Highlights
- Red Dead Redemption 2 is considered one of the saddest AAA games due to its impact on the Van Der Linde gang, particularly the character Uncle.
- Uncle, despite being lazy and not contributing much, brought humor and a positive atmosphere to the gang, making him an essential member.
- Uncle's experiences with the gang's downfall and loss of friends led to changes in his behavior, such as increased alcohol and tobacco use and a grumpy demeanor in the future.
Red Dead Redemption 2's story was hard on the Van Der Linde gang as a whole, but some of the biggest effects can be seen in the game's resident joker Uncle. There's a strong argument for Red Dead Redemption 2 to be one of the saddest AAA titles to come out of the gaming industry. It's even more surprising when one considers that it came from the same company that came out with the outrageous Grand Theft Auto series, which usually puts satire over sentimentality. Red Dead Redemption 2 lets players get attached to the gang, which makes their endings much sadder.
Uncle was the comedian of Red Dead Redemption 2's Van Der Linde gang. He was lazy, rarely did much of worth, and was more adept at wisecracks than making money for the gang. Despite that, he was still a solid member of the gang, and it's hard to imagine the Van Der Lindes without him. Although they could get annoyed at him for his laziness, Uncle did help to keep the mood up around camp with his upbeat demeanor and comedic personality. He was certainly a better fit than the treacherous Micah, who despite being more competent, ended up being the cause of their demise.
Uncle's Story in RDR2 and Beyond is Remarkably Sad
Uncle may have been a slacker, but compared to what happened to other gang members in RDR2, he got off easy. As early as halfway through the game, the Van Der Lindes started to fall apart as their members began to die at an accelerated rate, and by the final chapter, the gang had succumbed to a combination of distrust and the sheer amount of losses. Younger, fitter outlaws like Lenny and Sean ended up dying young, and friends like Javier and Dutch ended up becoming bitter enemies. Although he survived, it's not hard to imagine the effect those experiences had on Uncle.
The destruction of the Van Der Linde gang had a heavy toll, and a clue can be found in Uncle's beard in Red Dead Redemption. In the first game, Uncle has yellow-brown residue on his beard under his mouth, which can be a sign of frequent smoking or drinking. Of course, both of these were regular habits for the gang, especially during celebrations after a job well done. However, Uncle's beard lacked these stains during Red Dead Redemption 2. This implies that his use of alcohol and tobacco increased in the period between games, during his time living with the Marstons.
Another major change in Uncle is his demeanor. While he was funny and high-spirited in RDR2, by the time of the first game he was grumpy and negative. Despite being low in the Van Der Linde gang's hierarchy in RDR2, Uncle clearly saw them as good friends, and losing almost all of them devastated him, leading to his change in personality. Perhaps his drinking and smoking later in life come from him trying to recall the good times around the campfire, or perhaps he just wants to put his mind on something else. Whatever the situation, Uncle's pain led to his future ill health.
Uncle may not have been cool or tough, but he was a pretty easy character to like in Red Dead Redemption 2, making his eventual fate more painful to witness. He's an old man who survived, while most of RDR2's Van Der Lindes never reached old age. By the end, he had very few pleasures left in life, and it's not hard to imagine how things could have turned out differently if the gang's plans didn't fall apart. Despite the player's efforts in Red Dead Redemption 2, Uncle ends up facing a sad future by the end of it.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.