A new Resident Evil game isn’t coming out this year but that doesn’t mean that people have stopped talking about it.
Riding on the critically acclaimed and commercially successful coattails of its two most predecessors, Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 4, speculation about the potential direction of the new installment grows everyday.
Several theories have emerged about everything related to the next Resident Evil, from how Capcom will incorporate roman numerals into the title or how much of a role Chris Redfield will play in it, or perhaps them.
Capcom has remained silent about Resident Evil 9 but an older report claims Village was the middle part of a new trilogy that started with Resident Evil 7 – widely considered a turning point for the franchise. Between this and the ending of Village suggesting a direct continuation, we can only presume Chris Redfield will, once again, be involved in it.
The newest mainline Resident Evil game concludes dramatically with Ethan Winters and his heroic sacrifice so his wife and daughter, Mia and Rose, may live. Its only expansion, Shadows of Rose, introduced us to a much older Rose whose unique abilities introduced new gameplay mechanics and story elements. But that also takes care of a hypothetical scenario where the next Resident Evil game will take place far off into the future. Thus, what may happen is Resident Evil 9 will continue Chris Redfield’s investigation into the BSAA, exploring existing narrative threads while uncovering newer ones.
The more interesting part is Dusk Golem’s most recent revelations about what Capcom’s plans are going forward. According to the foremost survival horror leaker, Capcom is sitting on at least five Resident Evil titles.
If we assume Resident Evil 9 is part of that quintuplet and at least one other remake is on the horizon, Chris Redfield could potentially be the star of two straight Resident Evil entries: the next mainline Resident Evil game and a remake of Resident Evil 5.
While these are merely speculation, most fans would love to see the series’ original pair of protagonists team up again. With Jill Valentine back to normal, she could give Chris a hand in Resident Evil 9 as they explore the BSAA. But if it does happen, we’re hoping for more survival horror elements. A hint of psychological horror wouldn’t hurt either. Chris and his experiences over the years make for a story filled with trauma and struggle. Delving deep into this could offer a fresh perspective on his resilience and humanity.
Finally, there’s the question of whether Resident Evil 9 should bring back the same first-person view used in recent mainline entries or go with a third-person perspective.
With so many questions, we can only hope Capcom lays at least one of them to rest by announcing something at the franchise’s 28th anniversary later this month.
In the meantime, audiences can enjoy Resident Evil 3 as one of the newest additions to the PlayStation Plus Extra library on March 19.
