2. I can easily say Arthur Morgan is a perfect protagonist. Unforgettable and incredible.
As a game, older Rockstar titles had more fleshed out or even sophisticated gunplay, combat, movement or balance of systems imo. As a story though, Rockstar outdid themselves than most games out there with RDR2. You can see how it's a culmination of the characterization, commentary on America, and gradual maturation of their storytelling since 2001 and more recently from 2008.
@@themadtitan7603 I think given the fact that rdr2 is huge, very long, laced with countess details, and has incredible graphics, the game's gunplay suffered. They didn't have time to make it better I guess. Even though the game was delayed twice
@@BourbonBandit- There's lots of things they arguably they couldn't or had the time to develop well, down to chunks of the story if you heard about Guarma. Nevertheless, this isn't the first Rockstar title to experience a downgrade in gunplay, we went from Max Payne 3's shooting mechanics which are regarded as some of the best in a 3rd person game to GTA V's a year later.
@@themadtitan7603 You can't make a realistic game with those arcady gun mechanics. RDR online feels completely different and unrealistic because they made it feel much more like GTA.
@@BourbonBandit- I dont know how you can possibly play RDR2 and call the combat engine bad…its one of the best and versatile combat engines Ive seen. The way you can blend the melee combat and shooting in a fight is beautiful. The highly detailed gore, dismemberment, and burn effects combined with the highly realistic NPCs makes a lot of people hesitant to kill people compared to a lot of Rockstar games. Or makes killing them a lot more enjoyable if you have psychopathic tendencies…but either way its a testament to the detail and realism that went into these features.
Arthur to me was that man who realized he’s had a rough life and has made other people’s lifes hard. He’s trying to make what positive change he can with the time he has left. He’s making the mends he feels he needs to do. I related a lot to him when I originally played it but it’s much more deeper now considering my recent life choices and consequences. RIP
Arthur’s change in characterization throughout the course of the game is truly a masterclass in writing. Going from beating a dying man for a couple of bucks to sacrificing himself so someone else can have the chance at a better life is incredible. The only other game character that has impacted me this way is Ezio from Assassin’s Creed, as his arc went from being a carefree party boy to being a quiet, reflective master assassin who is in the last stage of his life. But Ezio’s arc took place over the course of three games, whereas the brilliance of Arthur’s is that it all happened in one game while still making it feel organic and natural. You cared about him as a character and understood his motivations for doing the things he did, and you were proud of him when he decided to start doing the right thing. The goal of any writer is to get the audience to feel something, and when you’ve done that, you know you’ve done your job well. Major kudos to Rockstar for creating this amazing character. Arthur will now be looked at as the gold standard for writing quality characters.
Ezio did have three games dedicated to him and was obviously great, but the playtime as Arthur is probably about the same overall. Rdr2 is just that much bigger in size and has a lot more things to do that take up way more time like hunting for gear. Even if Arthur doesn't say much, he writes everything down. He grows on ya. First playthrough took me 200+h till I started the epilogue (didn't allow myself to use the fast-travelling system)
only issue: the sacrifice is entirely meaningless as rockstar wrote themselves into a corner in order to make sure john escapes regardless of what you do.
The bit that got me the most in this whole game was Arthur saying goodbye and thank you to his horse, that really showed his heart and definitely made me tear up
This game is just more than a masterpiece in my eyes, from every tiny, little, miniscule detail to every interaction with a person. The character of Arthur Morgan made me feel a connection that I never really realized until the very end where I started to shed a few tears at the ending. This is a game that I could play a million times and never get tired of it, all just to get the feeling to play as arthur morgan another time.
By far the best game I’ve ever played. The fact it didn’t win GOTY in 2018 is a joke. I’m replaying it now intentionally doing low honour and it’s so hard to play that way!
God of war is great as well though
@Free Tate Shut up
@Free Tate although RDR2 edges it for me, God of War 2018 was a certified masterpiece. The re invention of God of War and the story arc of Kratos was done so perfectly by Cory Barlog
I've never had the heart to play Arthur with low honour
@@jimspock It’s tough! Although some of the random “antagonise” options are hilarious 😂
Arthure saying : "Im afraid" to sister Calderón and "Im sorry maam" to Arthurs wife are the most genine and soul breaking moments I saw in the entire film and game industry.,
Arthur Morgan dying was the first time I played a video game where I cried. Arthur is such a perfectly complex written character that we can relate to as much as Joel or Kratos. These types of characters is something we like to see because we so much of us in them
Dutch is always the villain. He didn’t just randomly start thinking of that chess move; he just slipped to a point where he could no longer keep his internal dialogue in his head
Arthur's whole conversation with Jimmy Brooks after he pulled him up instead of letting him fall to his death...that conversation sealed the deal for me. He used a gentle voice, diplomacy and wits to intimidate the man. He didn't just bully Brooks, he gave him options and made clear he understood them. He wasn't rude, but intense. All of that was very, very effective and made me understand what kind of man I am dealing with here. I loved Arthur from that very point on.
This story made me cry more than once, not just for Arthur's death, but the whole tragedy, seeing that gang from Horseshoe, who treated each other like family, falling apart in Beaver's Hollow, was heartbreaking specially if you played the first game before... a tragedy. Rdr2 is not just a game, it is a masterpiece of entertainment and storytelling. Loved your takes from the video
on my third playthrough and this video has really helped me view arthur in a new way and i thank you for it. one of the best videos on youtube as of current
This is one of the best dissections of Arthur's arc I've seen. This video deserves to blow up
One of the best written charachters EVER. Shed tons of tears on him, felo lost when he died like never before. His path, the way he chose to go on in life, his growin awareness of a changing world, a world to wich he didn't belong anymore. I'm a gamer since the early '80s and YES, this is the most amazing charachter I've ever play, and I've seen a lot.
The Downe's family questline is such a beautifully told story on my first playthrough i didnt really think much of it, but you keep returning to the Downeses throughout the end of the game and it makes you think about the connections we make with people really can take us on the strangest of paths.
I completed the main story 3 days ago. Ever since then, I have a feeling of grief, a feeling that I’ve only ever felt when one of my family members died. It feels like a pit in my stomach. Knowing that their gone. It’s truly amazing how they designed the character Arthur Morgan so well that Im feeling sad 3 days after he died in game.
I was the same. I literally felt like I was in mourning for a couple days after playing his death scene. It's probably the most difficult death to get over out of any other videogame protagonists because he felt so human
We are on the same boat partner. My days were so gloomy even my wife asked what happened to me. I explained to her what happened but somehow she understood what I felt even though it was only a fictional character. it felt really real.
I finished a few days ago as well, I will admit I did not cry during the ending, but I truly felt devastated and almost in denial that my time with Arthur was over. During the epilogue as much as I loved John I couldn’t help but think about Arthur, especially when greeting random NPCs with different dialogues now. Major props to the developers, for creating a character changing perspectives of people across the world.