If Resident Evil 9 is Going to Be as Big as It Sounds, a Core Mechanic is at Risk

Highlights

• Resident Evil 9 may go open-world, risking staple franchise mechanics like limited resources and survival horror roots.
• Resident Evil thrives on player limitations, creating a tense atmosphere where tough decisions are core to gameplay.
• Leaks suggest Resident Evil 9 may adopt an open-world structure from Dragon’s Dogma 2, possibly impacting resource balance.

The Resident Evil franchise has forged itself a rather complex identity over the last few decades. On one hand, Resident Evil is known as a franchise that can offer some of the most intense scares in gaming, but at the same time, it’s also known as one of the campiest horror franchises around. Similarly, while Resident Evil is known for having some of the most compelling video game lore, it’s also a franchise known for its absurd plot beats and bizarre dialogue. Resident Evil is all these things merged, and it’s this unique blend that makes it such an iconic gaming franchise.

But Resident Evil 9 could end up flying in the face of some classic series traditions. According to some recent rumors, Resident Evil 9 might be going open-world, and while that seems like a natural evolution of Resident Evil Village‘s more open-ended structure, that evolution might come at the cost of some staple franchise mechanics, and the series’ survival horror roots might struggle to maintain their prominence.

Resident Evil 9’s Survival Horror Roots Could Be At Risk

Resident Evil Thrives on Limitations

Resident Evil is, first and foremost, a survival horror franchise and a core pillar of the genre is limitations. From limited healing items to limited ammo to limited inventory space to limited upgrade materials, the vast majority of Resident Evil games put clear restrictions on the player that have them constantly making tough decisions on how best to use their finite amount of supplies. It’s these tough decisions that keep players on their toes and fuel that deeply rewarding feeling that the player is always just scraping by.

When the Resident Evil franchise has been more forgiving with its resources, it’s historically led to a more disappointing experience that doesn’t really feel like a Resident Evil game. Though puzzles, scary monsters, corny dialogue, and plenty of gore are all staple features of the Resident Evil franchise, none have quite the same impact on gameplay and atmosphere as the series’ limited resources.

Resident Evil 9 Could Struggle to Balance This Core Feature

Just a few months ago, leaker Dusk Golem took to Twitter to claim that Resident Evil 9 would be building off the technical groundwork of Dragon’s Dogma 2, hinting that the new entry in the long-running horror franchise could be adopting an open-world structure. If this ends up being true, then Resident Evil 9 might find it a little tricky to balance the series’ limited resources mechanic.

The vast majority of Resident Evil games have been carefully structured to ensure that the player always has just enough ammo or healing items to survive an encounter by the skin of their teeth. Past games were able to do this by purposefully placing specific items along the player’s path, right up until that encounter. But if Resident Evil 9 goes open-world, then it’s not going to be able to ensure that all players follow that path.

This non-linear structure could easily lead to players not having enough ammo for certain boss fights or combat encounters, or at the opposite end of the spectrum, having too much ammo and healing resources due to extensive exploration before continuing the golden path. There are ways Capcom can balance this in Resident Evil 9, such as adding a wealth of resources just before a big fight, but this potential change in structure could greatly impact one of the series’ defining mechanics.