Highlights
- Resident Evil 9 may continue the story of Chris Redfield, who is set up to be the protagonist once more, but hopefully with a stronger focus on survival-horror elements rather than generic action.
- There is speculation that Resident Evil 9 could potentially focus on the character Rose, nearly two decades later, but it is less likely due to the supposed conclusion of the Winters family saga.
- It would be refreshing to see Resident Evil 9 take place in a haunted mansion setting, combining the ideas of the original game’s Spencer Mansion with the psychological horror of the House Beneviento sequences in recent Resident Evil experiences. This could make for a unique and frightening game.
Resident Evil 7 was a new landmark installment for the franchise and where it ended seemed fairly definitive, meaning a subsequent game was open-ended with what it wanted to do. It’s surprising that Ethan Winters was brought back on, in fact, since that helicopter ride into the sunset with Mia could’ve easily been the last time players saw them, and the awkward reveal of a face-lifted Chris Redfield hinted at him potentially being where the franchise’s future was headed. That turned out to be sort of true with him as a side character in Resident Evil Village, and he’s now set up to be a protagonist once more.
Resident Evil 7 may not have had a succinct cliffhanger to follow through on, but Resident Evil Village absolutely does. Chris is now expected to head over and infiltrate the BSAA headquarters in Europe; meanwhile, there is speculation that Resident Evil 9 could leap all the way ahead nearly two decades later to concentrate on Rose, with that being less likely due to the Winters family saga allegedly being concluded. However, even if the story does follow Village’s Chris cliffhanger, it’s possible that it could still lean into survival-horror elements rather than generic action.
Why Resident Evil 9 Could Be a Very Different Entry in the Franchise
Resident Evil 9 has many loose threads that it could address as the survival-horror franchise continues alongside modern remakes of older titles.
Resident Evil 9 Could Recycle RE1’s Stranded Haunted Mansion Premise
Resident Evil 9 Subverting Expectations Would Be to Go Full-Blown Horror
Chris’ gameplay in the main story of Village turned the game into an action shooter for the brief period of time he appears. Players are gifted with an abundance of ammunition, grenades, and other offensive resources to mow down lycans in the village, abandoning all sense of dread and survival horror the game previously had outside of maybe the epic and bombastic Heisenberg boss fight.
If Chris is now the lead in Resident Evil 9, it would make sense to assume that the same sort of action would be peppered throughout it as well. However, the ninth installment will hopefully marinate longer in the unique fantastical horror that Village and its Shadows of Rose DLC did, particularly their House Beneviento sequences.
Chris hasn’t been seen in a purely horror-oriented landscape since arguably the original Resident Evil, and Resident Evil 9 could hopefully change that by tapping into what made the first game so special in the Arklay Mountains. Either way, putting his guns down or having them forcibly stripped away and enduring half of the terrors that Ethan or Rose do would be a refreshing change of pace.
Resident Evil 9’s BSAA Headquarters Could Be the Spencer Mansion All Over Again
If the House Beneviento sequence was extrapolated into a full game, that is essentially what Resident Evil’s initial title was. It would be extraordinary to see what Capcom could do with the premise of a haunted mansion setting once more, filled with creative enemy types, elaborate and archaic traps, and an assortment of gnawing puzzles to solve to progress further within.
The House Beneviento sequences in recent Resident Evil experiences are more attuned to a haunted house where there isn’t too much in the way of interactivity. Puzzles made these sequences stressful while players awaited some awful fate if not a jump scare, presenting some of the most harrowing and memorable moments from the franchise lately.
Marrying the tropes and motifs of the Spencer Mansion with House Beneviento could make Resident Evil 9 wonderfully unique and frightening, all while possibly featuring Chris as the protagonist least likely to be equipped now for such an adventure. Chris might not have any trouble getting around a brawl or shootout as evidenced in recent Resident Evil games, but putting him through a granular, haunting psychological trip could be precisely what is needed to make him a robust character in the franchise once more.
Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil Village, or Resident Evil 8, is the direct sequel to RE7 and continues its story. The game became hugely popular upon release, with one of its characters, Lady Dimitrescu, becoming a meme. RE Village won Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards in 2021.
- Franchise
- Resident Evil
- Platform(s)
- PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia, PC
- Released
- May 7, 2021
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Publisher(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Survival (dupe), Horror
- Engine
- RE Engine
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- How Long To Beat
- 10 Hours
- Metascore
- 84
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
