History TearJerker / RedDeadRedemption

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/capsadasture_6.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Our time has passed, John..."'']]

* Luisa's death. Sure, it was case of WhatAnIdiot, but watching one of the most decent people in the game die is still tragic. Worst part? [[SenselessSacrifice It was all for nothing.]] She died trying to save a man who didn't give a crap about her and, after rising to power, becomes the same kind of person Luisa had been fighting to overthrow. Even worse than that, Reyes doesn't even remember her ''name'', and without John to remind him, or any other witnesses to the act, her sacrifice will be completely forgotten.

** The game foreshadows it a lot...even if you don't know, you will feel unrested and unhappy with this new life.

* John Marston's death is sad enough as it is, then [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wfNjf1cWRs Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie]] plays during his funeral and...[[ManlyTears I'm sorry, I need a second...]]

* OffscreenInertia: The game takes place over three years. Some of the "Stranger" side-missions are open from the beginning (almost) and can be finished at any time, even after the game is completed. This could mean that guy on the Mexican cliff has to work on his flying machine for a very long time...and that poor Jenny will be withering away alone in the desert '''forever'''.

--->'''Javier:''' [[{{Foreshadowing}} I know that if the situation were reversed...he'd look for me.]]

* After Jack guns down Ross in the last storyline mission, you’d expect him to celebrate or maybe say some spiteful words to the body of the man who killed his father, right? [[VengeanceFeelsEmpty Wrong.]] Jack looks on in silence after killing Ross, then somberly looks down at his father’s gun which he used to kill the man. Silently, Jack realized that he destroyed any potential idealistic future he had by going against his parents’ wishes beyond the grave. Needless to say, he more or less was [[WasItReallyWorthIt confused and broken rather than showing the anger and hatred toward Ross only a minute prior]]. Suffice to say that while Jack killed the man responsible for his family’s demise, he was too late to save any of them. [[WrittenByTheVictors Whereas, Ross goes down as a hero who ended the Van Der Linde gang and striped John of all his victories he gained throughout the game.]] All that was left for Jack was to punish the guilty, after that, [[TheDrifter he aimlessly wanders around the country without a purpose or much reason to live]].

** Even worse is that, should you decide to kill Javier, John will pick up his corpse after shooting him down and carry him to his cell for a moment, weeping ManlyTears of sorrow that he has to bring the corpse to Ross and carry it away by a car as proof in order to claim the bounty. After playing ''II'', it now feels so unfortunate and sad that the man who had been saved by Dutch from starving to death and become a guitarist, who had rebuked Micah Bell for telling him to "fuck off back to Mexico", and who had taught Arthur to catch fish and saved John from a wolf attack, is now dead. AlasPoorVillain, indeed.

** This simple exchange between John and Dutch, which holds so much more weight after the prequel.

* In the mission "And You Will Know The Truth...", as you ride with Ross and Fordham to Dutch's hideout, you quickly find that the US Army have set up a presence in the area and will be accompanying you. Okay, cool, we've got the Army with us, Dutch won't get away this time! But after playing through the game once (or if you had the ending spoiled for you), it's downright painful {{Foreshadowing}}.
** This simple exchange between John and Dutch, which holds so much more weight after the prequel.
--->'''Dutch:''' I got a plan, John.
--->'''John:''' You always got a plan, Dutch.
** Dutch's death itself is a massive TearJerker. You first encounter Dutch expecting a monster, but instead discover a broken TragicVillain who has crossed the DespairEventHorizon. His final words, his own twisted sort of apology to John about everything he’s done and everything that’s happened, followed by his suicide manages to be very poignant despite the horrible things he's done.
--->'''Dutch:''' Our time is passed, John.
** Dutch's appearance. In 1899 he was SharpDressedMan, and in 1907 he - despite his BeardOfSorrow - still looks powerful enough to gain everybody's attention. Here? He wears cheap clothing and seems to be trying to pull off his 1899 look, only to fall flat thanks to his graying hair and famished appearance. As hard as he tries to relive his GloryDays, even he knows they're long gone.

*** Unfortunately, [[VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2 the prequel]] reveals RDR and GTA are set in different universes when Dutch mentions New York instead of what we expected (and hoped) to be Liberty City, which confirms that the J.Marston that wrote Red Dead in GTA V is merely an Easter egg.

* The fact that you can wipe out all the bison. It's far from the saddest thing in the game, but it's kind of depressing gunning down a lone bison and realizing that you've killed them all and that bison, at least in the scope of the game, was the last of its kind.

** Especially sad doing them as Jack Marston. After killing Ross, Jack aimlessly wanders the country and occasionally helps these odd folks out to do something to give himself purpose. Despite all his efforts, they end up dead or failing in their goals. In his attempt to do a good act for people, it all falls apart.

** What’s worse is that with Jack becoming a gunslinger in the end, ''Arthur Morgan’s'' sacrifice was all for nothing. As he spent his last days attempting to get John and his family to go straight. Jack ultimately throws away what Arthur desperately fought so long and hard for, once he becomes a cold-hearted gunslinger.

* Uncle's death in "The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed" can become quite a player punch if you played the game directly after playing the prequel. Despite having ''taken a level in jerkass'', we feel like we know the man by this point. It's like meeting up with an friend... And than watching them get murdered.

* Basically everything about Dutch after playing the Prequel. He's some kinda EmptyShell of the man we once knew. The man he and Hosea raised from childhood is now out to kill or capture him. And he clearly hasn't gotten better, mentally. He is now just another crazed enemy.

* Everything about Dutch after playing the Prequel. He's some kinda EmptyShell of the man we once knew. The man he and Hosea raised from childhood is now out to kill or capture him. And he clearly hasn't gotten better, mentally. He is now just another crazed enemy.

** Dutch's death is itself a bit of TearJerker. You first encounter Dutch expecting a monster, but instead discover a broken TragicVillain who has crossed the DespairEventHorizon. His final words followed by his suicide manages to be very poignant despite the horrible things he's done.
--->'''Dutch:''' Our time has passed, John.

* Uncle's death in "The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed" can become quite a player punch if you played the game directly after playing the prequel, despite having ''taken a level in jerkass'', but by this point, we feel likw we know the man. And we know there's more to him than meets in the eye. But in the end, he gets gunned down right than and there. And he may of been just another death that was in vain after Jack became a gunslinger.
* If you play this after the new one. It's quite sad to hear no mention of ''Arthur Morgan'', since the character didn't yet exist. Though eagle-eyed players might notice that John does seem to carry a similar satchel to the one that Arthur gave to him.

* Uncle's death in "The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed" can become quite a player punch if you played the game directly after playing the prequel, despite having ''taken a level in jerkass'', but by this point, we feel likw we know the man. And we know there's more to him than meets in the eye. But in the end, he gets gunned down right than and there. [[Spoiler:And he may of been just another death that was in vain after Jack became a gunslinger]].

* Uncle's death in "The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed" can become quite a player punch if you played the game directly after playing the prequel, despite having ''taken a level in jerkass'', it's still great to see mister "lumbago" again. Only for us to watch him get violently gunned down and die right there on John's farm.

* Jack's bitter line ''"teach me and your just run away again or something"'' is now sadder when the prequel reveals John ran off for a whole year when Jack was really little. Jaxk's clearly still angry.