Resident Evil is doing extremely well these days, and Capcom will likely keep on making new entries for the series. With Resident Evil 9 most likely on the horizon, there are some elements that the game should take from one of its predecessors, Resident Evil 7. More specifically, Resident Evil 9 should rehash one iconic Resident Evil 7 twist.
Resident Evil 7, commonly regarded as one of the best entries into the Resident Evil franchise, is known by many as the game that brought the series back to life. While the game featured a brand-new protagonist with a completely unique plotline from the rest of the series, it tied things together in a surprising way, and Resident Evil 9 can double down on it.
Resident Evil 9 Would Benefit From Including Legacy Characters
Those who played through Resident Evil 7 will have no trouble remembering the ending scene when Chris Redfield shows up in a helicopter to rescue Ethan Winters from his fight against Eveline. This scene was as shocking as it was because the whole game, up until that point, had no mention of any previous Resident Evil characters or corporations. With Chris, one of the series’ main recurring protagonists, showing up at the very end, it tied the seemingly standalone Resident Evil 7 into the main plotlines of the rest of the franchise. Resident Evil 9 should follow a similar pattern but in a bit of a different way.
It is unclear who the main protagonist of the next Resident Evil game will be, but chances are it’s a new character or another member of the Winters family from the last two mainline Resident Evil games. If this is the case, it behooves the Resident Evil 9 developers to incorporate one of the franchise’s legacy characters into the game’s ending in some way. This time, the game could move away from Chris, and have the protagonist cross paths with one of Resident Evil’s various other beloved characters. Maybe Resident Evil 9 could see Claire, Jill, or even Sheva make an appearance, introducing new fans to the characters, and generating excitement among long-time players.
Resident Evil 9 Could Do More With Its New Character
It has been close to a decade since some of these legacy characters have been revisited in any of the Resident Evil games. For many of these characters, it’s unknown what they would have been up to after their last appearances. Resident Evil 9 gives these previous protagonists the perfect opportunity to showcase their latest endeavors.
Sheva has only shown up in Resident Evil 5, and she was an immensely prominent character who played a major part in defeating the series’ big bad, Albert Wesker. It would be ingenious for Capcom to bring her back to kickstart a new era of Resident Evil. That’s just one example of someone that Resident Evil 9 can see return, but regardless, one of these beloved characters could make a big reprise, while passing the baton to a new and original character as the game’s protagonist.
A new character for Resident Evil 9 opens up doors that probably wouldn’t have been explored with the Winters family. Resident Evil 7 and 9 only saw Chris Redfield make a return, but there is a multitude of other characters to draw stories from in the Resident Evil franchise. The new protagonist for Resident Evil 9 could find themselves in a different horrific situation that leads them to meet one of the characters like Jill, Claire, or Sheva towards the end of the game. A move like this for Resident Evil 9 would help flesh out the overarching stories in the Resident Evil franchise and simultaneously make the game feel fresher and much different from the previous entries.
Resident Evil 9 is rumored to be in development.