Since Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel to Rockstar’s trailblazing original, a lot of the characters players see appearing in both games naturally look younger. However, Reddit user Saltypapers has been using the AI software FaceApp to digitally age up the Van der Linde gang, and the results are both interesting and hilarious.
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The Van der Linde gang, led by Dutch Van der Linde, kickstart a lot of the outlawed action in both Red Dead Redemption games. The rough and tough cast undergo a lot of hardships and live outside the law, so it is naturally unlikely any of them would live to old age. Therefore, this artistic effort gives fans a look at how well the gang suits old age. Player character Arthur Morgan is first to be given the “elder” treatment; the warm face and brown beard that accompanies the 36-year-old hero has been replaced with long and silvery face hair with plenty of textured wrinkles. Such a jarring effect in-game would potentially ruin Arthur’s fearsome status and epic roasts in RDR2, but it makes for an accurate insight into just how Morgan would look in his twilight years
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Digitally aging these characters has caused plenty of people to comment on similarities between other RDR characters. One user noted that an older John Marston looks uncannily like Uncle from Red Dead Redemption 1, leading to discussion about the theory Uncle is John’s father. The Reddit user who posted these images could potentially start another trend of using FaceApp to change video game character appearances, leading to more fan theories being made for RDR2 and perhaps other games series as well.
Some RDR2 characters bear physical similarities to the actors that play them. One example is Benjamin Byron Davis, who looks somewhat similar to the aged up version of Dutch minus the beard. Lenny, Micah, Abigail and Mary Beth are some other named characters who become surprisingly dashing examples even when looking decades older. All distinctions aside, the images on display are an impressive collection that offers a slight insight into how the Van der Linde gang may have ended up had things gone better.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is still viewed by many players as one of the best games of its generation. Artwork from fans is frequently being made and Easter eggs are still being discovered to this day, proving that the game’s legacy is still going strong nearly four years on.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
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