Redman is what I believe to be one of if not the best one-off ARGs ever made. At the time of writing this, the two elements it utilizes is a neocities website functioning as a blog and a youtube video titled "the gmod stream", both mixing in a wonderfully paradoxical manner to construct a rough idea of what's going on in these characters' lives. The events are shown in each respective medium in complementary ways that give unique perspective to the story, one utilizing real time and the other a written reflection, and both showing the redman's effect on the characters. Aside from the main draw of its horror, this ARG prods the psyche and hardships of its characters, wholly introducing them and their struggles - not only providing a reason to care for these characters, but also to show a weakness that their threat may exploit to further spread its influence. This story strikes a particularly painful chord in me, being one that focuses on the strained connection that is inherent to an online friendship, and the intense longing of wanting to truly see the people you talk to day in, day out.
This story manages to combine two elements of horror writing that most find hard to strike a balance with - it utilizes the appeal of late-2000s and early 2010s creepypasta and still manages to be genuinely scary. Its suspenseful and dread-inducing writing always keeps the audience's attention at its height, subtly portraying their mind's deterioration and the virtual realities they find solace in crumbling in on themselves. The writing and acting for both mediums are incredibly natural and feels like a very genuine reaction to what's present in the ARG, making the tried and true creepypasta-esque element of "mysterious and distant entity" out to be a truly terrifying threat as we can really relate to the characters facing it. The way that their personalities morph and change individually display how the redman has affected them each, and how their minds and struggles to process the situation are being manipulated to spread his influence via tapping into their greatest weakness - their strained connections with each other.
The way in which Patty, Jess, and Darkstar's (as well as Crystal and her friend's) relationship is revealed throughout the series is done so without forcing it upon the audience, really feeling like it's slowly being shown to you over the course of a regular twitch stream, or the words of a lone blog post in a sea of others. The most notable interruption of the gmod stream, "redman's lament", first shifts the tone of the series from an unsettling stream to a tragedy that's catalyst has already begun. The mourning of a loss of something that never existed is a painful one, and Elanor Forte's vocalizations, accompanied by the deep distortions of chordophones and pure red visuals of a fallen angel's ritual, portrays a sincere but silent grief among the characters, nearly unspoken in its volume of effect on them. But soon, they will be truly overtaken by the silent promises and sweet beckonings of the redman.
The fates of these people are also written in a very fulfilling way, a bittersweet joy with tinges of both horror and tragedy. There's a truly heartwrenching dramatic irony present in the characters expressing nothing but sincere joy, joy for finally being together after all this time - with the audience knowing just enough of the awful extent to their situation, while still leaving enough for the audience's imagination to run wild. The ending monologue is something that's especially emotional, both in its incredibly heartwarming writing and darker implications of their collective consciousness, tinging its sweetness with a bitter aftertaste:
"On september 16th, I met my best friends for the very first time. We find each other in lines of text, in chatrooms and in guestbooks. We gazed in our reflections in rippling screens, our selves defined only by icon and autobiography. Laying in the data stream, we were enveloped in the warmth of light emmitting diodes. We were messy, flawed and unoptimized, but when we finally connected, I knew we would be encoded into each other's memories forever. For the first time, I saw their faces. And for the first time, we felt love. We know how crushing it feels when there's so much distance between you and I. Just remind yourself that we're all connected by our wires. If you ever feel alone, or, hell, just wanna chat and play some GMod, just message Patty, Jess, or Darkstar. You'll know where to find us."
I genuinely don't see any weaknesses in this ARG. It subverts the expectations of any demographic going into it, either expecting a normal GMod stream or a run-of-the-mill creepypasta, and at its core is a wonderful piece of art expressing the crushing feeling of distance between those you love. If there are any complaints one would have about it, I wouldn't know of any. It's a beautiful thing.