Wild west romp Red Dead Redemption II makes good on its title with a major thematic focus on redemption and whether its sinful protagonist deserves it. The prequel’s focus on Arthur Morgan does more with the premise with actual consequences from the player’s actions, making Arthur’s titular redemption arc even more poignant. Compared to Red Dead Redemption‘s John Marston, who is consistently courteous and kind to multiple people who do the same for him (regardless of how villainous gamers play him), Arthur Morgan is more morally ambiguous. The game reflects this with the imagery in his dreams of a deer and a wolf, reflecting Arthur’s conscience.
The Honor morality system is a returning mechanic from the first game, where lawful/good actions increase the Honor level and unlawful/bad actions decrease it. Each level of Honor leads to various reactions from NPCs as well as other effects, such as discounts or briberies and lawmen arresting or overlooking a crime.
Unlike the first game, where the Honor effects were mostly superficial, Red Dead Redemption II’s actually have a substantial effect on the story, to the point of giving a player multiple endings depending on their Honor level. Arthur’s dialogue and overall demeanor vary depending on the player’s choices, leading to a different experience for many players.
Throughout the game, Arthur will have dreams in the games’ many cutscenes and loading screens featuring a certain animal depending on his Honor level. If Arthur has high Honor, the player will see a deer — specifically a stag — grazing in a serene forest, symbolizing Arthur’s kindness and compassion despite the intimidatingly sharp antlers. If Arthur has low Honor, the player will instead see a menacing wolf leering against a dark and thunderous landscape, seemingly standing above the corpse of another wolf as it symbolizes the dishonorable Arthur’s descent into savagery in a dog-eat-dog world.
The main story will end with Arthur’s death regardless of the player’s actions, but how he dies depends on the Honor level during the final mission. A High Honor ending will have Arthur die of his illness peacefully as he gazes upon the night sky, while a Low Honor ending will have Micah pathetically shoot Arthur dead like a dog. As Arthur’s ultimate fate depends greatly on the Honor system, the final dream sequence will also change to reflect it. The honorable deer will greet Arthur during his peaceful transition to the afterlife, while the dishonorable wolf stares mockingly at Arthur’s corpse, apparently going to eat it.
It is much harder to gain Honor than in the first game (and conversely, much easier to lose), with much fewer benefits to a dishonorable Arthur than that of a dishonorable John Marston, so the player is encouraged to either be as heroic as possible or prepare themselves for restless outlaw life. Not even the returning Bandana item can hide Arthur’s sins, only hiding Arthur’s identity from eyewitnesses and no longer keeping the Honor level static like in the first game.
The Honor meter cannot be maxed out until around Chapter Six, where Arthur contracts tuberculosis and must spend his last days helping the Marstons find a better life or getting revenge on Micah. During Chapter Six, changes to Arthur’s Honor get a multiplier bonus, meaning a good Arthur can fall from grace even more easily, while a bad Arthur can more quickly attain redemption.
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