In its 23-year existence, the Resident Evil franchise has undergone several major changes in direction. When the series began in 1996, Resident Evil was known for pioneering the survival-horror genre and challenging its players with mind-boggling puzzles and fixed camera angles. However, with the introduction of Resident Evil 4 in 2004, the franchise had a major shift in direction and ditched fixed camera with a third-person over the shoulder perspective, and began to lean on Hollywood-style action.
After a series of games that appear to have isolated its core fans, publisher and developer Capcom decided to make a return to its survival-horror roots but introduced the first-person perspective in Resident Evil 7. However, despite all the changes that were made over the years, Resident Evil remained grounded in its central theme concerning the dark side of science and mostly revolved around the idea of the threat of bioterrorism.
Ever since the release of Resident Evil 7 back in 2017, it became unclear which direction Resident Evil is headed to. Capcom's latest release in the franchise was 2019's remake of Resident Evil 2, and in less than a month from now, a reimagining of Resident Evil 3. So when Capcom does decide to develop the next main installment in the Resident Evil series, what should players expect in terms of direction? Will it follow the footsteps of Resident Evil 7? Or will the next game introduce a new direction that has not been done in Resident Evil in the past?
What The Resident Evil Rumors Are Saying
Before speculating on what is Resident Evil's likeliest direction, it is worth pointing out all the rumors circulating the highly-anticipated new installment to the franchise. An anonymous source recently reported that the rumored Resident Evil 8 will reportedly be played from a first-person perspective, and will see the return of Resident Evil 7's Ethan Winters, and series veteran Chris Redfield. While this report offers nothing new, given that it sounds like a continuation of Ethan's story from Resident Evil 7, some interesting elements were also revealed about the upcoming game.
According to the unknown leaker, Resident Evil 8 will reportedly feature new enemy types in the form of werewolf-like creatures, and a new main antagonist that will be a ghost-like female entity that will vanish to thin air when shot. Furthermore, another report from a German news outlet also confirmed the werewolf creatures but added armored zombies with swords and a medieval setting. Although these reports are still unconfirmed by Capcom, these are the strongest ones that are currently dominating the RE8 rumor mill, potentially suggesting that Resident Evil is heading towards a supernatural direction?
Will Resident Evil Go Supernatural?
Assuming that recent rumors about Resident Evil 8 are true, then it appears that Capcom is attempting to explore the supernatural realm with the inclusion of werewolves and a ghost-like antagonist. Of course, it is worth pointing out that Evelyn from Resident Evil 7 was borderline supernatural given her unique abilities, but in the end, she was still a product of sophisticated bio-organic experimentation. And this has been the common theme of all Resident Evil games, every monster, zombie, licker, and whatnot aren't supernatural creatures but products of twisted experiments.
Of course, the werewolves and the ghost-like antagonist would most likely follow the same path, given that it would be unlikely for Resident Evil to introduce full-fledged supernatural creatures. It is worth remembering that during the development of Resident Evil 4, Capcom created two initial builds for the game: one was called the fog world, which was deemed to be too supernatural and not at all Resident Evil, and the other eventually became Devil May Cry. The likeliest scenario here is that the new enemy-types in Resident Evil 8 will inhibit supernatural abilities, due to a parasite or virus that was administered to them. This way, Capcom would still be able to introduce new elements in the game, while retaining the dark sci-fi theme that is central to Resident Evil's story.
First Person or Over The Shoulder?
For quite some time now in Resident Evil's long history, the point of view to which the game is played has been a longstanding point of debate among Resident Evil fans. Some players preferred the modern vibe that over-the-shoulder offers, given that this is the point of view that is utilized by most games today. However, others prefer the first-person perspective due to the heightened scare factor it offers players.
Now, rumors are saying that Capcom will be remaining consistent this time around a retain the first-person perspective that was introduced in Resident Evil 7. Looking at Capcom's history, this route is likely to happen, given that historically, the developer retained a certain point of view for several games. Resident Evil 1 until Code Veronica all had fixed camera angles, Resident Evil 4,5,6, and Revelations 1&2 were played via over-the-shoulder, so it just makes sense that Resident Evil 8 will feature first-person similar to its predecessor.
While not everyone is a fan of this point of view, if Capcom does make Resident Evil 8 from this perspective, then players can expect it to be carried over to the next few installments and be a mainstay in direction for some time in the Resident Evil series.
Resident Evil 8 is rumored to be in development.