Highlights

  • The Resident Evil franchise has successfully maintained its dominance in the horror game genre, with the remake of Resident Evil 4 being a strong contender for Game of the Year. Capcom's approach of releasing new entries and high-quality remakes of classic titles has resonated with fans.
  • The success of the recent wave of Resident Evil remakes can be traced back to the original Resident Evil remake on GameCube, which established the formula of leaning into the horror elements of the series. The consistency and quality of the remakes have made them highly anticipated by horror game enthusiasts.
  • The Resident Evil franchise has a rich library of titles that provides ample material for future remakes. Each new Resident Evil game brings something fresh to the table and the remakes strike a balance between nostalgia and updates to improve the games. This reimagining of older titles has revitalized interest in the series and shows that there is potential for the franchise to continue to grow.

The Resident Evil franchise remains as the predominant name in horror games, despite several noteworthy attempts by other titles to snatch up its crown. That the remake of Resident Evil 4, a ground-up reimagining of an 18-year-old game, is a legitimate Game of the Year contender in an absolutely jam-packed year for the industry is a testament to how Capcom has successfully dialed in the franchise's approach to its release schedule, with new entries supplemented by high-quality remakes of classic titles in the Resident Evil back catalog. This trend shows no signs of slowing down, and all eyes appear to be on Capcom to figure out what game the company might remake next in the wake of the inevitable Resident Evil 9.

The recent wave of Resident Evil remakes (Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4) may have arrived in rapid succession, but they owe a debt of gratitude to the GameCube remake of the original Resident Evil from more than 20 years ago. That game established the formula that would continue to drive the more recent remakes decades later, leaning more heavily into the series' horror elements even as the mainline games drifted further into action-movie territory. The tonal consistency and high bar of quality of the Resident Evil remakes have positioned the next batch as already being some of the most anticipated titles on horror fans' radars.

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Resident Evil's Vast Library of Titles Provides Fertile Ground for More Remakes

Resident Evil Tyrant Standing In Mansion With Font Logo

Part of the ability for each subsequent remake in the Resident Evil franchise to stay fresh rests on the long and storied history of the franchise. Compared to other survival horror franchises, Resident Evil has a much deeper well to draw from in terms of titles in its back catalog that are either due for a remake or, in some cases, need one. Series like The Last of Us, which only has two games to its name and already has both a remaster and a remake of the first game in the series, are not on the same level as the almost 30 years of history of the Resident Evil franchise.

Building off of that, each Resident Evil title brings something fresh to the table, whether that's through introducing new heroes, villains, weapons, or additions to the overarching series lore. The Resident Evil remakes are able to avoid becoming old hat by consistently toeing the line between nostalgia and reverence for the unique aspects of their source material while also updating the games to be improved in various ways. That the franchise took a bit of a nose dive with Resident Evil 5 and 6 is a well-tread territory, but reimagining the things those games did right in the context of the modern Resident Evil remakes could change player perception of even the less-loved titles in the series.

Tonal Consistency Across Resident Evil Remakes Has Been a Win for Capcom

In addition to having a library of 9 mainline titles and a myriad of spin-offs, with plenty of games having yet to receive the Resident Evil remake treatment, each of the remade games in the series has a tonal consistency that few other franchises are able to match. Rather than have each remake stand apart from the ones that came before it, they use similar lighting, perspective, and mechanics while also including the unique aspects of the original titles. And, best of all, each of the Resident Evil remakes is firmly planted in the horror genre despite the series' action leanings.

The choice to establish consistency across the remakes of the series' classic games has paid off for Capcom, with each of the Resident Evil remakes selling well and collectively helping to reignite widespread interest in the series. Resident Evil is having a bit of a renaissance within the world of video games and pop culture, and having one of 2023's best games be a remake of one of 2005's best games is a full-circle moment for the franchise. If anything, the Resident Evil remakes establish that the series has nowhere to go but up.