Summary
Resident Evilhas been at the forefront of the discussion around the survival horror genre in gaming as well as the industry at large for a couple of years at this point, and for good reason. After reshuffling the direction and design of the seminal series following a few lackluster and more poorly received previous titles, particularlyRE5and6, developer Capcom completed a franchise course correction that saw great success, with the most recent release being 2023’sResident Evil 4 remake. The original 2005RE4was itself a landmark title, and Capcom achieved the near-impossible by updating the remake to both stay true to the original’s core tenants while also tweaking some other aspects for a smoother modern gen experience.
Among some of the side activities thatRE4offered was a set of shooting galleries, which also made their way into the remake in reworked versions. These diversions challenged players with a series of timed and score-based scenarios, testing their gunplay, accuracy, and familiarity with various weapons. With another entry almost certainly on the way, and currently expected to beResident Evil 9(if the studio follows its previous pattern of release), Capcom has the opportunity to include more shooting ranges or similar courses in an upcoming title to continue to provide some fun, and sometimes difficult, trials.
Resident Evil 4remake has shipped over 5 million copies since launch, and is currently sitting at a 93 Metacritic score.
Resident Evil 9 Should Keep One of RE4 Remake’s Best Inclusions
Resident Evil 4 Remake’s Shooting Galleries
During the course ofLeon S. Kennedy and Ashley Graham’s adventures inResident Evil 4, players come across its famous cloaked merchant, who at certain spots will offer them the chance to try their hand at various shooting gallery setups. These start out fairly straightforward, but subsequently increase in complexity and difficulty as players unlock more by achieving the target scores within the time limit. This option both allows fans to take a breather and consider testing their skills and perhaps moving outside their comfort zone of preferred weapons and style, trying out some they might not have otherwise.
The ranges also offered tangible rewards beyond bragging rights, as hitting the denoted score tiers granted tokens which could be exchanged forResident Evil 4remake’s charm upgrades for Leon’s Attache Case, providing some extra buffs and bonuses that might assist in some of the tougher spots and encounters duringRE4’s main story. Each course is entirely optional, but does provide a nice aside and some extra assistance for completing, should players choose to engage with them, and adds replay value too.
The Evil Withinseries, directed by formerResident Evillead Shinji Mikami, also included very similar shooting range challenges in its two releases.
Resident Evil 9 Should Include Shooting Ranges of Its Own
PrecedingResident Evil 4remake wasResident Evil Village, and although both titles had other types of side missions,Villagelacked dedicated shooting ranges. This was perhaps a missed opportunity, asREVillage’s merchant, The Duke, was almost as equally quirky and comical asRE4’s ubiquitous mysterious masked weapon monger, (the two were even implied to be good acquaintances) and having him extend players the occasion to tackle shooting gallery challenges would have connected the two in a cool way while also expanding its optional content a bit.
Though there is at present not much information or even confirmation aboutResident Evil 9, fan theories and speculation abound as to where Capcom will take the new entry in terms of plot, characters, and gameplay innovation. WithResident Evil 4remake’s popularity and acclaim, and showing that it can iterate on and refresh one of the orginal’s best items, having the nextREincorporate its own form of shooting range obstacles would be a good way to keep the series' momentum going strong and give players who enjoy these types of challenges one more reason to look forward to the franchise’s future.
