Summary
- Resident Evil 9 remains shrouded in mystery, with unconfirmed rumors of it being open-world.
- RE7 director Koshi Nakanishi is leading the project, hinting at a return of some of its designs, like the experimental Ethan Must Die mode from the Banned Footage DLC.
- Capcom could combine elements of Mercenaries and Raid modes with a new and reimagined version of Ethan Must Die for the next entry to great effect.
Capcom continues to be tight-lipped about its forthcoming plans for Resident Evil. 2024 came and went without any big reveals or updates, and this year has been equally quiet so far. Still, there is assuredly more Resident Evil on the way, with many fans hoping the developer will provide more information soon, if not unveil a firm release date, for the next installment. With an air of mystery surrounding the details of the presumed next numbered entry, Resident Evil 9, leaks and rumors have increasingly dogged it. The most prominent among these claims is that it will be open-world, though the studio hasn't directly commented on this.
Something that is known, though, is that Resident Evil 7 director, Koshi Nakanishi, is in charge of the project. Nakanishi is an RE veteran, having overseen or majorly contributed to RE5, Mercenaries 3D, and Revelations, among others. His involvement could inform what RE9 might be shaping up to be. And one of RE7's DLC modes that branched out to flirt with genre elements outside the series' norms, Ethan Must Die, is a prime candidate to see a return in the next iteration.
Resident Evil 9 Having RE7 Vibes Would Have One Big Upside
Though Village's action-oriented gameplay proved to be popular, following RE7's footsteps could open the door for the return of a classic feature.
Resident Evil Should Revisit RE7's Ethan Must Die Mode
Ethan Must Die Was an Interesting Experiment for Resident Evil
Resident Evil 7 is given a lot of credit for ushering in a new and improved era for the series in 2017 after it was felt to have lost its footing on the survival horror grounds it had reigned over previously. RE7's rebooted direction saw some big changes and firsts for the franchise, like switching to first-person gameplay. A number of Resident Evil 7's DLCs were also more experimental. Across Banned Footage Vols. 1 and 2, Capcom delivered modes composed of a bizarre birthday party-themed scenario, an intense escape room, and deadly games of blackjack.
But Ethan Must Die sticks out as a challenging roguelike mini-campaign with a Soulslike feel. Locked on a difficulty beyond Madhouse (the hardest in the base game), the mode tasked fans with surviving remixed sections of the Baker House filled with traps and tough enemy placements while making use of gear that was randomized each run, along with a death recovery mechanic similar to Soulslikes. Ethan Must Die was a cool and fun take on RE7's core that incorporated other designs in surprising and satisfying ways. And it's something that the series could look to iterating on and including again.
The name of the mode is a reference to Devil May Cry's Dante Must Die setting.
How Resident Evil Could Reprise RE7's Ethan Must Die Mode
One of Resident Evil's most popular mini-games, Mercenaries, and the somewhat similar Raid mode, are series staples, and it's likely that RE9 will have something along their lines, either in the base game or as post-launch content. Building on these and combining them with aspects of Ethan Must Die would be a solid starting point to create a new version of it for the next title. RE9 could expand the original's framework into a more robust roguelike with larger, more elaborate sections of areas that are perhaps randomized in the way the items were, along with enemy types and numbers.
Other rumors suggest Resident Evil 9 will feature multiple protagonists, and this avenue could pave the way to carry on RE's use of co-op modes by having one resembling Ethan Must Die that can be played with friends to even the odds. Both possibilities might also allow fans to adjust various settings this time around, such as difficulty, time limits, and score multipliers, to customize runs and unlock related rewards like weapons or alternate outfits, similar to how Mercenaries often offered these. While news about Resident Evil hopefully picks up soon, Capcom potentially considering reviving and reimagining a mode like Ethan Must Die in the future would be an excellent inclusion for it.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 86 /100 Critics Rec: 90%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Psychological Horror, First-Person
