So Resident Evil is back. I'm not just talking about in relation to the games either, it seems like we're on the cusp of a whole wave of brand new Resident Evil content to coincide with the new decade, showing how Capcom are ready to thrust their old golden franchise back into the public consciousness. We have the animated movie which purposes to tell the further extended stories of Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy, (Something we've wanted in game form for so long it's almost insulting to see it in offered like this) the upcoming Netflix show which will tease two brand new members of the extended Wesker family; (Am I going to start having to carry a Jojo-sized family tree for this franchise?) and finally a full movie reboot which already has me puzzled as to exactly what it is they think they're adapting. They've already cast Jill Valentine and Claire Redfield as two people of similar age despite the fact that Claire is meant to be a college student whilst Jill is a veteran special police-force operative. And that's not even taking into account the fact that they've cast Claire at all considering she wasn't even invented until Resident Evil 2, and both Jill and Chris aren't in Resident Evil 2. Although on the plus side they did announce that Chris Redfield will be played by one of the Amell brothers which seems like a good choice, as long as the studio is ready to replace his actor every movie.
In front of all of this ancillary zombie content, however, is a Resident Evil game that seems poised to steer the franchise decidedly away from zombies, ironically enough. It's almost as though Capcom is pulling in several different directions with no idea which one is the right way, only just about making it work through the merit of having at least three different branches for the company to pursue; the TV licencing team, the reboot team and the bold-new direction team. To be absolutely clear; this is the kind of nonsense that got Resident Evil into the state it was in before 6, so I just hope they manage to keep things somewhat coherent before history ends up repeating itself. But enough gloom from my end, let's talk about this new Resident Evil and how curious it is.
We know the thing started life as Resident Evil Revelations 3 before being deemed so off-kilter that it needed to be promoted to a mainliner in order to make sense. For those unfamiliar, each one of those 'Revelations' games seemed to take place in a classic horror location and tried to tell a very contained story using one of the Resident Evil alumni, from the first one which was with pre mind-control Jill and set on an abandoned ship at sea (which the Resident Evil franchise had already technically done before, but nobody ever counts the 'gun survivor' games) and the second being with Claire and set in an island with an abandoned prison. (Which, again, was done before in Code Veronica.) Now we're looking at the very next Resident Evil game coming from this pedigree, and in that vein 'Resident Evil VIIIage' (as it's stylised) will take place in what looks to be a rural village full of non-zombies. (And they're releasing this back-to-back with the Resident Evil 4 remake? Things are gonna get confusing...)
That being said, retreading ideas and concepts isn't necessarily bad, and whereas Resident Evil 4 is renowned for devolving (or evolving) the series from mostly-serious to quantifiable insanity, RE8 appears to be a lot more measured in it's approach. For one, they aren't going back to the linear world design which was reinforced by Resident Evil 4 and arguably initiated from the rather linear Resident Evil 3. We aren't losing the newfound love for Resident Evil puzzles and ponderous slow gameplay; in fact, from the little helping of footage and interviews I have seen it appears as though the team are doubling down on those very aspects. One conversation I heard specifically played up the dynamism of the world that they've created in a manner that almost made it sound like players would be presented with open ended puzzles. (Although, admittedly, he may have just been talking about the ways in which players can deal with enemies.)
I, for one, am actually excited by the prospect of going back into a traditionally spooky environment like a village surrounded in woods, as there is quite a lot that a good horror director can do with that. Even a number of beginner developers understand the power of placing the player in a 'lost in the woods' position that combines the fear of the unknown with the fear of being in an almost entirely hostile environment. Mix that natural fear with an actual talent for manipulation through sound, obfuscation and a hint of actual peril for the player (as opposed to just a woods of jump scares) and this could really make for a genuinely terrifying Resident Evil experience. (Which would absolutely make up for the distinct lack of scariness that this franchise exhibits sometimes. RE3 barely made me whimper.)
However if there is one misgiving I am having, and I realise that this is quite a pre-emptive gripe to develop, it's for the concept. As far as we can tell right now, the game revolves around Chris Redfield and his new 'reformed' Umbrella, turning evil for whatever reason and becoming the antagonists of the game. Now I'm not about to raise my fist in the air and shout about how "Chris would never do that, I'm literally shaking right now", but this 'twist' (which has been practically screamed from every trailer) just oozes this contrived sense of 'good guy turns bad' which doesn't feel remotely earned. Like him all you want, Chris Redfield is hardly the most interesting and developed character of all time. In fact, he's so generic that Capcom keep radically changing his design from game to game hoping to land on something that sticks, so for that sort of undefined character to suddenly switch to the side of evil doesn't really feel like an upset as much as it feels like "Oh, so that's what he's doing this week? This guy really needs to find a hobby and stick to it."
Aside from that mild story issue I will say that the game looks great as a Resident Evil old school fan. Despite being set in a village, there is a prominent castle in the middle of the town which, as far as I can tell, seems to be where the majority of the classic Resident Evil puzzle-solving gameplay will take place. Even from the slight snippets I've seen, you can identify all the lavish and gaudy interiors that seem to be inspired by the gothic decadence of the Spencer Mansion. (Yeah, I always bring it back around to the original, baby!) I'm already loving the pristine chandeliers, carpets and bookcases; can't wait for them to be ripped apart by some terrifying monstrosity as it rips through a wall. Although speaking of monstrosities, I wonder what this game will have in store? The werewolves certainly will be a threat and the supposed vampire-lady has to be a boss, but who will be the every day enemies that litter the grounds? I suppose we'll have to wait and see.
The next generation of gaming looks to be resplendent with quality titles on the horizon and I'm as hyped about that as anyone. Seeing Resident Evil and Final Fantasy both share space on the same gaming 'stage' is literally like a dream to me, what a meeting of titans! I'm not quite as optimistic about the slew of ancillary Resident Evil content coming our way, (Okay the show seems to be okay but the movie is a hard pass) however if this bring the best out of the series than I suppose I can stand it all. Yes, I'm still hung up over the impending Resident Evil 4 remake, (you guys are making a big mistake there, I'm telling you!) but the chance to see Leon Kennedy rendered in the RE Engine seems like a risk worth taking. Every downside to Resident Evil's future seems to have a balancing force and I'm currently just breaking even in terms of excitement. So is Resident Evil doing too much too fast? Yes, and I'm certain it's going to have ramifications, but for now I'll go full ostrich and stick my head in the ground if it gets us RE8. (God I hope the RE4 remake isn't trash)
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