Why Arthur Morgan Is The Best Video Game Protagonist Of The Generation
4. Player Choice Vs. The Intended Path
This approach is what leaves Arthur's character feeling so personal and unique to the player despite him following a near-universal authored path through the main story, with only a couple of narrative variations here and there. The incremental way RDR 2 is intended to be played means the experience of living in this world is different for just about every player. Nobody will look the same, nobody will choose to help/not help the same strangers, and nobody will interact with the camp members outside of cutscenes in exactly the same way either.
Though these little gameplay choices might not have the huge narrative ramifications players are used to in role-playing titles - suiting up in Saint Denis to blend in isn't on the same level as, say, saving Ashley or Kaiden in Mass Effect - in a way, they're just as significant. As exciting as it is to make grand story decisions, every outcome is still rigidly controlled by the writers and developers, and will be similar to someone else playing the game. The small choices in Red Dead 2 on the other hand, while lacking major narrative stakes (until the end, anyway), are there specifically to further synergise the experience of both Arthur and the player.
It's not just that customisation options in the game are bloody good, but that they all impact each player's individual understanding of who their Arthur is. There's a reason why, when you see the character in someone else's gameplay footage, he might as well be an alien. Despite starting off the same, each Morgan becomes your own despite, from a narrative perspective anyway, being no different from the million others out there. All of these versions are still Arthur, but they're not your Arthur.
As a result of this, you're encouraged to filter what you think Arthur as you know him would do in any given situation. In this sense, the story beats maintain the same authored finesse as a God of War, while the experience of being Arthur is unique to the individual player and how they've interpreted who he is.