The Resident Evil franchise, despite its ubiquity, is surrounded by question marks. The last mainline, non-remake entry came in 2021, when players experienced the end of the Ethan Winters saga in Resident Evil Village. When Resident Evil 9 rolls around, it will be tasked with establishing the next chapter in the narrative, which is a tall order.
After a brief hiatus following the bloated and confused Resident Evil 6, Capcom’s iconic series made its triumphant return with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, which took it back to its atmospheric survival horror roots. Aside from a change to a first-person perspective, the greatest departure that RE7 made from series’ tradition was the introduction of everyman Ethan Winters, a character decidedly less competent than the likes of Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy. But while Ethan had a good run, and his relative vulnerability helped Resident Evil rediscover its identity, Resident Evil 9 will probably reintegrate some older heroes now that he's out of the picture. Assuming this happens, a measured, restrained approach might be for the best.
It's always possible that Capcom will introduce yet another new protagonist in RE9, but considering how lukewarm the reception to Ethan has been, and how much more visibility classic characters like Jill and Leon have gained thanks to remakes, this seems somewhat unlikely.
Resident Evil 9 Should Take Things One Step at a Time
If Capcom plans to reintroduce legacy characters like Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, or Leon Kennedy, a conservative style of storytelling should be employed. That is to say, the developer should try to avoid the mistakes of Resident Evil 6, which was criticized for, among other things, having too many main characters. It would make sense for fans to want updates on several central RE heroes at once—the current status of virtually every main character aside from Chris is unknown—but this could easily backfire.
Resident Evil has a long history of featuring multiple playable characters, so while there's precedent for a story that stars, say, Leon and Jill simultaneously, such a game could be narratively cumbersome. The fact is, there's going to be a lot of ground to cover if one of these older characters were to be reprised in RE9, so splitting the spotlight between two or more of them could lead to diminishing returns. A single game might not have the bandwidth to tell a compelling and satisfying story about several of these older characters, each of whom deserves careful attention, assuming the goal is to tell a complete narrative.
Which Resident Evil Legacy Character Should Resident Evil 9 Focus On?
Of course, showing restraint in the writing department necessarily means making some sacrifices with RE9. There's been a lot of discussion about which legacy character should come back, with some of the most promising candidates being:
- Jill Valentine
- Leon Kennedy
- Rebecca Chambers
- Claire Redfield
These characters played important roles in pre-2017 Resident Evil, but none of them have made a canon appearance since the Death Island animated film in 2023, though whether the movie is actually canon is hotly debated by fans. With all of these characters approaching middle-age, there could be a wealth of opportunity for intimate explorations of their psychology, as Resident Evil 9 could delve into the toll that so many years of bio-warfare have taken on their mental states, and how they've matured since their last appearances.
Jill and Leon are arguably the front-runners, though, since they have both been positioned near the center of the broader Resident Evil universe over the course of several entries. Fans already have a solid understanding of what Chris has been up to thanks to his supporting roles in RE7 and RE Village, so perhaps he could crop up again in this capacity. But if any of these other legacy characters are coming back, they deserve to take center stage.
Resident Evil 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 98%
- Released
- March 24, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Publisher(s)
- Capcom
- Engine
- RE Engine
- Franchise
- Resident Evil
WHERE TO PLAY
Survival is just the beginning.
Six years have passed since the biological disaster in Raccoon City.
Agent Leon S. Kennedy, one of the survivors of the incident, has been sent to rescue the president's kidnapped daughter. He tracks her to a secluded European village, where there is something terribly wrong with the locals.
And the curtain rises on this story of daring rescue and grueling horror where life and death, terror and catharsis intersect.
Featuring modernized gameplay, a reimagined storyline, and vividly detailed graphics, Resident Evil 4 marks the rebirth of an industry juggernaut.
Relive the nightmare that revolutionized survival horror.
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- How Long To Beat
- 16 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
