Resident Evilfans are currently waiting to see what’s next for Capcom’s survival horror franchise, and every possible direction sounds promising. Leaks have paintedResident Evil 9as the most ambitious title in the series yet, revisiting some classic characters while pushing into a new, more open format. Meanwhile,Resident Evil’s remakes have finished adaptingResident Evil 1through4, so the next remake could tackleRE5,RE0, or evenCODE:Veronica. Thanks to years of accumulated hits,Resident Evilcan afford to take whatever path forward it pleases.
Having no obvious next step has its upsides, but also its downsides.Resident Evil 9, whatever form it takes, feels like an inevitability at this point, but it would theoretically only take it andResident Evil 10to tie up all ofRE’s loose plot threads. Then, there’s the matter ofResident Evil’s remakesnot having much worthwhile ground left to cover after adapting some or all three of the previously proposed trio.Resident Evil’s recent spin-offs haven’t seen much success, so there’s nothing to play off of there, either. It feels likeResident Evilis approaching a point where the only option left is to return to the beginning.
Why A Resident Evil Reboot Is Necessary
Once the current storylines involving Chris Redfield’s anti-bioterrorism operations are concluded, potentially with the rumored return of Albert Wesker happening along the way, theResident Evilfranchise should be free to reboot itself. That may sound drastic, but at this point,Resident Evilhas developed its world, characters, and B.O.W. monsters to the point where they’re simultaneously pushing the franchise to take major risks in developing novel game ideas, while alsobindingResident Evilto its complex history. It’s handled the strain so far, butResident Evil 6has already shown the dangers of letting these traits run unchecked.
Resident Evil Is Going To Show Its Age Soon
Wrapping things up before launching a reboot should helpResident Eviltransition into a new era. The benefits of a full reboot should bring it the rest of the way, asResident Evilhas a lot of baggage to cast off. Synchronizingin-universe years with mainlineResident Evilgames' release dateshas helped fans chart the events of its alternate Earth, but it leaves a lot of gaps in the storytelling, and amongResident Evil’s veterans, only Jill Valentine has an excuse to stay young after three decades. Combine that with the increasingly complex lore and divergent monster concepts, and it’s easy to see how a reset will help.
How Resident Evil Can Reinvent Itself
An Entirely New Take On Resident Evil Can Keep The Series Alive
Coming into the reboot itself, a fresh start forResident Evildoesn’t need to discard its entire mechanical and narrative identity, but a lot of it can go. Unless Capcom has a bold new vision for the franchise, refocusing on the confined location of “Resident Evil” and the straightforward threat of a “Biohazard,” likeResident Evil 7: Biohazardattempted, is the best bet. It can’t just be a carbon copy ofRE1’s Spencer Mansion orRE7’s Baker Estateagain, but following their guidelines shouldn’t lead aResident Evilreboot wrong.
Once thisResident Evilreboot has established its new core, preferably with new characters and a new situation, it can move forward from there. Avoiding direct competition with its old self would be wise, asResident Evil’s best entriesare so iconic and influential that their comparisons could eat a new effort alive. The reboot could take its pick from the old series’ many gameplay styles, and could even justify bringing fixed camera angles back into the AAA space. Future titles would take it from there, slowly building up a new and hopefully promising series under the oldResident Evilbanner.
