Summary
With a great deal of success and positive praise Capcom has gained sinceResident Evil7and the inception of the RE Engine, its ninth entry may very well be the subject of a profound change. Given the implementation of the first-person perspective in bothResident Evil 7and its sequelResident Evil Village, following the Winters family’s story, it is highly likely for Capcom to introduce a new aspect for their next installment.
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For most fans, the region that needs a more significant improvement is the story, more specifically with the franchise’s main characters many players are accustomed to such as Leon, Chris, Jill, and many more. As bothResident Evil Villageand the recentResident Evil 4 Remakehave made efforts to draw players' attention to their stories and characters more than ever, it would be no surprise tosee the next title follow suit.
5Greater Focus On Main Characters
While many of the establishedResident Evilmain characters have already had the basic details in regard to their backgrounds and backstories revealed in each installment, there have rarely been anyResident Eviltitles that contain a great focus on their experiences in the past that come into play with the main story. With theResident Evil 4 Remake, Capcom was clear to highlight the importance of Leon’s encounters with Krauser and Ada once again, with the dialogue between the characters revealing more lore and information on Leon’s past.
Whilst this is the case, these have only been built up on the back of previous renditions in the instance ofResident Evil 4, specifically withResident Evil 2andResident Evil Darkside Chronicleswhich includesOperation Javier, standing as the backbone of those aforementioned encounters. For a new installment, it would be great to learn more about fan-favorite characters, by introducing never before seen figures who the main characters once knew before the outbreaks.
4Continued Storyline For Each Game
Considering the revitalization of the franchise that has stemmed fromResident Evil 7andVillageas two directly connected titles, Capcom’s next move forResident Evilshould take notes from its predecessors. Aside from the two aforementioned entries, there has yet to be a set of mainline games that maintain the same storyline as a continuation of the last game or the same characters for any form of progression.
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With the format proving to be successful withResident Evil 7andVillagewith Capcom leaving players anticipating what would come next forEthan and Mia, its next installment should very well do the same. If Capcom decides to focus much further on the narrative side of the franchise, this would be the most suitable method, as seen with titles such as Santa Monica Studios’God of Warsplit up into two games.
3Horror Focus
Whilst it is important to mention that theResident Evil 4 Remakehas been an incredible success for Capcom, withsuggestions of it outdoing the original, a variety of fans felt as though it was lacking in the aspect of horror. InResident Evil 7Capcom’s attention to detail in horror was clear to see, with its eerie and quiet atmosphere and first-person perspective, giving players a true feeling of terror in its survival horror experience while still being able to defend themselves.
Given the high levels of requests to see fan-favorite characters return to the franchise’s forefront, it may be very difficult for Capcom to include horror elements that reach the same levels as the 7th installment. This is specifically due to the levels of capability within characters such as Leon S. Kennedy, Chris Redfield, and Jill Valentine, and how this would be juggled with genuine survival horror and the action fans' have become accustomed to. If Capcom could address this, it would certainly benefit the story of the next title.
2Greater Stakes
Speaking of theWinters family saga, both recent mainline brand-new titles managed to allow players to become attached to characters, but while also having some of their lives at stake, particularly Ethan. As the main character of the overarching story, many players may not have expected to witness his demise by the end ofVillage, which was revealed to actually occur at the beginning ofBiohazard, and this created an extended level of suspense across both games.
Although this does not mean one of the beloved main characters of the franchise must die in order to achieve this, Capcom should make it imperative that players feel that there is a lot at stake during story arcs, especially since this is a pivotal part of survival horror.
1Serious/Grounded Tone
When looking at the originalResident Evil 4back in 2005, fans will instantly recognize theB-movie toneand more cheesy dialogue which played the most important part of its success. With the Resident Evil 4 Remake, the change toward a far more serious, and grounded-in-reality tone, led to arguably a betterResident Evilexperience than its original and other entries such as5and6.
In order for Capcom to double down on its stance of keeping the franchise within its back-to-its-roots format, then maintaining the more mature and realistically terrifying journey that characters inResident Evil 4experience, then it will create greater continuity allowing for more directly connected storylines with sequels.
