Prior to Red Dead Redemption 2's release, Kotaku's Heather Alexandra expressed hesitation towards John's return, as his past remaining vague made the first game compelling.[32] Game Informer staff felt that, by the end of Red Dead Redemption 2, John had developed into "the man we knew him to be in the original game: loving, faithful, honorable, and tragically doomed".[33] Dave Meikleham of GamesRadar wrote that Red Dead Redemption 2's climax was effective in explaining John's behavior in the first game.[34] Polygon's Russ Frushtick considered John's story in the game's epilogue to be more motivating than Arthur's as his quest has a direct purpose.[35] Conversely, Paul Tassi of Forbes found John's story less interesting than Arthur's after spending so much time with the latter, partly due to John's lack of character growth.[36] Jess Joho, writing for Mashable, considered Arthur and John to be "practically interchangeable anti-heroes", noting disappointment at the lack of shifting themes between the two.[37] Game Informer's Gwaltney considered Arthur Morgan to be a better protagonist, citing John's lack of growth throughout the game.[38] Some players criticized the game's patches for changing John's character model, considering it a "downgrade" to more closely resemble Arthur's model.[39]