"Red Dead Redemption 2" mod brings trapping and combat mechanics to Rockstar's western epic

Kim Muntinga

5/2/2026

Translation: machine translated

A mod project by YouTuber "Blurbs" adds a complete creature capture and combat system to "Red Dead Redemption 2". Instead of classic duels, animals now compete against each other in turn-based battles.

In the harsh world of «Red Dead Redemption 2», shootouts, moral decisions and the daily struggle for survival usually set the tone. But modder and YouTuber «Blurbs» is now turning this familiar dynamic completely on its head. Instead of gun duels and outlaw drama, you're suddenly served up a curious but surprisingly well-rounded creature-catching game - complete with battles, capture mechanics and its own retro-style user interface.

«Blurbs», a former software developer and content creator, has made a name for himself creating absurd comedy mods for popular games. His latest project, however, surpasses everything he has done so far: in a 20-minute YouTube video, he documents the entire development process of his «Pokémon»-style mod for the Western epic. The result merges the worlds of Nintendo and Rockstar in a way that no one would have thought possible.

Arthurium balls instead of Pokeballs

The mod replaces the throwing knife in the game with a so-called Arthurball, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the iconic Pokeballs. You can use it to capture the game's wild fauna: Bears, snakes, turtles, dogs, deer and even fish end up in your team. You can name each animal you catch individually.

In his video, «Blurbs» shows, for example, how he catches the legendary elk and the legendary giant alligator, among others. The variety is impressive: from harmless ducks to dangerous lions, the entire animal kingdom of «Red Dead Redemption 2» is at your disposal. That's almost 200 different species.

Fights with unique movesets

But catching alone is not enough. «Blurbs» has implemented a fully-fledged, turn-based battle system that is strongly reminiscent of «Pokémon». You can challenge NPCs by pointing at them. The camera then switches to a «Pokémon»-type battle view in which your captured animals compete against your opponent's creatures.

Each animal has individual attacks and types. The battles play out like in classic «Pokémon» games: only instead of Pikachu and Glutexo, it's a wolf against a duck. The «Blurbs» user interface has also been completely overhauled: There's a party menu for your animals, status indicators during battles and all the features you'd expect from a modern animal battle RPG.

The Van der Linde gang as arena leaders

The opponents are particularly creative: «Blurbs» has converted the entire Van der Linde gang, Arthur Morgan's criminal family in the game, into arena ladders. This gives the mod a real progression. You work your way through well-known characters in the game to become the ultimate animal trainer of the Wild West.

The technical implementation was anything but trivial. In his video, «Blurbs» shows the chaotic development process with all its hurdles. As with any complex mod, the smallest code changes led to absurd bugs and unexpected problems. But it is precisely these moments that make the video so entertaining. «Blurbs» takes its viewers on a journey through the triumphs and frustrations of mod development.

Planned release - but with restrictions

Normally, «Blurbs» does not release its mods to the public. The reason: his creations are technically complex and require several programmes to work together. But this mod has apparently even captured the developer's heart. At the end of his video, «Blurbs» announces that he intends to actually release the mod after cleaning up the code.

However, there is a catch: the mod only works in combination with streaming software. Technically, you can also use it without active streaming. However, the OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) software must be installed on your PC. « Blurbs» has not yet revealed when exactly the mod will be released. Anyone interested should keep an eye on his YouTube channel and social media channels.

Kim Muntinga

Editor

Kim.Muntinga@galaxus.de

My interests are varied, I just like to enjoy life. Always on the lookout for news about darts, gaming, films and series.

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