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Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar Games’ celebrated open-world western, is being transformed into a fully playable creature catching RPG by independent modder Blurbs. Known for his chaotic yet technically impressive mods, Blurbs has reimagined the Van der Linde gang as Gym Leaders and converted the game’s wildlife into catchable combatants, closely mirroring mechanics from the Pokémon franchise while remaining legally distinct.
In his latest YouTube upload, Blurbs showcases the mod’s features, which include a custom battle system, encounter mechanics, and a capture animation inspired by Pokeballs rebranded here as “Arthurballs”. These old-timey tennis-ball-like objects can be hurled at creatures ranging from alligators to skunks, triggering a three-wobble animation that ends with the option to nickname each caught beast.
The mod allows players to build a party system, assigning unique move sets to each animal. Trainer battles function through direct confrontation. Players aim a weapon at an NPC and initiate a head-to-head encounter. Victory allows progression through a hierarchy of Gym Leader battles, each themed around Arthur Morgan’s former allies in the Van der Linde gang.
Over 200 animal species from Red Dead Redemption 2’s ecosystem including elk, turtles, wolves, and turkeys have been adapted into the mod’s creature index. Certain animals act as legendary beasts, offering rare spawns and greater resistance during capture. Blurbs confirms the mod’s OBS dependency, noting it runs best when integrated with streaming software, although offline play is technically possible.
While no official release date has been announced, Blurbs assures followers that he plans to make the mod public after completing further code cleanup. The mod is currently undergoing live testing and gameplay optimization.
Blurbs has a history of high-concept mods, having previously turned Red Dead Redemption 2 into a Super Monkey Ball clone and GTA 5 into a fraud simulation. His latest project may be his most ambitious yet a legally distinct Pokémon experience inside Rockstar’s frontier sandbox.
Fans of both franchises are watching closely as this unexpected mashup develops. If completed, it could redefine how deeply single-player games like Red Dead Redemption 2 can be repurposed through modding into entirely new genres.
