For Resident Evil, the Future is Puzzling
The past 6 years have been a renaissance for one of gaming’s most respected first families. Resident Evil, rapidly approaching the ripe age of 30, has never been afraid to try something new - even at the cost of criticism and “flanderization” (may we never forget how Chris Redfield bravely fought that boulder). But now, following a stunning finale to the Ethan Winters arc in Resident Evil 8 and the remake of the much beloved Resident Evil 4, the franchise once again finds itself at a crossroads: Where do we see ourselves next?
Resident Evil 7 was made to bring back what made the original series so special - and it succeeded in doing so. But it was also made to address an ever growing concern in the fandom: Capcom had lost their love for horror. But after a period of poorly lit action games that took themselves too seriously, it is at a high once again. Now, how do they continue their path of b-movie horror game redemption?
looking through rose-colored glasses
We are given a glimpse at one potential move in Resident Evil 8’s recent Shadows of Rose DLC. After Resident Evil 8’s promise that “the father’s story was over, but the daughter’s was just beginning,” the community waited with bated breath for the aforementioned expansion which dug into the now teenage daughter of Ethan and Mia Winters, Rosemary. Affected by her time with Miranda, the girl is under heavy surveillance by a “recovering” Umbrella Corporation due to the powers she has developed. This gives the DLC some interesting mechanics. While the DLC is a tedious review of many of RE8’s bosses, it still contains touching moments between a long gone father and the daughter who carries his legacy. Rose already has a built-in conflict of fearing the loss of her identity vs who she was made to be. And it presents a new mechanic of Resident Evil – where the character you control is a weapon too.
Being able to have a rechargeable weapon at all times is something that needs to be toyed with in order to maintain the survival horror essential to this new chapter of the franchise–though it has been done successfully in games like Control. But this mechanic has the capability to be a game changer for the series.
Even if Capcom had no interest in continuing to explore Rose’s relationship to the supposedly reformed Umbrella, there is still much desire to see more of Mia Winters, the ever-sketchy woman entrusted with Eveline (the creation of her anonymous former employer). Not to mention, it seems as Rose has aged, the two have a distant relationship and her daughter primarily relies on Chris as a caretaker. If we have already explored the father-daughter relationship, why not the messiness of the mother-daughter? While it seems that this is the obvious route for Capcom given how many loose threads are leftover in the Winters’ lives, there is still another rabbit hole for the company to follow instead.
Does anyone actually believe they’re gonna remake Resident Evil 5 and 6?
There is no real reason to remake them, besides the fact that this logic has already been ignored with remasters of remasters a la The Last of Us. But 5 and 6 are just… not good games. While I am well aware both games have their defenders, the past decade has not been kind to these games and they’ve aged like milk in light of an updated, FPS, horror-focused direction. They feel closer to a Call of Duty game where Ronald Reagan gives you the Medal of Freedom at the end than Resident Evil. While Resident Evil 6’s greatest sin is being a bland shoot-‘em-up without the personality that makes it Resident Evil, Resident Evil 5 would not be remade under the direction of any sane company due to its outright racism. Ignoring the blah gameplay/story, 5 is literally about a made-up region of West Africa named “Kijuju”, where the native residents are being slaughtered en masse by American soldiers due to a parasite that makes the locals violent monsters. Do we see the problem here?
Considering all of that, both games would need to be fundamentally changed to better fit our modern understanding of politics (much as other RE games have been) and the vision of “horror first” that Capcom has adapted to. This would allow the opportunity to streamline the story past Resident Evil 4, which has become confusing to casual fans due to the various filler games between larger installments. Obviously, these games will always have their diehard fans (myself and the 7-hour lore videos I watch included), but I personally don’t see any reason to protect Resident Evil from change when Capcom already seeks it out eagerly.
Because, not in spite of
In my opinion? I want it to keep changing. Maybe not entirely (I love that they’re once again putting horror and camp at the forefront of Resident Evil), but the willingness to experiment with what scares people is what makes Resident Evil so special. Yes, it’s silly. Leon Kennedy makes quips like 90’s Sonic and one of the most famous enemies wears a fedora and trenchcoat like he’s trying to see an R-rated movie. But the love for the series exists because of these facts, not in spite of them.
I want the snark just as much as I want the horror. I want Leon Kennedy, sure, but I want to see more of what comes after. I want to see a super powered teenage girl with mommy issues be the protagonist of a Resident Evil game because they haven’t done it before. And I want to see Capcom make that scary! While I certainly wouldn’t be upset to see them attempt a foray into a remake of 5 or 6, I don’t want to see them pretend that people were demanding it and then make the same basic action games.
Resident Evil deserves more than just becoming every other horror game on the market. And to avoid that fate, it is adapt or die. Adaptation, however, does not mean rebuilding from the ground up every time. Sometimes it means taking a risk on a faceless man chasing after his dead wife in Louisiana and sometimes it means being willing to challenge players with new gameplay. Yes, it is one of gaming’s most respected franchises, but it only continues to stay that way because Capcom understands an essential element of fear is change. And if that change includes some familial drama and explaining whatever steroids Chris has been using? Then I certainly won’t be too mad.
