Summary
2024 was relatively quiet forResident Evil,at least in terms of official information coming from developer Capcom. Last year sawResident Evilfans receive a less-than-desired or expected number of updates about forthcoming plans for the franchise. While it’s long been assumed the ninth numbered entry would be arriving after 2023’sRE4 Remake, rumors and leaks have since been swirling around the series regarding other possible projects. AlongsideRE9, remakes ofRE5,RE0, andCode Veronicaare all reportedly in the pipeline according to prominent figures, though Capcom has yet to comment on any of these.
Still, much attention remains on the next mainline title, which has only been fueled by onemajor rumor claiming thatResident Evil 9will be open-world. And as players eagerly anticipate what the next installment might have in store, if this direction turns out to be true, Capcom would need to approach one staple of open-world design it might include cautiously: fast travel.
Otherrumors point to Leon Kennedy and Jill Valentine returning as protagonists inRE9.
Resident Evil 9’s Open-World Rumors Raise the Question of Fast travel
Resident Evil 9 Potentially Being Open-World Creates Both Challenges and Opportunities for Fast Travel
IfResident Evil 9is finally embracing an open-world, it opens the door to some significant considerations. The prospect has already proven divisive among fans even as it has not been outright confirmed or denied by the developer. Fast travel has long been a standard feature of open-world titles, but inRE’s case, shifting to this direction for the first time presents more of a balancing act to implement.
Much ofRE’s intensity and fear derive from its smaller claustrophobic environments, and an open or even semi-open world puts this at risk, especially if players are given the ability to quickly and easily traverse it. GivenResident Evil’s sensibilities and the important feeling of constant tension as players navigate areas, this would need to be upheld.
Fast travel would also impact the backtracking and related aspects that arecore parts of theResident Evilexperience. Acquiring key items and solving puzzles needed to progress, or that unlock certain shortcuts, could be undercut by the inclusion of fast travel. However, there are a few ways that Capcom can take cues from previous entries while iterating on them to have fast travel inRE9without disrupting other elements.
How Resident Evil 9 Could Integrate Fast Travel
Resident Evil 4andVillagehave some of the largest interconnected levels in the series, but neither are strictly open-world by most definitions. Depending on the actual size of its map,RE9may be similarly just big enough to not necessitate a fast travel system. ButCapcom’s increasing use of the RE Enginefor its other properties, particularly ones that are more open-world themselves, could be a clue that adds stock to the aforementioned rumors, and broadly inform howREmight follow suit.
Capcom could compromise by requiring players to spend specific limited and/or valuable resources to access a fast travel system. This would play intoResident Evil’s ingrained item management, and offer a meaningful choice between conservation and convenience. And if it also has dual protagonists, it could call back to its history and translate into an expanded system similar to the originalRE2,where one character opens additional paths or unlocks travel points that the other can later make use of.
Other options would be to have fast travel obtainable only after a certain point much later in the story, so that the bulk of the experience remains traditionally constrained. Fast travel might also be tied to difficulty settings, with harder ones disabling it, or having achievements and rewards attached for forgoing it even if available across all levels. In any case,ifResident Evil 9aims to maintain the series' classic feeland keep the fear intact while being an open-world that includes fast travel, Capcom has some good ways to do so, so long as it smartly incorporates them.
