Resident Evil 9 is coming, it's just not entirely clear when, or what it will look like. Naturally, there's been no shortage of rumors, leaks, and speculation surrounding this next chapter in the Resident Evil saga, with an open-world structure and a Jill-helmed narrative being among the juiciest tidbits of intel. Indeed, there's a lot of potential for Resident Evil 9 to be a unique and ambitious horror experience, but Capcom might have bigger fish to fry.
Reintroducing Jill, and even other legacy characters like Leon, would be great, and would help bridge the gap between the current RE timeline and the older games, which have become increasingly relevant thanks to remakes. But a crucial, ever-important question remains: what then? What will future Resident Evil games look like after RE9? Leon, Jill, Chris, et al. Are iconic characters, but they can't be the series' leads forever; they would all be in their late forties or fifties in 2025, and even older, if one were to reasonably assume that future Resident Evil games will be set after the Shadows of Rose DLC, which takes place in 2037. Resident Evil's stars may boast elite athleticism, iron-clad willpower, and special-operative combat skills, but even they should probably slow down in their sixties and beyond.
Resident Evil Fans May Have to Reckon With One Big Character Change in the Near Future
Resident Evil has many recognizable characters, but one protagonist may get a big change that would surprise many longtime fans.
Rose Winters Might Be the Best Choice to Lead the Next Generation of Resident Evil
Rose Winters Has the Most Room to Grow, Literally
Some leakers have claimed that Resident Evil 9 will be set four years after the events of Village, which would place rumored protagonists Jill Valentine and Leon Kennedy at ages 50 and 46, respectively. That's pushing it for action-adventure heroes, but it's not totally implausible, nor is it unprecedented. For example, Joel Miller is in that age range in The Last of Us, as is Max Payne in Max Payne 3. But it's likely that Resident Evil will want to pick up where the Shadows of Rose DLC left off at some point.
Whenever this happens, making Rose Winters the series lead would simply make sense. She is sixteen in Shadows of Rose, so it wouldn't be too far-fetched for her to be the de facto Claire Redfield of a new cast, perhaps starring in her own feature-length game while in college, much like the younger Redfield sibling. Plus, since she already has some experience in the field, as it were, she could potentially be the leader of a new Resident Evil generation.
Capcom has stated that the "Winters family saga" is over, but this could be in reference to the Mia-Ethan-Rose plot. It doesn't necessarily mean that Rose herself is totally out of the picture.
Rose's Mold Powers Make Her an Interesting Lead
Due to being the offspring of two Mold-affected parents, Rose is granted various powers based around her ability to manipulate the Mold, and any entity infected with Mold by extension. Shadows of Rose suggests that her powers will only continue to grow as she gets older, so if Capcom were interested in shaking up the RE formula moving forward (something that will need to happen sooner or later), building the future of the series around Rose would be promising indeed.
Rose Wouldn't Need To Be Front-and-Center in Future Resident Evil Games
The biggest problem with Rose as a protagonist is an all-too-common one: she runs the risk of being overpowered. After all, what threat could the Mold pose to players if they are filling the shoes of someone with ultimate control over it? To avoid this issue, perhaps Rose could be something like a mastermind or leader figure, playing a role akin to Charles Xavier of the X-Men and staying away from the action for the most part. This could be facilitated by adverse side effects relating to her mutated genes, which could immobilize her even as her powers over the mold become more potent. This would bottleneck her overpowered abilities while making her a more interesting, complex, and tragic character.
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.
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 16 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
