For better or for worse,Resident Evilis inherently campy. Its survival-horror gameplay is often tense and epic, but its grandiose storytelling stakes and bizarre, comedic dialogue have almost always kept it from taking itself too seriously. Likewise, the whimsy, charm, and bravado ofResident Evil’s legacy characters are staples of itsprotagonists with Ethan Winters only beginning to inherit such traits inResident Evil Village. It’s undeniable, though, that characters like Leon S. Kennedy, Chris Redfield, and Jill Valentine have all been portrayed as confident soldiers armed with witty one-liners and impressive acrobatics.
Each new entry inResident Evil’s mainline continuity begs the question of who its protagonist(s) will be, and not without good reason.Resident Evil’s choice of protagonists is paramount as it basically decides the tone of the game, at least regarding how players are able to interpret its events;Resident Evil 4might’ve been a terrifying experience if not for Leon suplexing ganados and joking that they all ceased attacking him in the village ambush to go play bingo, for example. That’s why recent rumors suggesting that Leon and Jill could be lead protagonists inResident Evil 9come with trepidation as well as celebration.
Resident Evil 9 Going All-Out with Legacy Mascots Must Be Fan Service Done Right
The implicationResident Evil 9’s latest rumorsmake is that Capcom is finally willing to indulge in fan service that many players have demanded concerning legacy mascot characters and their lack of appearances or closure in recent mainline titles.Resident Evil 7andResident Evil Villagefeature Chris Redfield, ensuring that these characters’ stories aren’t all necessarily retired yet.
Still, with as many beloved mascots asResident Evilhas who have either led their own game or had a recurring role, there are tons of fan favorites in the bunch with a die-hard community hoping to learn what’s become of them. Jill Valentine has long deserved a follow-up in-game after the physical and psychological torment she endured inResident Evil 5, for example, and with Chris being so prominent inResident Evil’s latest mainline gamesit would be exciting to learn what his sister Claire is up to in the present day, too.
Such closure is earned at this point, and if legacy characters are brought back at all it could be a wonderful opportunity to supply them with noble send-offs.
Resident Evil’s Horror Potential Skyrockets with New Protagonists
It’s only an odd lateral move on Capcom’s part if it goes withlegacy mascots inResident Evil 9rather than new protagonists because of how definitive and bold the latter choice was forResident Evil 7and its direct sequel. Of course, the direction two entries make aren’t necessarily an indication of what any future game will look like.
That said, Ethan Winters played a huge role in revitalizing the franchise as it gaveResident Evilthe opportunity of a brand-new lens. That’s not to say legacy characters have no more interesting stories to tell, butEthan being an everyman archetype worked greatly inResident Evil’s favoras it could finally revel in deep survival-horror tropes that actually had stakes for the protagonist involved, unlike a battle-hardened veteran armed to the teeth and unafraid of any bioweapon they came across.
That’s all stripped away again ifResident Evil 9reverts back to legacy mascots. Even though there’s a wealth of potential to be had with these characters in new games, mascot familiarity and fan service could come at the cost ofResident Evilmaintaining the degree of genuine horror thatResident Evil 7andVillagewere able to sustain. Only time will tell how true that ends up being, let alone how trueResident Evil 9’s rumors turn out to be.
