Goblin mode was coined in the late 2000s, but has recently gained traction in online circles this year. Goblin Mode essentially refers to any animal or person who is acting feral, and while this meme and its origin really have no connection to Red Dead Redemption, this one image fits it perfectly.
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Posted by Redditor ultrahobbs, John Marston is crouched over in a way that isn’t quite human, sipping on a beer. It’s hard to recognize this as Marston at first, as the character is bald for some reason. This could’ve been a choice on ultrahobbs’ part or it could be related to the obvious distortion of his body, but the face definitely gives away that it’s John Marston. The way his body is warped is incredibly awkward, the beer just really completes the image, and it’s clear that Marston is in goblin mode here.
Of course, one could argue that the animals in Red Dead Redemption 2 also go goblin mode all the time. One recent clip shows a cougar randomly attacking Marston during the housebuilding scene in Red Dead 2, and while it may not be as hilarious as Marston crouched over like a goblin, it does fit the definition of an animal acting feral. Not to mention, there are plenty of clips of animals just doing wild things in real life and in Red Dead. That’s because of how finely detailed these creatures are.
One can only imagine that, whenever Rockstar moves onto Red Dead Redemption 3 (which, if it were to, would likely be years away from now and well after Rockstar finishes with GTA 6), the game will be just as detailed and alive. Red Dead’s open world really set the bar for other open-world games, and it’s because of fine details like this. Sure, Marston going goblin mode won’t sell the game, but the fact that wild animals can act feral, just like goblin mode, does.
Rockstar recently announced that it was effectively done with Red Dead Online, and it recently posted something on its website to suggest it’s done with GTA 5 too. This can only be to focus more resources on Grand Theft Auto 6, so while that’s still quite some time away, it is progress to an eventual Red Dead threequel hopefully.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
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