Hints at Gameplay to Come 
Although we actually think that one or two of the scenes shown in the trailer might have been actual in-game footage (the crawling through the burning house scene, for one), there certainly wasn’t any substantial glimpses of tangible gameplay here. Yet there were plenty of clues that lead us to believe several activities and mini-games are likely to crop up.
For starters, there’s no doubt that train robberies are going to play a major role in Red Dead Redemption 2. They’ve featured in every story trailer for the game so far, and here we see a lengthy cutscene in which Dutch holds a train car at ransom presumably before opening fire. There are shorter clips that also feature trains, as well as the robbery of a horse-drawn coach, and a bank heist, too.
Given the extent to which heists have formed GTA Online’s most notable gameplay events in recent years, it seems highly likely that Rockstar is going to have them form the crux of robbery missions in Red Dead Redemption 2. And could it be that if Red Dead does receive an Online mode in a similar fashion that the same loop of having smaller heists tie into a larger final one will also feature here too?
Elsewhere, other trailer scenes showed off horse taming, which leads us to believe that, along with the hunting that was alluded to in a previous trailer, capturing wild horses is another survival mechanic players might undertake. We love the idea of a Breath of the Wild-style setup in which players have a stable and multiple different horses with different stats to ride and level-up.
The more urban scenes showcased a fistfight, in which two opponents were circled by a cheering crowd, which might mean that brawling mini-games are to feature as a side activity. That would hardly be a unique feature in an open-world game – think The Witcher 3, for example – but a Red Dead Fight Club does sound pretty cool to us! Interestingly, the brawl was grouped together with two other melee combat scenes. Is this Rockstar Games trying to convey that striking and takedowns are going to form a new layer to combat in the game?
As for the interior shot of the theater, that might well have just been a snippet from a longer cutscene, or perhaps we’re going to be interacting with entertainment pastimes as a gameplay activity? We can’t help but see a Hitman-esque assassination scenario forming a main or side quest!
Finally, it’s become increasingly evident that the game’s plot features several characters central to its progression. Notably, this time it’s confirmed that John Marston – the protagonist from the first game – will certainly make an appearance. We also see a mysterious new female character that we’re given a pretty decent look at. Could all this allude to multiple playable protagonists in the game? Possibly, even, a female character – which would be a first for a Rockstar Game.
What did you think of the latest Red Dead Redemption 2 story trailer, and did you draw any other takeaways with respect to gameplay that we’ve missed here? Let us know in the comments below.
