As I navigated the vibrant streets of New York City in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, effortlessly switching between Peter Parker and Miles Morales, a thought lingered: why haven’t more video games adopted the character-swapping mechanic pioneered by Grand Theft Auto V? Released on PS5 towards the end of 2023 and making its way to Steam in early 2024, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has certainly made waves. In contrast, GTA V embarked on its own journey from console to desktop a decade earlier.
The initial experience of switching between Michael, Franklin, or Trevor in GTA V was nothing short of exhilarating. The camera would gracefully ascend, offering a bird’s-eye view before seamlessly transitioning back to ground level, placing you in control of a different character entirely. This innovative mechanic was first uncovered by a user named Silent on GTA Forums in 2012. Recently, modder Kaizo has taken it a step further with his project, Real Multiple Protagonists, which fully realizes this concept using Rockstar’s original source code.
Kaizo elaborates on the origins of this mechanic, noting that while GTA: San Andreas featured a native two-player mode allowing character switching, it required deep dives into the code to unlock its full potential. “To clarify, this isn’t some trick on my part; the mechanic for assigning CJ’s priorities to another player entity is already present in Rockstar’s code but was never utilized,” he explains.
Here we go again, again
GTA: San Andreas, which launched during the PS2/Xbox era, was already pushing the limits of its hardware. Introducing another playable protagonist alongside real-time character switching proved to be an ambitious feat. Kaizo’s project offers a glimpse into what could have been, showcasing impressive advancements despite the game’s age. However, he notes, “Unfortunately, there is no mission code—and there never will be,” as Real Multiple Protagonists is designed solely for free roam mode.
Kaizo’s mod draws inspiration from GTA V’s aerial transition, which he successfully replicated using draw distance mods. “Without those mods, you’d just see a ‘blue blob’ of sky during the switch,” he adds. The journey to create Real Multiple Protagonists began with another mod, 2 Player Deluxe, which aimed to remove limitations from San Andreas’ co-op mode. A serendipitous discovery led Kaizo to the character-switching mechanic, which he initially thought was broken but later embraced as a foundation for his new project.
Despite the technical challenges, Kaizo found joy in the process of bringing Real Multiple Protagonists to life. He meticulously recreated each behavior of the new playable character, describing the experience as “really satisfying.” However, he concedes that the camera transition posed significant hurdles. “San Andreas doesn’t have a native way to tilt the camera downward while dynamically moving in a direction,” he notes, reflecting on the complexities even Rockstar faced in their own sequences.
One of the most time-consuming aspects was developing the UI, particularly the wheel menu inspired by GTA V. Kaizo employed an ‘image masking’ technique to keep the PNGs within the circular frame, a task that, while seemingly simple, took weeks to perfect. Even after the mod’s release, he continued to refine it with updates.
Interestingly, Kaizo’s work has introduced a new audience to San Andreas’ native two-player mode, garnering positive feedback from both long-time fans and newcomers alike. This phenomenon underscores the power of modding and the lasting appeal of Rockstar’s 2004 classic. Kaizo reflects on this, stating, “Modders show more care than Rockstar, who often rely on nostalgia. San Andreas still has immense potential, even today. New mods keep it alive and fresh. For me, it’s fun to add things nobody thought possible in San Andreas—a game that will always remain relevant, much like Mario 64. It struck the perfect balance of content, freedom, and accessibility that newer games struggle to replicate.”
