Summary
Though it had a few stumbles in the early 2010s, theResident Evilfranchise has seemingly found its rhythm once more, continuing a successful cycle of remakes and mainline sequels. That being said, the future of theResident Evilseries is a little uncertain right now. While it’s inevitable thatResident Evil 9is in the works – likely alongside at least one remake – Capcom hasn’t confirmed any of its plans just yet.
But that hasn’t stopped a cavalcade of leakers from taking to Twitter a few times over the last year or so to make a few claims about theResident Evilfranchise’s future.Resident Evil 9in particular has become a hotbed of speculation, with some rumors suggesting the game could be going open-world, that it could see the return oflegacy characters like Chris Redfield, Claire Redfield, and Leon Kennedy, and that it could be diving even further into folklore. Regardless of these rumors, there’s a lot of pressure onResident Evil 9to continue the series' hot streak, and it could achieve that by ending one recent franchise trend.
Resident Evil 9 Needs to Introduce a New Mainstay Monster
The Resident Evil Franchise is Home to Some Iconic Recurring Threats
The veryfirst 1996Resident Evilintroduced players to a horde of iconic enemies, from the series' distinct take on flesh-eating zombies, to mutated bosses like Yawn and Neptune, to special enemy types like the Hunter and Cerberus. Practically every enemy in the originalResident Evilhas gone down in history as one of the best video game monsters of all time, and a few became mainstays of the franchise.
In 1998’sResident Evil 2, Capcom introduced a variety of new enemy types, but few became quite as iconic as the Licker, the blind, long-tongued, skinless monsters that stalk Leon Kennedy aroundthe Raccoon City Police Department. It didn’t take long before the Licker would join the Hunter and Cerberus as some of the franchise’s most recognizable foes, and all three would go on to appear in a few subsequentResident Evilentries, acting as both a nice bit of fan service and adding to the respective game’s enemy variety.
Recent Resident Evil Games Have Focused on One-Off Enemies
Unfortunately, it’s been a while sinceResident Evilhas delivered a new mainstay enemy type. Enemy variety wasn’t a big strength ofResident Evil 7, with players mostly facing off against indistinguishable mold monsters. While these enemies fitResident Evil 7’s settingand vibe well, they aren’t considered overly unique or iconic, and they didn’t reappear inResident Evil Village.
Instead,Resident Evil Villageleaned more into fantasy for its enemy designs, introducing vampires and lycans to the series, which went a long way in solvingRE 7’s enemy variety issue. However, it’s unlikely that these enemies are going to show up again in a futureResident Evilentry, with them only really working inVillage’s setting. While it’s great to see each new entry get its own distinct set of enemies, it does make themodernResident Evilseriesfeel a tad disconnected. It would be nice to see a new enemy type get introduced inResident Evil 9that can then be brought back for future entries, just as long as their return would make sense in-universe.
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.
