It’s been a significant time since we’ve had the last mainline release in the Resident Evil series. While we’ve seen high quality remakes of previous games, it’s time to look forward to the future toward a potential Resident Evil 8.
In order for this game to be ranked among the best in the series, it needs to do just as many things right as it has to avoid those that would be wrong. With that in mind, we’ve put together five things that we either want or don’t want to see. If the series does account for this list, then you can be certain that Resident Evil 8 will be a game worth the wait.
10 Want: Choice Between First-Person And Third-Person Mode
The series made the right decision to change things up and go for a first-person perspective with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, but Resident Evil 2’s remake proved there was enough life left in the third-person mode as well.
For this reason, we want to see a combination of both perspectives, with an option for players to choose between the two before beginning their playthrough. This way, the game will have incredible replay value as players would want to try the second perspective, thereby providing two different experiences for the same game.
9 Don't Want: Zombies As The Villains
In some form or another, the series has made zombies out to be the enemies we fight during gameplay. Even in Resident Evil 4, where the enemies were technically not zombies, their aesthetic was basically the same.Â
For the next one, it’s time to remove this recurring bit, and present completely new enemies. Maybe it could be humans the player fights this time round. Whatever it might be, zombies really have overstayed their welcome, and there's only so many times they can feel fresh.
8 Want: Leon Kennedy As The Protagonist
Ever notice how even-numbered games have always featured Leon in the lead role? It’s not just because he was the main character in Resident Evil 2, 4, and 6 that we want him for this one, though; it’s because Leon has had enough of a break from the mainline series for us to learn of his whereabouts.
Chronologically, his last appearance came in the direct-to-video movies, and fans deserve to see Leon back in action in the game series. As he’d be in his mid-forties by now, it would be interesting to play as a hardened veteran who might be slowing down a bit.
7 Don't Want: Quick Time Events
It were these sequences that put the nail in the coffin for Resident Evil 6, making it one of the truly worst games in the series. Quick time events only really work for games like God of War or Devil May Cry, where the hack and slash gameplay goes well with button prompts.
For Resident Evil, the pace is messed up when these sequences suddenly appear, also robbing the player of the sense of control they have during gameplay. Putting QTEs in Resident Evil 8 would be a step back for the franchise.
6 Want: References To Albert Wesker
If you’re to ask any person even remotely aware of Resident Evil who the villain of the series is, they will respond with the name of Albert Wesker. However, the character seems to have died permanently in Resident Evil 5, following which there have been indirect mentions to him.
It’s high time he returns, but just not in Resident Evil 8. Instead, Wesker should be alluded to in this game, setting him up the same way Resident Evil 4 did, by having him play the strings from behind the scenes. A direct reference here and there pointing to Wesker's return should work perfectly.
5 Don't Want: A Setting In One Location
We’re not saying we want things to spiral all around the world like they did in Resident Evil 6, but confining the player to one location sounds very yesteryear. Sure, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard did it well, but having a repeat of that would make it feel as if we’re playing the same game again.
In its place, the action should be set in an expanded setting, one where players are led to certain locations for chunks of the game’s runtime, and pits them in situations where these places need to be escaped from. Simply having the old scary house or castle just wouldn't do the trick.
4 Want: Gameplay That Makes A Personal Connection To The Story
The reason why P.T. felt like it did certain things better than Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was because it had a personal feel to it. There was a certain mystery to gameplay that indicated the character had a direct involvement to the horror.
In Resident Evil 8, while we do want a returning character like Leon, the story and gameplay should feel visceral, as if the main character is undergoing a torturous task because they have a personal stake in things. This can be done by taking a page out of games like Heavy Rain, where we’re made to play out scenarios rather than watch them happen.
3 Don't Want: Sequences Where The Player Is Helpless
While Resident Evil started out having a focus on horror, it has still empowered players with weapons to defend themselves with. A criticism we have of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was that quite a lot of times gameplay left players too helpless.Â
This shouldn’t be repeated with Resident Evil 8, and enemies should always be vulnerable to attacks. They could be strong enough to be hard to kill, but players shouldn’t be left in a fleeing position as this just makes for frustrating moments where running away is the only option.
2 Want:Â A Level Playable As The Antagonist
How cool would it be to be in the shoes of the baddie? Not only would this bring a fresh perspective, it would also make things particularly exciting if the game flashed between the good guy and the bad guy.Â
We could be set up in such a way that the player themselves would need to chase after the protagonist, and watch this character from the lens of the villain. This way, it would place fans in a position where they would fear themselves. The gameplay style as the villain could also feature different movesets and abilities.
1 Don't Want: Jump Scares
It’s an incredibly lazy way of scaring the audience if a sudden event causes a few seconds’ worth of fright. This has been seen in previous games of the series, and those happened to be those titles that didn’t fare very well critically.
Simply having an enemy pop out of nowhere or having a chase all of a sudden are sequences that get old very quickly. Having a genuinely scary feel throughout like Resident Evil 4 did is the way to go, and it would do the series well to ignore the temptations of cheap jump scares.