Rockstar surprised a lot of gamers this week, asRed Dead Onlinegot a fresh drop of missions to revel in. “Titled Strange Tales of the West,” this newRed Dead Onlineupdate brings four missions that all revolve around strange stories based on paranormal and outlandish ideas. It’s a fun change of pace forRed Dead Redemption 2’s multiplayer spin-off, but one particular mission also makes it bittersweet.
The four missions dive into bizarre tales, like an army of robots and a mysterious swamp creature. “Tales of the Plague” is a specific tale, though, that is bound to fill longtimeRed Dead Redemptionfans with excitement. In thisnewRed Dead Onlinemission, players take on a strange plague that has turned the people of Armadillo into zombies. This isn’t the first time the franchise has dabbled in a story based around the undead.Red Dead Redemption’s DLCUndead Nightmarecontinues to be a beloved expansion, and “Tales of the Plague” may be the only chance fans get at a sequel.
A Bold Expansion That Paid Off
When one thinks of the Wild West, zombies are usually the last thing that comes to mind. Thankfully, some of the minds at Rockstar decided thatRDR1’s western setting was missing a healthy dose of the undead. To this day,Undead Nightmareis praised for its inventiveness and willingness to have fun in such a historically-focused universe. Since then, there have been hopes thata secondUndead Nightmarewould be brought forth as an expansion forRDR2, but that day has yet to come.
Red Dead Onlinehas finally introduced a small crumb ofwhatUndead Nightmare 2could look likewith “Tales of the Plague.” Of course, it’s just a singular mission and not a full-blown expansion, but it’s still better than nothing. Zombies wreaking havoc on the Wild West is a thrilling idea that showcases just how much potential the era has for stories beyond outlaws. WithRDR2’s major graphic improvements compared to its predecessor, it would be great to see what the plague-riddled undead may look like with Rockstar’s evolved visuals and mechanics.
That time has now come, and even though it’s just a one-off mission, it can help scratch thatUndead Nightmareitch, at least for the time being.RDR2is no stranger to dabbling in the paranormal, so it’s surprising that the game never got its ownUndead NightmareDLC, but “Tales of the Plague” shows that developers at Rockstar are still interested in playing around with the idea.
The other three missions featured in the Strange Tales of the West update are titled “Strange Tales of Modern Science,” “Strange Tales of the Bayou,” and “Strange Tales of the Wilderness.”
To this day,Undead Nightmareis praised for its inventiveness and willingness to have fun in such a historically-focused universe.
Over the years,Rockstar has shown interest in the zombie genre. The developer was once working on a bleak zombie-filled title known as “Z” that took place on a remote and foggy Scottish island. Unfortunately, the project never made it across the finish line, as its dark themes were deemed too intense. It’s unclear, but this project could have been the seed that helped grow the idea forUndead Nightmare.
As unique of an expansion as it is, it’s a shame that it has become a one-off offering from Rockstar. The developer has demonstrated withUndead NightmareandRed Dead Online’s “Tales of the Plague” mission that it can have a lot of fun with horror elements.Undead Nightmare 2might be a pipe dream, butRed Dead Online’s update is a pleasant surprise.
