Summary
When the first fewResident Evilgames are compared to the likes ofResident Evil Villageor theResident Evil 4remake, the difference is night and day. Indeed, the franchise has undergone a number of evolutions, from fixed-camera survival horror and all-out action to first-person psychological horror, and with the franchise showing no signs of slowing down, it’s easy to imagine even more dramatically differentResident Evilpermutations in the future.
Resident Evilhas been an incredibly influential franchise in gaming. The earliestResident Evilreleases inspired the likes ofSilent Hill, arguably inventing the modern survival-horror genre. Then,Resident Evil 4popularized the over-the-shoulder camera perspective adopted by the majority of first-person shooters, and it can be argued that the recent slate ofResident Evilremakes has played an important role in kicking off the high-budget remake trend that the games industry is currently experiencing. As influential as the series is, the modernResident Evilgames also adopt several modern game design conventions popularized by other major releases, though they have yet to embrace one huge design choice.
Resident Evil Has Never Gone Open-World
Resident Evil Hopping On the Open-World Trend
Open-world games are as popular as ever, with franchises likeZeldaandFinal Fantasyfollowing open-world design philosophiesin their recent releases. Even FromSoftware, famous for making combat-focused games with carefully crafted, interconnecting environment design, createdElden Ring, one of the biggest and most ambitious open-world games of the past few years.
Many gamers view open-world adoption with some trepidation, with certain genre cliches like meaningless collectibles, copy-paste objectives, and ‘Ubisoft towers’ being commonly criticized.
And yet,Resident Evilhas never released an open-world game, withResident Evil 3arguably its closest interpretation. With the franchise unafraid of making bold design choices, such as the stark shift to first-person inResident Evil 7, it may not be out of the question for the series to experiment with this trend.
Resident Evil 9could take a different approachto its environment design, one that encourages and rewards exploration via the open-world format. This could work to great effect, with open-world design being a way for Capcom to reinvent theResident Evilformula. And from a marketing perspective, an open-world survival horror game has some pretty long legs.
Resident Evil Going Open-World Could Be Tricky
Though the idea of an open-worldResident Evilgame has some potential, it comes with a number of risks as well. Open-world horror titles are few and far between, and the ones that do exist, such asDead IslandorDying Light, are built more around action or adventure than terror.
This may be because it’s hard to marry horror to the sense of freedom offered by an open world, as there is less room for set-piece encounters and tense, controlled moments. If the nextResident Evilwants to stick to its horror roots, an open-world design could pose some obstacles.
If the open-world trend continues (which it likely will, given the success of recent open-world games likeFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth), then there’s a chance that an open-worldResident Evilcould be in the cards, as strange as that may seem on paper. While this hypothetical design choice could cause some issues,Resident Evil’s experimentation has paid offin the past, so boldness could benefit the franchise once again. Capcom shouldn’t chase trends, but it also can’t afford to letResident Evilget stale by repeating the same formula, and open-world design, done well, could be a way for the series to innovate.
Resident Evil Village
WHERE TO PLAY
Ethan Winters finds himself in an entirely new nightmare in Capcom’s latest installment of the acclaimed Resident Evil franchise. Whether you’re defending against Lycans in the grim dwellings of the village or exploring the lavish Castle Dimitrescu, the meticulously designed environments immerse you in this eerie world, powered by Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine. Run from, hide or face off against a diverse cast of terrifying village inhabitants in dream-like - no, nightmarish - situations and fight your instincts to push through classic horror-based sequences. Also, be sure to check out “The Mercenaries” that unlocks once you’ve finished the campaign, a fast-paced and arcade-like game mode which challenges players to blast away enemies against the clock.
