Highlights
- Resident Evil 9 has the potential to focus on the character Rose, though her DLC suggests she won't be ready for action soon.
- Chris Redfield may take the protagonist's role in RE9, possibly with an adventure reminiscent of his RE1 debut.
- The third act of most Resident Evil games, commonly referred to as "the lab," is often the least enjoyable and should be reconsidered in RE9.
The Resident Evil franchise is currently finishing off its string of Resident Evil 4-related projects, capping off a successful remake with similarly impressive DLC and a promising VR adaptation. At this point, the future of Resident Evil at large is uncertain, with the potential for more remakes still hanging over it while the main series also waits for a sequel. The game that will be known as Resident Evil 9 has a lot to work with now that its predecessors’ Ethan Winters saga has finished, and Resident Evil’s horror and action sides have both been resurrected to great acclaim. Whatever mixture RE9 goes with, it should have series fans at its back.
There are a couple of common theories for what Resident Evil 9 could cover in the course of its story, largely owing to elements introduced by the end of Resident Evil Village. Ethan and Mia Winters’ daughter Rose could take point, but her RE Village DLC indicates that she won’t be ready for action until well into the franchise’s future. More immediately, Chris Redfield has been set up to retake the protagonist’s seat, potentially with an adventure styled after his RE1 debut. However, even if Resident Evil 9 does end up revisiting the franchise’s roots, it should reevaluate whether one old trend is worth dredging up again.
Resident Evil Areas Follow A Consistent Pattern
In most of its entries, Resident Evil sticks to a three-act structure. The first act invariably takes place in a hub area or complex building, such as the Spencer Mansion, the Raccoon City Police Station, and even places like Castle Dimitrescu and Rockfort Island from Code: Veronica. Since these places are large, contain varied puzzles and enemies, and take up a significant amount of playtime, they often become the most memorable parts of their respective games.
The second act tends to be more freeform, including things like sewers, caves, or Resident Evil Biohazard’s Testing Area. These can still include a lot of the iconic backtracking elements from the first act, even incorporating older areas alongside new locales. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse in the third act, which fans typically dub "the lab." The back thirds of many Resident Evil titles are dominated by laboratories, factories, and other isolated locations that are more linear, short, and combat-oriented than the rest of the experience. While these often aren't game-ruining, they are always considered the worst of Resident Evil’s three acts.
Modern Resident Evil Can Do Better Than Another Laboratory Ending
A rising action marked by more intense combat down a linear path seems like an effective way to build to a climax, but it doesn't play to Resident Evil's strengths. The best part of Resident Evil is when players need to explore and grow accustomed to navigating a large, interconnected environment with limited resources. Laboratories are so short and disconnected that they barely feature any of the discovery and ammo management that defines Resident Evil. It doesn’t help that they tend to use a different aesthetic from the rest of a given game, and players should be loaded with ammo by that point.
Resident Evil 9 would prove memorable just for breaking away from such a well-worn tradition. If RE9 focuses on Chris Redfield rooting out bioterrorist elements in the BSAA, the game could cover the lab setting in a prologue section, or perhaps make it the middle transitional act. Giving the finale room to breathe, or tying its rooms back into earlier ones, could alleviate a lot of complaints that Resident Evil’s endings get for being underwhelming and disjointed. Even if it’s one of Resident Evil’s calling cards, the lab will be one staple fans won’t miss.
Resident Evil 9 is not confirmed to be in development.