Summary
- Resident Evil 9 is in development under RE7's director.
- Previously, RE7 and RE Village were parsed down and more intimate stories.
- Resident Evil 9 should look to titles like RE2 and RE3 in incorporating a bigger and bolder story with higher stakes.
After a period of widespread assumptions, Capcom has recently officially announced that the next major installment in Resident Evil is under way. Over the course of the past few years, the developer has continued to produce acclaimed remakes alongside new entries, and it's no surprise that fans have been awaiting word on what the future would hold for RE. Following in the wake of the successful RE4 Remake last year, Resident Evil is now gearing up for its forthcoming mainline entry.
Along with the announcement, it's known that Resident Evil 7's director, Koshi Nakanish, is taking over duties for RE9. This may provide some clues as to the direction that fans might expect it to take. However, both RE7 and its sequel, Village, were less focused on the big picture and told more intimate tales. If the franchise aims to build upon and outdo its predecessors, then, it should look to encompass a much larger and expansive story for Resident Evil 9.
According to a prominent leaker, remakes of Resident Evil 0 and CODE: Veronica are supposedly next in line for release, with RE9 being possibly delayed due to this.
Resident Evil 9's Narrative Needs to Go Big or Go Home
Resident Evil 7 and RE Village Were Smaller Scale Stories
Resident Evil 7 is often pointed to as the turning point for revitalizing interest in the series by returning to its survival horror roots after a string of lesser received action-oriented titles. RE7 brought a few shake-ups, not least of which was the switch to a first-person perspective. It also introduced a completely new protagonist, Ethan Winters, for a tighter narrative. RE7 was largely confined, like Ethan himself, to a single claustrophobic location, and explored Ethan's personal journey to find his missing wife, Mia. While this served well as a horror experience, it was at the end of the day a more limited scope.
Resident Evil Village was more open than RE7 comparatively, honing in on the second chapter of Ethan's journey, while tying a little more into the overall RE lore. Still, it maintained a narrower focus, and even main villain Mother Miranda's motivations were not geared towards world domination or destruction, as was often previously the case. With the Shadows of Rose DLC capping off the Winters' family saga, the stage is set for either more new characters or some of RE's biggest figures to return in a grander storyline.
How Resident Evil 9 Could Greatly Up the Narrative Stakes
With the above being the case, speculation abounds on how Resident Evil 9 intends to move forward. If rumors of Resident Evil 9 being fully open-world turn out to be true, then it opens up a lot of possibilities for the series to pull from its past while heading again into uncharted territory. Part of what made titles like Resident Evil 2 and Nemesis effective was the sense of ticking time bomb dread they contained, and that the viral outbreak would spread uncontrollably, overtaking the entire world if not stopped. This was even explicitly stated in-game, as a nuclear strike was heading towards Raccoon City in both.
Resident Evil 9 could look to RE2 for inspiration then, when it comes to presenting a truly apocalyptic vision for its narrative. By weaving together some existing threads and expanding them outward to encompass another potential global catastrophe, it could bring back and elevate that sense of urgency that was utilized to great effect previously. This could also provide ways to continue to iterate on gameplay, such as having multiple protagonists and scenarios, ala RE2's Leon and Claire paths; showing the nature of the threat from multiple angles on a larger scale as the stakes grow increasingly dire. Such a move could give RE9's story the weight it needs to feel as epic as its expectations currently are, and capture the feeling of the older titles while evolving it for the next generation.
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
