It's no secret that Resident Evil is one of the most successful franchises in video game history. The franchise's exploration of themes like corporate greed and corruption have brought to life some amazing horror villains that are the results of unethical medical testing, giving a new twist on zombies and monsters alike. After an impressive 27 years of Resident Evil games, many fans are eager to see how the franchise's ninth installment follows up the incredible narratives Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village had to offer.
When it comes to Village, one of the game's villains took the internet by storm. The previews and demo leading up to the release of Village introduced players to Lady Dimitrescu, an incredibly tall woman with an unnerving appetite for blood. This new take on a Resident Evil antagonist quickly caught the attention of many fans, raising eager questions of how Lady Dimitrescu would play into the game's narrative. Unfortunately, for players who were expecting Lady Dimitrescu to be the game's main villain, her demise comes shockingly quick in the story.
Resident Evil 9 Should Learn From Lady Dimitrescu
Although there were many more great enemies for Ethan Winters to fight in Village, the early death of Lady Dimitrescu took some of the wind out the game's sails for a little while. Many of the game's advertisements and teasers presented players with the idea that Lady Dimitrescu would play a much larger part in the game's story, and it was slightly disappointing to see such an interesting character get taken out of the game that early on. There is a lot of speculation on what Resident Evil 9 could hold, but the next chapter in the story should avoid another Lady Dimitrescu situation.
When it comes to side characters, putting a major spotlight on them leading up to a game's release can clearly give some excited fans the wrong idea. Although this choice was clearly done to try and avoid any major spoilers for the story's jaw dropping climax, there still could have been other methods to showcase the game's overall mood, like using the tense opening with Ethan and Mia as the playable teaser. Lady Dimitrescu's portion of the story is only a small piece to a much larger puzzle, and it may have been better to keep all major villains out of Village's marketing entirely. Alternatively, with so many amazing villains in Village, each of them could have been focused on a bit more as opposed to going all-in on Dimitrescu with the marketing.
Whatever Resident Evil 9 ends up being, it's probably best to avoid using a minor character as a major marketing tool. If any villain needs to be used to drum up excitement for the next Resident Evil, Capcom should tease fans with small glimpses of the main antagonist, leaving players with the opportunity to be surprised by all the great side characters. Of course, Resident Evil 9 could possibly use a different formula than Village, but it will still serve the next game better if it avoids building up a minor character just to take them down at the beginning.
Resident Evil Village was still an incredible horror game, despite the disappointing early death of Lady Dimitrescu. She was one of the standout villains in the story, so it would be a shame to see the same kind of mistake be made with Resident Evil 9. The ending of Village made it possible for Resident Evil 9 to be a continuation of both Village and Resident Evil 7, leaving the door open for many new villains to enter the story. Until there's an official announcement for Resident Evil 9, there is only room for speculation, but there will possibly be characters just as unique as Lady Dimitrescu that are hopefully left as a surprise.
Resident Evil 9 is rumored to be in development.