THE Resident Evil The franchise has terrorized gamers for over 20 years across nearly 30 mainline entries, spinoffs, and remakes. As one of the first great survival horror games, by combining scares with action, developer Capcom continues to adapt to changes in the industry. This can be seen in his changing camera angles throughout the series, from his initial fixed perspectives, to his revolutionary third-person over-the-shoulder footage, to his more recent take on first-person horror. Based on recent leaks about the upcoming Resident Evil 9The latest changes made to your franchise will concern the design and environmental map.
Resident Evil Games typically feature well-crafted linear environments that encompass tight, oppressive spaces to petrify the player. Recent gameplay leaks for the latest iteration in the series suggest that Resident Evil 9 could be an open world experience, the first of its kind in the franchise. This will be a significant change and will require a shift from the series’ previous approach to atmosphere, horror, and design. It is important to note that although this conversion is antithetical to Resident Evil’From the roots, there is potential for it to be another successful experience for Capcom.
Why Resident Evil works best in claustrophobic environments
Vulnerability creates fear in players
An important staple food Resident EvilThe game’s biggest success was its confined level design. The series was a major influence on this approach, ensuring that players always feel vulnerable to the enemies and dangers in the world. The first games in the series, such as Resident Evil and RE2, demonstrate this effectively, as Spencer Mansion and the Raccoon City Police Department feature closed tunnels, tight hallways, and limited movement, to consistently restrict players from feeling safe. This was expanded on in the Baker House of Resident Evil 7as the claustrophobia intensified with the first person perspective, which wouldn’t work in the third person.
These examples highlight the essence of Resident Evilsuccess in the past. By restricting the player’s control as they navigate a tightly linear experience, tension is amplified to ensure a chilling horror experience. Combining this with the franchise’s inventory management system increases the fear of confinement in games. Capcom’s venture into Virtual Reality for the series’ latest entry also upped the fear factor. Modifications to this claustrophobic design could fundamentally change the feel of the gameand questions arise about how Capcom plans to maintain the beloved vulnerability in an open-world setting.
Previous Open World Attempts in Resident Evil
The franchise presents areas of exploration
Resident Evil it never fully embraced open-world gameplay, but instead experimented with exploration elements in larger environments. The series has always featured open partial explorationsuch as core areas that are returned to unlock new sections, but the last Resident Evil releases expanded this. Not well received Resident Evil: Villagethe player can explore the titular village, which functions as a central area with paths leading to distinct locations that can be traversed as desired. Although this was not a completely open world, it experimented with player agency without compromising the linear spirit of the series.
Open areas returned in the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4, which gives the player some additional free rein and open world elements. This was most evident in the Lake area, which allows players to freely explore an area at their own pace, with optional side quests and points of interest. Side paths, secrets, and treasures can be found that do not progress the narrative but provide additional bonuses. These examples complement the Resident Evil experience, without compromising the horror. Using aspects of these two examples from the most recent releases should be used in a potentially open world Resident Evil 9.
Don’t forget core tension
If the relative leaks Resident Evil 9open worlds are legit, so Capcom should take advantage Village and Resident Evil 4of remake featuring segmented open-world areas instead of a fully integrated world. Taking inspiration from Silent Hill 2map design can be very beneficialwhere the streets of Silent Hill are open areas for the player to explore, which contain secrets and additional bonuses, without compromising the danger and scares. As the player progresses through open spaces, they will end up in claustrophobic indoor areas such as hospitals, apartments or prisons, which amplifies the terror.
Players will still have to wait and see if this dilutes the tension, but hope the core horror mechanics preserve the Resident Evil experience.
This approach seems to be the natural progression to Resident Evil 9. Featuring the classics of relentlessly chasing enemies in an open world (like Nemesis or Mr. open world. Players will still have to wait and see if this dilutes the tension, but hope the core horror mechanics preserve the Resident Evil experience. By balancing open-ended exploration with well-crafted scares, Resident Evil 9 could set a new standard once again for horror games.