The Resident Evil franchise remains perhaps the biggest in the horror video game market today. Even approaching 30 years following its debut game, Resident Evil continues to find new ways to surprise hardcore fans and newcomers to the genre with each new game. The series has had a particularly successful run over the last few years, with some fantastic new titles and some noteworthy remakes of the franchise’s classics.
Four years after the release of the last new entry in the series, Resident Evil Village, speculation regarding the franchise’s ninth mainline game has reached a fever pitch. Recent reports have indicated that the new game is taking a long time to show itself because it’s set to be a major reinvention for the series. Resident Evil is certainly no stranger to massive reinventions, and the next game’s supposed reinvention has its share of justifications while also raising some questions.
Related
Resident Evil 9 Has a Chance to Turn One RE5 Plot Point on Its Head
Virtually nothing has been revealed about Resident Evil 9 yet, but if some legacy heroes return, it might have the opportunity to subvert RE5’s plot.
Resident Evil 9 Could Be A Huge Changeup
Resident Evil Already Went Through A Reinvention Recently
In one breath, a reinvention for the franchise might seem a bit shocking because the franchise has just recently gone through one. 2017’s Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was the first mainline title to push the franchise into a first-person perspective, while also moving the series back into its horror roots after some more action-focused entries. It would certainly be shocking for publisher Capcom to ditch this reinvented style so soon after bringing it into the series.
Furthermore, said reinvention was partially a response to negative reviews of previous titles, most especially 2012’s Resident Evil 6. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil Village, on the other hand, were both very positively received and players opened up to the game’s switch-up. Thus, beyond the speed with which Capcom would be reinventing the series, it’s shocking to see the publisher go for such a change of pace given that fans have warmed to the IP’s current style.
Resident Evil Is No Stranger To Switch-Ups
With that said, while this reinvention may be coming quickly, perhaps such a reinvention is for the best in that it would keep the franchise from becoming stale. After all, beyond Resident Evil 7, Capcom has been known to switch up Resident Evil’s gameplay a few times before, notably with Resident Evil 4’s turn into more action-based gameplay. Perhaps the publisher simply feels like the story of Ethan Winters is complete and a new story will necessitate a new gameplay style, or that if his story is to continue, the gameplay should offer a new vessel to telling that story.
Also, now would probably be as good a time as any for Capcom to reinvent the series given its strong recent track record. The Resident Evil franchise has been on one of its strongest streaks of critical acclaim since Resident Evil 7, and that success has even rubbed off on Capcom’s other franchises such as Devil May Cry, Street Fighter, and Monster Hunter. Considering how much of a bounceback Capcom has had since its low point around the early-to-mid 2010s, it’s a bit easier to trust the publisher to switch up Resident Evil’s gameplay now than it may have been a decade ago.
While this reinvention may be coming quickly, perhaps such a reinvention is for the best in that it would keep the franchise from becoming stale.
Fans Should Take These Resident Evil Leaks Lightly
As with any video game leak, it’s worth reminding that gamers should take this recent news with a major grain of salt. Even though the leaker of this news in question – AestheticGamer AKA Dusk Golem – has been a reliable Resident Evil leaker, gamers won’t know how correct they are until the proper game is revealed. With that in mind, Capcom has naturally not commented on this rumor, which means fans should wait until the game is ready to make a proper judgment.
Still, if Resident Evil 9 does prove to be a huge switch-up for the series, it would reaffirm Capcom’s ability to take risks with its flagship franchise. Whether the franchise has been in a good place or a bad place, Capcom has proven its willingness to experiment with Resident Evil and ensure the franchise never reaches a point of stagnancy. Here’s hoping Resident Evil 9 continues that and proves itself as a bold entry in the series, regardless of whether it radically changes the gameplay from its predecessor.
Survival Horror
Survival
Horror
- Released
-
May 7, 2021
- ESRB
-
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language