Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of Rockstar's most vast and explorable games, and Red Dead Online could stand to add a few of its immersive details.
Despite being out for years, Red Dead Online is still missing a fair amount of features from Red Dead Redemption 2's single-player story. While the basic gameplay mechanics and open-world gameplay are in place, there are several things present in RDR2's story but missing from RDO that would make the multiplayer even better. The open-world is still full of life and detail, but it doesn't have the same level of interaction as the one experienced by Arthur Morgan and John Marston.
Although the Red Dead Redemption series is adored by fans, Red Dead Online has struggled in recent years to maintain support, with the viral #SaveRedDeadOnline fan campaign showing disappointment from the game's player base. While many players do love traversing Rockstar's carefully crafted Western world, it frequently feels like there isn't enough to do. Rockstar could easily fix part of this issue by adding some features from the single-player that have yet to make their way into RDO.
One thing that Red Dead Online lacks is the ability to fully interact with the open world's services. For example, the online protagonist is unable to order meals at saloons the way that Arthur can, and they are also unable to access some other features such as special baths. While they can still use basic shop functions, it seems odd that the online protagonist would be shut off from other services. There are plenty of opportunities to roleplay in Red Dead Online, thanks to its specialist roles, so the inability to eat a bowl of oatmeal at the bar feels like an inexplicable omission. The online protagonist's inability to do a simple task such as this hurts the game's immersion, and gives the saloons less of a purpose.
Another simple thing that the Red Dead Online protagonist is unable to do is rob people at gunpoint. In Red Dead Redemption 2, by pointing a gun at an NPC, Arthur will have the option to rob a given target. Players can still rob civilians in RDO, either by breaking into a property or by incapacitating a target and looting their body and/or corpse, but it's less intuitive than the system seen in the single-player. The Red Dead Online protagonist is able to interact with the world's population via emotes, which makes RDO's lack of RDR2's detailed camp features and interactions less of an issue, but they're still more limited in what they can achieve compared to Arthur or John.
One feature that Red Dead Online does include is random events - moments where players may encounter a character in distress on the roadside, or come under attack by a waiting gang hiding in some nearby trees or rocks - but players have had issues with not receiving as many as they would like. Large lobbies in RDO tend to result in far fewer random encounters spawning, which is especially bothersome when one considers that those encounters would go some way in compensating for RDO's lack of content, and in making the world feel more lived-in. The online protagonist doesn't have Red Dead Redemption's vast storyline to follow, so diversions such as these random encounters are vital to keeping Red Dead Online active and entertaining. The online protagonist needs gangs to fight, riches to rob, and people to save, and random encounters could provide each in spades.
Red Dead Online still has plenty of potential that it has yet to fully reach. The game feels limited in comparison to Red Dead Redemption 2, when it should be able to take that base and grow even further. Rockstar should heed the fanbase's desire for more content and make Red Dead Online a more immersive, fulfilling experience, and it can do that by introducing some of the single-player's more subtle details.
