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Before Red Dead Redemption, another Red Dead game laid the foundation for the series’ success — and it’s time for Rockstar to remake it.
Red Dead Redemption is a game series that needs no introduction. Created by the masterminds behind Grand Theft Auto, this Rockstar Games series has gone on to become incredibly successful both critically and commercially. However, the series’ overlooked first entry started things off in a very different direction: the third-person shooter Red Dead Revolver.
Red Dead Revolver differed greatly from the Redemption series in both gameplay and story, focusing more on arcade action and humor. Where Red Dead Redemption prides itself on cinematic storytelling, its predecessor brought Rockstar to the Western genre. Additionally, the game also introduced some key gameplay components that would carry over beautifully into its spiritual successor. For these reasons and more, Red Dead Revolver deserves a shot at its own redemption with a modern remake.
A modern Revolver remake would be a great way to show fans where the series began. The game has an interesting development history, starting out as a Capcom-funded game being developed by the little-known Angel Studios. After Capcom canceled the project, Rockstar acquired Angel Studios, renaming it Rockstar San Diego. Red Dead was given new life, and while it’s quite different from the titles that would follow, the genesis of the Red Dead Redemption series is clear from Revolver‘s story and gameplay.
Much like it did when it took over development of Max Payne from original developer Remedy, Rockstar built off of what Revolver started. Where Max Payne 3 became a Tony-Scott-inspired technically stunning third-person shooter from its Remedy-developed comic book noir roots, Rockstar turned Red Dead into the sprawling cinematic masterpiece it is today.
This can be seen in the “Dead Eye” mechanic, something that carried over from Revolver into Redemption. Dead Eye was introduced in intense duals that players could engage in with various outlaws and villains, with unique mechanics that focused both on timing and accuracy of shots. Players would enter into slow-motion and needed to grab their weapon, draw it, aim and fire with unique controls for each. These duels are among the most memorable features of Revolver and have yet to be recreated in another Western game.
Beyond that, Revolver deserves a remake for all the other drastic ways it differs from its successor. Revolver is a pure action game that prioritizes fun gunslinging battles, even over its revenge narrative. Players take on the role of Red Harlow, a bounty hunter and gunfighter on a quest for revenge after witnessing the death of his family at the hands of criminals. The game features tightly designed levels containing frantic and furious gun battles, which often culminate in a boss fight with an outlaw. Between levels, players could wander the streets of the dusty frontier town of Brimstone and engage with townsfolk or upgrade the massive arsenal of weaponry.
Aside from Red Harlow, Red Dead Revolver also features a handful of additional playable characters who each possess their own unique mechanics, personalities and style. Although the majority of the game focuses on Red’s exploits, players can take control of English trick-shot Jack Swift, plucky rancher Annie Stoakes, Native American Shadow Wolf and more as the story plays out.
Rockstar has shown interest in bringing back its older game, and while the recent Grand Theft Auto remastered trilogy was a technical mess, a competent remake of its first Western could help bring the company back in good graces with players. An solid Red Dead Revolver remake would help illustrate that Rockstar does actually care about its back catalog while breathing new life into an older and underrated game.
Red Dead Revolver is the reason that Red Dead Redemption exists, and although the two games are massively different in tone and scale, it still is important for how it influenced what has come after. There just aren’t many games like Red Dead Revolver, and although Rockstar has clearly taken the series in a mega-successful direction, the arcade fun and lighter tone of Revolver deserves to exist alongside its more cinematic big brother.
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