Rockstar has delivered some of the most compelling and unforgettable interactive experiences in gaming. While Grand Theft Auto V may still be the highest-grossing entertainment product of all time, Red Dead Redemption 2 remains the developer's magnum opus. By serving as both a worthy prequel to the first game and the harrowing history of the Van der Linde gang, this action-packed and emotional thrill-ride of a Western still continues to leave fans speechless.

The best proof of this is witnessed in one of the most unexpected divergences in the game's narrative. Though every section may have its own momentous experience, Chapter 5 is itself a mindblowing segue and departure from the ongoing events of Red Dead Redemption 2. Forget Tahiti, Arthur and the boys instead get some much-needed sunshine and a small taste for revolution on an island getaway known as Guarma.

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Following a Saint Denis bank heist gone array and a tropical storm that shipwrecks him off the coast of Cuba, Arthur awakens on an island paradise stranded far, far away from the American midwest. Soon thereafter, he and the surviving Van der Linde gang are thrust into a political revolution on the island, wherein rum and sugar reign supreme. In order to get back to America and rejoin the rest of the gang, Arthur, Dutch, Bill, Javier, and Micah must assist the plantation rebels, led by Hercule Fontaine, in thwarting the Cuban Navy's presence on the island.

This is one of the many examples of what Red Dead does better than GTA V: displaying real-world stakes and consequences that the player must now overcome for the sake of survival. It's also where the true colors of the gang's leader, Dutch Van der Linde, are laid bare in all their darkness. With persistent fear and paranoia gnawing at his soul, in addition to the pressure of leading a gang now spread across the western hemisphere, Dutch must come to grips with the failures he has perpetuated. And, like all sociopaths, he points his finger elsewhere, blaming John Marston for their predicament, which only highlights the true menace lurking within.

One of the most eye-opening conversations occurs on the island, mere moments before Dutch strangles an elderly woman in cold blood. Dutch and Arthur exchange the following words:

"Dutch: I will do whatever it takes for us to survive.

Arthur: I guess that's what I'm afraid of..."

Many argue that the Gurama section is masterful in both a storytelling and gameplay perspective, given that it both surprises the player and perfectly encapsulates Red Dead's main themes: isolation, revolt, and brutal survival. Cut off from the world they know and love, both literally and figuratively, in the form of a dawning new age and on an island in the middle of nowhere, the Van der Linde gang must saddle up to a completely new set of ideals and must fight someone else's war rather than their own.

This heartbreaking change of pace in Red Dead Redemption 2 is also often criticized for its upending of the less-story centric gameplay mechanics, such as horseback riding and hunting. Still, while Chapter 5 may be devoid of the arsenal players had been acquiring long before the shipwreck, it stands testament to the mechanics of pure survival. Chapter 5, akin to John's traversal into Mexico in the original Red Dead Redemption, is not just a change of scenery but a challenge for both the character and the player alike.

While it may have its detractors, Guarma's introduction in Red Dead Redemption 2 is a much-needed escape, one that propels Van der Linde's faults to the forefront of Arthur's attention and also does well by drawing the player free from the western landscape. This middle-ground is the game's punctuation point, the moment in the narrative where every player knew the story wasn't going to end in happily-ever-after. Fontaine's insurrection serves as the perfect parallel to Dutch's inability to adapt to the law-abiding age, and while players may not get to see what eventually happens to the revolutionists, much like the Van der Linde gang itself, they most certainly crumbled under Cuban Naval bombardment.

After all, there are no happy endings on the Red Dead frontier.

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