One of my favorite things about Red Dead Redemption 2 is the slow but deliberate nature of its gameplay. Rockstar knew it wanted to create a nuanced depiction of the last days of the dying Wild West in which you play a character who actually lived through this decadent era.
Every move Arthur Morgan makes, whether he's pulling a gun from his horse, opening the door to a local saloon, or plunging his knife into a bandit's throat, is felt by the player. This is part of the experience that turned many people off because, despite how immersive it feels to those willing to give it a chance, it's undeniably finicky and a far cry from GTA 5 and its more arcade-inspired gameplay mechanics.
Red Dead Redemption 2 isn't just about causing chaos; It's about feeling like you're in a living, breathing world where you're free to throw your horse in front of a moving train full of dynamite.
This brings me to the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 and what balance it will strike for both gameplay and storytelling. RDR2 seemed like a point of no return in some respects, such as the weight it applied to both movement and gunplay and a more serious, tragic story that found ways to more naturally imbue humor into its writing, rather than making fun of itself.
We've been through two Trump presidencies since the release of GTA 5, and many people are questioning whether it's better for the series to abandon its blatant satire in favor of a compelling character drama where such levity only exists on the periphery. So, how realistic do we want GTA 6 to be, and should it follow directly in the footsteps of its skilled cowboy predecessor?
How realistic is the world of GTA 6 going to be?
Although it is set to launch in November, we haven't actually seen any concrete gameplay footage of GTA 6. I'm sure some of the footage from the two existing trailers will be carried over from the missions we'll eventually play, and I can't wait to see players recreate the trailers themselves after the game is over. But when it comes to its moment-to-moment gameplay, we haven't seen anything.
My guess is that we're constantly switching between the perspectives of Jason Duvall and Lucia Caminos in the early hours of the story before finally gaining the ability to shift between them at will — much like we can with Michael, Trevor, and Franklin.
It would be great to know what unique gameplay mechanics they have and how moving through the open world will be different depending on who we play as. Will Lucia be treated differently because she is a city woman defined by drugs, sex, and excess; And would the opposite be true of Jason because he embodies what many would see as the ideal vision of masculinity?
There's the expanding nature of storefronts and how we interact with them in the world. Can we just loot them like last time, or will more options and permutations be available? There is a lot of potential for expansion here.
Both of these can factor into the realism of the gameplay, especially if they expand on some of the unique NPC interaction mechanics found in RDR 2. Can we press shoulder buttons to communicate with every NPC in the world, and do little things to unnerve them resulting in an awkward punch-up?
Only time will tell, but expanding on this system in GTA 6 feels like a natural way to take realism to the next level without actually going overboard. A lot of people felt like the NPCs in GTA 5 were a step back from the fourth entry, so this could bridge the gap and then some.
Ok, but what about the gameplay?
The hype for GTA 6 has been so intense that I've seen countless Reddit threads about how Rockstar is going to change what it means to be a video game. Do Jason and Lucia have to manually refuel their cars at gas stations or make sure they eat and drink enough to avoid meeting an early grave, and do we have to manually decorate our new vehicles and apartments instead of choosing from a menu of options?
I can understand the desire for this level of realism, but if you go too far into that distraction, you'll be greeted with loads of tedium and not much else. What if you decide to get a tattoo? Will it last for your entire game, and will the hair grow naturally like Arthur's? I have many questions.
RDR 2 was very special because it struck a perfect balance between realism and freedom in its gameplay. Most of the actions you take are basic and deliberate, but with the right amount of creativity, you can still get some really funny shenanigans or use the physics system to your advantage.
I wish the same were true in GTA 6, because it wouldn't be a Rockstar game if you couldn't hit the streets with an arsenal of weapons and slowly earn five-star desirable levels. But this potential for chaos is balanced with mechanics as well as a realistic story that makes every action you take feel like it belongs in the world.
I am also curious how the weather system will operate in GTA 6. It's set within a fantasy version of Florida, with plenty of potential for extreme sunshine, tropical storms, and everything in between. It should affect how it feels to go around the world.
If you ask me, I'd love for GTA 6 to expand on Red Dead Redemption 2's heavy movement and NPC interactions, but not leave behind its heart and soul in the process. I want a deeper and more comprehensive story, but I want to lose myself in its world, whether I walk its entire terrain in one session or commit so many mass murders that the troops are called in to stop me.
This is undoubtedly going to be the most realistic Grand Theft Auto yet, and I'm very excited to see if this approach works in its favor or makes me long for the simplistic nature of the earlier classics.
