In Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur Can Swim, Unlike John Marston

Red Dead Redemption 2 is seeking to improve upon the previous game in just about every way, and thankfully, that means one frustration has been fixed up properly. John Marston, like the protagonists of numerous classic GTA games, was a lot of things, but he was no swimmer. The new protagonist, Arthur, is a bit more well-rounded and can actually swim if he needs to.

"Yes, Arthur can swim!" a Rockstar spokesperson told GameSpot. "It's not his preferred method of transport, but he'll do it if he has to."

That should make for a welcome change that opens up the massive world Rockstar is building for RDR2. Bodies of water were a sort of gatekeeping in the original Red Dead Redemption, but if you want to cross one, now you apparently can. It sounds like swimming won't be the fastest or easiest way to get around, so don't trade your spurs for flippers just yet. But it's nonetheless a welcome addition in a game that's clearly seeking to nail all of the small details--and ensuring a body of water is not deadly can only help.

We also recently learned that Arthur Morgan is the singular protagonist of this adventure, as Rockstar won't be reusing the character switching mechanic from Grand Theft Auto 5. For more details on Red Dead Redemption 2, check out everything we saw in our recent hands-on. You can also watch the video above, where we discuss our impressions of the game; we got to play two story missions and some open-world content, so there's a lot to talk about.

Red Dead Redemption 2 News And Details

• Red Dead Redemption 2: We Played It On PS4, Here's Everything We Saw
• Watch: We Played Red Dead Redemption 2
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• Red Dead Redemption 2: Everything We Just Learned
• Like GTA 5, Red Dead Redemption 2 Is Playable In First-Person
• Here Are Red Dead Redemption 2's HUD Options
• Red Dead Redemption 2's Arthur Can Swim, Unlike John Marston
• Here's 27 New Red Dead Redemption 2 Screens
• Red Dead Redemption 2 Will Feature Woody Jackson's Music Again
• Red Dead Redemption 2 Has A Selfie Camera
• Red Dead Redemption 2 Lets You Drift On A Horse
• Red Dead Redemption 2's New Animal-Skinning Animation Is Truly A Sight To Behold
• Red Dead Redemption 2's Online Mode Gets A Beta A Month After Release Day
• Why Red Dead Redemption 2's Online Mode Is Launching After The Main Game
• Rockstar Will Stagger GTA 5 Online And Red Dead Online Update Releases
• Red Dead Online Learns Its Lessons From GTA Online