Highlights
- Resident Evil 9 should focus on developing a more intimate and psychological narrative, while still maintaining the franchise's signature balance between horror and camp.
- The game would benefit from better boss battles that offer player freedom and multiple paths to victory, rather than rigid structures.
- To enhance the horror experience, Resident Evil 9 should introduce bigger threats that make the player feel more vulnerable, even if they end up controlling legendary heroes like Chris Redfield.
Capcom has been pumping out successful releases left and right these past few years, and Resident Evil 9 will hopefully continue this trend. Though the internet has seen its fair share of speculation and rumors about Resident Evil 9's story, setting, perspective, and gameplay focus, virtually nothing official has been revealed about the game. While the lack of information may be frustrating for some fans, it is also rather exciting, as it seems like essentially anything is possible for RE9.
Resident Evil 9 will be the first mainline, non-remake Resident Evil game since Resident Evil Village in 2021. Village and its DLC capped off the story of the Winters family, which positions the next game to either introduce a new protagonist or fall back on legacy characters like Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. The end of the Winters storyline also suggests that Resident Evil 9 could mark a return to the traditional, third-person perspective of the original games. Regardless of protagonist, perspective, or story premise, there are some gameplay features and design considerations that would greatly benefit Resident Evil 9.
The success of the third-person Resident Evil remakes may tip the scales against the FPS perspective for Resident Evil 9 .
Why Playing as Chris Redfield Would Feel Better Than Ever in a Resident Evil 5 Remake
Players would once again get to fill the shoes of Chris Redfield in a Resident Evil 5 remake, and the character could feel better than ever.
How Capcom Can Make Resident Evil 9 Great
Resident Evil 9 Should Have a More Intimate, Psychological Narrative
The Resident Evil franchise has always walked the line between camp and horror. When this balance is implemented well, the games can have players quivering with fear one moment and laughing at a corny, self-aware one-liner the next. This is a core part of the franchise's identity, and RE9 should maintain it, but there's also room for some more introspection and character development. Whether the ninth game introduces a new hero or recalls an older one, honing in on Resident Evil's psychological horror elements could not only make the game more frightening, but also open the door to powerful storytelling. All in all, the next Resident Evil shouldn't be Silent Hill levels of disturbing, but it could afford to be less afraid of the dark, showing players serious character growth and more intense, mature horror concepts.
Better Boss Battles Would Help Resident Evil 9
Resident Evil's combat has been polished to a brilliant shine, arguably peaking with the Resident Evil 4 remake, which exists in the satisfying space between slow and methodical, and frenetic and tense. That said, the franchise's boss battles have never been quite as strong, as they often adopt a more rigid structure that doesn't play to the combat systems' strengths. When it comes to bosses and other major enemy types in Resident Evil 9, Capcom should emphasize player freedom, offering multiple paths to victory rather than following the traditional, restrictive approach of shooting specific weak spots, getting the enemy down, and repeating.
Resident Evil 9 Needs Bigger Threats
The roundhouse-kicking Leon Kennedy and boulder-punching Chris Redfield approach superhero levels of competence, and while this leads to some fun gameplay, it can come at the cost of horror. Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village both managed to make the player feel more vulnerable by putting them in the shoes of a regular person without advanced training or near-superhuman fitness, which ratcheted up the tension and terror of those games. Even if Resident Evil 9 does feature an impressive hero like Chris Redfield, it could pit them against never-before seen threats, never letting them, and by extension the player, feel safe.
RE9 can take notes from other survival horror franchises when it comes to psychological horror, combat, and tone, but it should also remain true to the spirit of the franchise. If it can evolve the series' formula while polishing what already works, then Resident Evil 9 is sure to be yet another hit.
Resident Evil
Resident Evil is a long-running survival horror franchise developed by Capcom. Spread across numerous mainline and spin-off entries, the series is known for it’s third and first-person action horror, zombie-related monsters and references, and challenging puzzles.
