Can I play Red Dead Redemption 2 as a good guy?

So, clearly the backstory of RDR2 is that you're an outlaw. That said, it appears from gameplay videos that there's plenty to do that's neutral and even honorable. But it's also apparent that there are plenty of options for outlaws who don't mind breaking the law and/or slaughtering people to get what they want.

So, is it possible to play RDR2 as a "good guy"? Sure, it may be necessary to hunt down bandits, shoot outlaws, etc. but it is possible to go through the entire story without doing anything like robbing or killing innocent/neutral NPCs?

(and yes, the distinction between the "good guy" and a "morally ambiguous protagonist" may be up for debate. But there are clearly games like GTA where it's easy to recognize you're the anti-hero. Is RDR2 one of those games?)

Solution 1:

Robbing people is an integral part of the game, you can't avoid it. Many main story missions are about various ways of robbing people. For example, you'll be punching people that don't want to give you their money while you're robbing a train. You can play other parts as a good guy and help people, and you can sometimes avoid killing people in main story missions, but you often can't avoid shooting at the law that is trying to stop you.

There is one early story mission in particular that feels out of place when you've been trying to play as more of a good guy:

Rescuing Micah from jail in Strawberry

You get forced into a shootout with dozens of lawmen in the city, there's no alternative. You can't even attempt to play the good guy there.

You can play as honorable in the open world parts of the game, but you can't avoid robbing some people in the story missions.

But despite the fact that you're playing an outlaw and a criminal, over the course of the entire story, for very large parts of the story your character is a comparatively good guy. You're one of the good guys among a bunch of thieves, and this only becomes more pronounced the further you go in the main story.