Summary
Capcomcontinues to be tight-lipped about its forthcoming plans forResident Evil. 2024 came and went without any big reveals or updates, and this year has been equally quiet so far. Still, there is assuredly moreResident Evilon the way, with many fans hoping the developer will provide more information soon, if not unveil a firm release date, for the next installment. With an air of mystery surrounding the details of the presumed next numbered entry,Resident Evil 9, leaks and rumors have increasingly dogged it. The most prominent among these claims is that it will be open-world, though the studio hasn’t directly commented on this.
Something that is known, though, is thatResident Evil 7director, Koshi Nakanishi, is in charge of the project. Nakanishi is anREveteran, having overseen or majorly contributed toRE5,Mercenaries 3D, andRevelations,among others. His involvement could inform whatRE9might be shaping up to be. And one ofRE7’s DLC modes that branched out to flirt with genre elements outside the series' norms,Ethan Must Die, is a prime candidate to see a return in the next iteration.
Resident Evil Should Revisit RE7’s Ethan Must Die Mode
Ethan Must Die Was an Interesting Experiment for Resident Evil
Resident Evil 7is given a lot of credit for ushering in a new and improved era for the series in 2017 after it was felt to have lost its footing on the survival horror grounds it had reigned over previously.RE7’s rebooted direction saw some big changes and firsts for the franchise, like switching to first-person gameplay. A number ofResident Evil 7’s DLCswere also more experimental. Across Banned Footage Vols. 1 and 2, Capcom delivered modes composed of a bizarre birthday party-themed scenario, an intense escape room, and deadly games of blackjack.
But Ethan Must Die sticks out as a challenging roguelike mini-campaign with a Soulslike feel. Locked on a difficulty beyond Madhouse (the hardest in the base game), the mode tasked fans with surviving remixed sections of the Baker House filled with traps and tough enemy placements while making use of gear that was randomized each run, along with a death recoverymechanic similar to Soulslikes. Ethan Must Die was a cool and fun take onRE7’s core that incorporated other designs in surprising and satisfying ways. And it’s something that the series could look to iterating on and including again.
The name of the mode is a reference toDevil May Cry’s Dante Must Die setting.
How Resident Evil Could Reprise RE7’s Ethan Must Die Mode
One ofResident Evil’s most popular mini-games, Mercenaries, and the somewhat similar Raid mode, are series staples, and it’s likely thatRE9will have something along their lines, either in the base game or as post-launch content. Building on these and combining them with aspects of Ethan Must Die would be a solid starting point to create a new version of it for the next title.RE9could expand the original’s framework into a more robust roguelike with larger, more elaborate sections of areas that are perhaps randomized in the way the items were, along with enemy types and numbers.
Otherrumors suggestResident Evil 9will feature multiple protagonists, and this avenue could pave the way to carry onRE’s use of co-op modes by having one resembling Ethan Must Die that can be played with friends to even the odds. Both possibilities might also allow fans to adjust various settings this time around, such as difficulty, time limits, and score multipliers, to customize runs and unlock related rewards like weapons or alternate outfits, similar to how Mercenaries often offered these. While news aboutResident Evilhopefully picks up soon, Capcom potentially considering reviving and reimagining a mode like Ethan Must Die in the future would be an excellent inclusion for it.
