Highlights

  • Resident Evil 9 should continue the survival-horror tone of RE7 and RE: Village to maintain the series' resurgence and meet genre standards.
  • The original Resident Evil games established survival-horror as a genre, but the series lost its way with more action-focused entries like RE5 and RE6.
  • The success of RE7 and RE: Village in returning to the series' roots shows that Capcom should continue down this path in RE9 to keep the momentum going.

The survival-horror genre has been coming back in style for almost a decade at this point. While it has always had a dedicated and passionate fan base stretching back to its origins, it often fell just short of wider mainstream appeal and attention, at least until much later, compared to other titles under the broader action/adventure umbrella. 2023 will likely be remembered as one of gaming's most outstanding years, especially within the survival-horror scope. A number of excellent and well-received entries were released over the course, with highlights like the Dead Space remake, Alan Wake 2, and Resident Evil's remake of its groundbreaking fourth title.

As one of the first poster series for survival-horror, Resident Evil has had a somewhat checkered past in terms of staying within the very genre it helped invent, which caused it to lose relevance in the case of some of its latter entries. But with its return to roots starting with 2017's RE7, it has found its way back to being one of the leaders and major influences for modern generations. Another RE is almost assuredly in the works, and if it's the next mainline release, RE9 should be sure to continue to tap into the strong resurgence of survival-horror elements from both RE7 and its sequel, Village, in order to keep up its momentum.

Though not officially confirmed by developer Capcom, Resident Evil 9 is highly rumored and assumed to be next for the franchise.

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Resident Evil 9 Must Keep the Survival-Horror Tone Going Strong

Resident Evil's Past Dalliances With Action Vs. Survival-Horror

The original Resident Evil titles were pure survival-horror through and through, as Capcom was establishing the hallmarks and fundamental aspects of what was essentially an entirely new genre in an earlier era of gaming. By crafting games with less of a power fantasy feel, tasking players with solving puzzles and fending off unsettling enemies with limited resources, RE explored and evolved what the medium could achieve as an interactive experience, firmly planting survival-horror as its own category in the process.

After successfully pioneering survival-horror in the late 90s, Resident Evil 4, still often considered to be the best RE experience, was released in 2005. RE4 made an enormous impact on the industry, changing the face of game design irrevocably and becoming an instant classic. Though it maintained a solid survival-horror undertone, it also expanded to a more action-heavy angle in general, and was the first hint of RE's following change in direction.

In the period after RE4, action-heavy plots and characterizations colored much of what the AAA studios of the time were producing. Capcom seemed to give into temptation to chase these trends and try to capitalize on audiences' perceived wants. RE5 and 6 marked a significant switch to heavier action gameplay, and less about the sense of being on edge against overwhelming odds with dwindling supplies. This, however, backfired to a degree, and the series faced accusations of abandoning its core principles.

Resident Evil 9 Should Continue Channeling RE7 and RE: Village's Vibes

After the poorer reception and criticisms of RE5 and 6's departure from what many considered the series' defining identity, the franchise went silent for a few years as Capcom put its head down and focused on figuring out how to regain its essence and fans' trust. The result was Resident Evil 7, which was exactly the shot needed to reconcile its predicament. Returning to a slower-paced, more confined and limited design, RE7 accomplished the goal of rejuvenating and modernizing RE, winning over returning fans and newcomers.

Following on its heels, RE: Village went further with RE7's sensibilities, featuring a collection of eclectic villains in a supernatural folklore setting, but still filtered through a tense atmosphere and design that harkened back to RE's heyday. With this formula seeing RE back firmly in the survival-horror space, it seems a prudent decision for Capcom to continue down that road by instilling the same general air and philosophy into RE9 to ensure it meets or exceeds the genre standards now expected of it in the next release.