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In defense of the Guarma chapter of Red Dead Redemption 2

Theo

Highlights

  • Guarma divides Red Dead Redemption 2 fans due to its pacing and on-rails missions.
  • Despite the criticism, Guarma offers character development and hints at Dutch’s fall from grace.
  • Guarma’s inclusion provides insight into the gang’s isolation and downfall and is a valuable part of the story.



Red Dead Redemption 2 is widely regarded as a masterpiece of gaming. Its story is an emotional rollercoaster that pushed the boundaries of the medium, and the world Rockstar created remains one of the most immersive and lifelike video game worlds to date. However, there is one chapter in the game’s history that continues to divide fans six years later: Guarma.

Fans criticized the fifth chapter of Red Dead Redemption 2The story of breaks the flow of the game. The player is kidnapped to the island after the botched bank robbery in Saint Denis and robbed of their hard-earned gear, weapons, horses and outfits while completing very goal-oriented missions. It’s easy to see how and why most fans will ski through the chapter to get back to the mainland as quickly as possible. But there are gold nuggets hidden in the Guarma chapter and the rest of the game would be worse off without this inclusion.


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Why Guarma is important to the story of Red Dead Redemption 2

The bank robbery in Saint Denis is a crucial turning point in the story. The failed robbery causes the Van Der Linde gang their first major loss with the Pinkertons. The law enforcement officers not only put an end to the robbery; they arrest John and kill Lenny and Hosea, two of the Van Der Linde gang’s moral pillars. The final mission of Chapter Four is a tough one and a lot to process on the first playthrough.

Some would argue that Guarma is a pacing issue, but it’s actually a beautifully paced section of the game. The massive slowdown in chapter five really lets the player absorb and process the events of the previous mission. Rockstar gives the player an entire chapter to pause and pine over the gang’s failure; an entire chapter is devoted to how the once unstoppable Van Der Linde gang came to be so down.


Guarma hints at Dutch’s fall from grace

In story terms, Guarma represents a major turning point in the gang’s fortunes, but is also an excellent example of character building of Dutch’s slow descent into madness. Guarma was the first time Dutch was really and truly cornered. It is in stressful moments like these that people show their true colors, and Dutch did not disappoint. Most disturbing is his immediate desire to get involved in the rebel conflict on the island. He presents it as something positive; that the rebels’ values ​​align with the gang’s and that they have a right to help them. But in reality, he is escalating a conflict he knows little about in order to pursue his own selfish goals, in this case, getting off the island.


Almost immediately after returning to the mainland, Dutch begins his largely one-sided relationship with the Wapiti, which of course ends in tragedy for the tribe. Guarma serves as an ominous foreshadowing of what will become of Dutch in the next chapter and later in the original. Red Dead RedemptionEven though Dutch tries to gloss over his character with noble, idealistic words, he ultimately becomes everything he claimed to hate.

Common arguments against the Guarma missions

In the following runs, the Guarma sections become quite a slog. But chapter five is one of the shortest in Red Dead Redemption 2only surpassed by the tutorial-focused missions in Chapter One. And what’s worse, Chapter Five doesn’t even stay in Guarma very long. Four missions are enough to get you off the island and back to the core of the game, and it takes less than an hour.


From a purely pragmatic point of view, Guarma does not need to be in the game. There are many other instances in the story where the Van Der Linde gang must escape the law, and they do so without leaving the country. But from a narrative/writing perspective, the time spent in Guarma works perfectly to convey the isolation and aimlessness the gang feels after their ultimate downfall begins. red death The series has some of the deepest and best-written characters the medium has to offer, and any time spent with them to gain more insight into their inner worlds and motivations is time well spent.

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