Rockstar games are storytelling masterminds, and they showcase their skills not only in themain storyline of their video games, but also in the smaller side missions and stranger requests that are a good way to take a break from the lengthy main story.
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The originalRed Dead Redemptionhas some of the most memorable side quests that are arguably more nerve-wracking than the ones in the sequel. Here are seven side missions that every player should experience during their playthrough.
This list contains spoilers for some of the best side missions in Red Dead Redemption.
7Lights, Camera, Action
An Unexpectedly Comical Mission in an Otherwise Somber Game
The eccentric filmmaker MacKenna enlists John’s help to bring his vision of a Western film to life. This mission sees John assisting MacKenna with various ridiculous tasks, including finding actors for the film, handling unexpected lawmen interference, and even taking on dangerous wildlife for the sake of the film’s authenticity.
MacKenna’s overzealous enthusiasm and lack of practical experience provide much-needed comic relief for the players from the more intense narrative moments of the main story. Plus, the over-the-top humor in a game as grim as Red Dead Redemption helps make this mission stand out from the rest.
6American Appetites
Everything is Food if You’re Brave Enough or Desperate Enough
Starting in Armadillo and ending with a horrifying revelation, this mission depicts how far people are willing to go when faced with extreme hunger and the hard living conditions of the wild west. The mission starts with John helping the local sheriff investigate the sudden disappearance of some townsfolk. As he dives into the case, he hears disturbing reports of people vanishing near the outskirts, only for rumors to start circulating about cannibals lurking in the wilderness.
Eventually, players find a terrified man who confesses to having resorted to cannibalism after being left stranded without any food. This is in stark contrast to the typical Old West that people usually fantasize about in movies.
5The Birth Of The Conservation Movement
Killing an Entire Species
The side quests in Red Dead Redemption are no walk in the park, delving into topics that are truly heart-breaking and will leave the players questioning their morals and what’s right and wrong in this world. In “The Birth of the Conservation Movement," a side quest in thegame’s DLC, Undead Nightmare, John is greeted by an old man rambling about Baby-eating Sasquatches in the Tall Trees.
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What begins as a simple mission where players think they’re doing the right thing by killing Sasquatches that don’t fight back ends in a revelation that sends them spiraling in a whirlpool of regret. The last remaining Sasquatch tells John that their kind is an herbivore and that they haven’t hurt a single hair on any human’s head. He then begs John to kill him too since all of his kind have already been killed, leaving the player truly devastated.
4Flowers For A Lady
An Unexpected Surprise at the End
Players who find an elderly man called Billy who requests them to collect some wildflowers for him, which he wants to give to his wife, should be prepared for one of the strongest curveballs in the entire game.
As John proceeds to fulfill Billy’s request, the complete picture slowly starts to get painted until it’s revealed that Billy’s wife has been long dead, and he’s been refusing to let go of her memory, choosing to live in a delusional state.
3Remember My Family
Closure To John’s Story
This side quest is powerful not only for itsemotional depthbut also for how it shifts the theme of redemption across generations. Jack, once an innocent child, now mirrors his father’s journey, closing the story in a way that reflects the cycle of violence in the Marston family.
Accessible only after the main game’s epilogue, this mission places players in the role of Jack Marston, John’s now-grown son, as he tracks down Edgar Ross, the government agent responsible for his father’s tragic death. Providing a much-needed closure to the Marston family’s story, this mission should be missed by no player.
2I Know You
The Most Cryptic Side Mission in the Game
Arguably the weirdest side quest in the entire game that will leave players with more questions than answers, “I Know You” spans multiple parts and is about a strange man who asks John some questions. These questions, however, aren’t straightforward; initially, they are probing John about his past, his life choice and morals. Eventually, these questions get extremely personal to the point that it seems like the man knows about John’s past, and surprisingly, the future too.
Nothing is revealed about this man and even to this day, players toss speculations to explain who this person was, or if he was just a figment of John’s imagination.
1California
Dreams Shattered
“California” is yet another heartbreaking side quest that players should brace themselves before starting. It’s a beautifully-captured tale of shattered hopes in the face of the hardships of the unforgiving West.
John meets Sam Odessa, an optimistic man with the dream of settling in California, a place where fortunes and new beginnings are promised. Over the four encounters the player has with this man full of ambition, each time Sam’s physical and mental condition worsens, eventually to the point that he almost gives up pursuing his dream. In his final moments, Sam is delirious, unable to recognize reality from his feverish dreams of gold, perfectly capturing the sad reality of how many people hoped for a better future, but in return, they only got broken dreams and hardships.
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