Summary
Over the last 28 years, theResident Evilfranchise has evolved quite a bit. A pioneer of the survival horror genre,Resident Evilcontinued to thrive well into the early 2000s by producing a number of third-person, fixed-camera adventures, all of which followed the same general gameplay formula. Then, with the release ofResident Evil 4in 2005, the franchise took a more action-focused approach to horror, adopting a third-person over-the-shoulder perspective. In more recent years, the mainlineResident Evilseries has pivoted once again, this time adopting a first-person perspective and focusing on more claustrophobic, personal horrors.
According to some recent rumors, theResident Evilfranchise might be about to undergo another major evolution, this time affecting the series' structure more so than ever before. In a recent Twitter post by leaker Dusk Golem,Resident Evil 9is said to be building offDragon’s Dogma 2’s updated version of the RE Engine, and that could potentially mean that the sequel is going open-world, a premise that both has its advantages and disadvantages.
The Pros and Cons of Resident Evil 9’s Rumored Open-World Setting
The Pros of Resident Evil 9 Potentially Going Open-World
Potentially the biggest upside ofResident Evil 9going open-worldis that it would offer a completely new experience. Over the last few years, theResident Evilseries has gotten into a successful rhythm of bouncing between remakes and mainline sequels.
But with an open world,Resident Evil 9could offer something completely new. ThoughResident Evil Village’s more open-ended mapgave a brief tease of what an open-worldResident Evilcould look like, it wasn’t the whole package. Being able to tackleResident Evil 9’s areas and bosses in any order could be genuinely refreshing, and add a nice layer of player freedom that isn’t always present inResident Evil.
Embracing an open-world design would also likely mean thatResident Evil 9is a tad longer than its predecessors. The vast majority ofResident Evilgames can be finished in under 15 hours, and while this is never usually a knock against the series, it might be nice to live in these horrifying worlds for a little bit longer, especially if that means more enemy types, more puzzles, more collectibles, and more rewarding side activities.
The Cons of Resident Evil 9 Potentially Going Open-World
But delivering a compelling open world is much easier said than done. WhileResident Evil 9adopting an open-world structure could offer a refreshing break from tradition, it could also backfire immensely. IfResident Evil 9’s rumored open worlddidn’t really capitalize on its new structure, then it might call into question why Capcom even bothered to change the tried and tested formula, and it wouldn’t be the first time.
ThoughResident Evil 4was lauded for its revolutionary third-person action systems,Resident Evil 5and6were heavily criticized for straying too far from series tradition, and an open-worldResident Evil 9could easily elicit a similar response.
This criticism would only be exacerbated by the context surroundingResident Evil 9. There are already immense expectations for the next mainline entry ofResident Evilas a long-running horror franchiseand it might not be the best time for Capcom to experiment with a new open-world formula for the series. Instead, an open-world design might be best introduced in a futureResident Evilspin-off, where there’s much less pressure to knock it out of the park right away.
Resident Evil
Resident Evil is a long-running survival horror franchise developed by Capcom. Spread across numerous mainline and spin-off entries, the series is known for it’s third and first-person action horror, zombie-related monsters and references, and challenging puzzles.
