The western genre is filled with both comedy and tragedy, andRed Dead Onlineand the Coen Brothers anthology filmThe Ballad of Buster Scruggsexemplify this. One fan of Buster Scruggs decided to recreate the singing cowboy inRed Dead Online, adding him to the many characters from other properties remade inRed Dead Redemption 2.
Buster Scruggs doesn’t seem to be as difficult to recreate inRed Dead Online’s character customization as, say,Geralt of Rivia fromThe Witcher. As a fellow western character, he fits right into the game’s world, though his presentation as a straight-laced young gun does make him stand out a bit againstRed Dead Redemption 2’s gritty aesthetic.
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In the titular vignette ofThe Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Buster Scruggs is introduced as a young cowboy with a guitar and an incredibly fast draw. He performs a series of increasingly impossible gunslinging feats before being shot and killed by another young singing cowboy with an even faster draw. The moral of the story, delivered by Buster himself in the moments before he falls, is that nobody can be the best forever–a theme that many appear to feel is in line with theRed Dead Redemptionseries. Redditor OldThompson1928 was able to capture just about every aspect of Buster Scruggs except the cheery attitude.Red Dead Onlinecan capture Homer Simpson’s bumbling laziness but apparently has trouble with chipper cowboys.
The Redditor was able to find exactly the right off-white shirt and hat, brown pants, and pointy-toed brown shoes, but could not find a way to get a screenshot of the character playing the guitar while he rode. The white horse also lacks the pink nose of Buster Scruggs' very real white horse and uses slightly different tack. Both pictures are set in the desert, but while Buster Scruggs is shown riding through sand and bare earth, theRed Dead Onlinescreenshot is filled with scrubland and cacti. Despite these small imperfections, the recreation of Buster Scruggs is incredibly film-accurate and would fit right in on the list ofRed Dead Online’s most impressive character creations.
This image has been warmly received by fans, many of whom immediately began discussing the thematic similarities between Arthur Morgan and Buster Scruggs. One poster expressed a wish that the Coen Brothers would make a movie entirely dedicated to Buster Scruggs, while another said that Buster Scruggs should have been an NPC inRed Dead Redemption 2. It would be interesting to see such a cheerful and comedic character in the game. One wonders if Buster Scruggs would be one of theNPCs that fight griefers inRed Dead Online.
Red Dead Onlineis available right now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
