Resident Evil 5 took the franchise further from its survival-horror roots. Fans generally agree Chris Redfield is a signifier that whichever entry he appears in will be more action-oriented, with Resident Evil 6 punctuating that and Resident Evil Village giving him a strong action sequence as well. However, Chris came from humble origins in the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil Code: Veronica, both of which are firmly rooted in survival-horror. Therefore, the more stand-out element of Resident Evil 5 would be its co-op gameplay.
Co-op was a fleeting approach in the Resident Evil franchise, and while it has not been pursued in later entries, it still had a profound effect on the games it was introduced to. Games that have single-player and co-op content usually make or break the experience due to how one may be favorable over the other. Resident Evil 5 was clearly designed with dedicated co-op in mind, for example, and playing it in single-player is arguably a subdued experience as Sheva Alomar becomes an AI companion instead. If future Resident Evil games feature co-op, Resident Evil 5 can be the blueprint.
Resident Evil 5’s Lost in Nightmares DLC Should Be the Co-Op Blueprint
Resident Evil 5’s co-op has a lot of neat mechanics that make it an engaging back-and-forth experience between both players. Chris and Sheva both have limited inventories on their own, but they can share and swap items between them. There are also interactions that allow Chris to hurl Sheva up to otherwise unreachable areas, and many sequences require both characters to separate and operate a certain interaction at the same time. This is all achievable in single-player, but it is much less satisfying when having to manage the inventory of an NPC and command them around.
Resident Evil 5’s narrative and atmosphere hardly do anything for the franchise, with it being a mere backdrop for fun co-op gameplay. That said, Resident Evil 5’s Lost in Nightmares DLC has a wonderful atmosphere. This prologue DLC offered explicit nostalgia reminiscing upon the original Resident Evil, since it featured Chris and Jill as playable characters in Oswell E. Spencer’s estate.
In many ways, this DLC suggested what another modern remake of the original Resident Evil could look like with co-op. If replicated for a co-op Resident Evil game in the style of the Resident Evil 2 remake, the survival-horror tone with modern gameplay would be fantastic. Imagining what it would be like to traverse the Raccoon City Police Department with a co-op partner, this experience could be wholly satisfying.
A Resident Evil 5 Remake Could Usher in New Co-Op Games
Resident Evil 5 expanded upon Resident Evil 4 and retained its quick-time events for stunned enemies. The Resident Evil 4 remake looks to be faithfully adapting this same close-quarters combat approach, and if a Resident Evil 5 remake was announced, this is likely how fans would like its gameplay to look in a co-op context.
Then, if a Resident Evil 5 remake with co-op is successful, it could encourage other Resident Evil games to include co-op as well. Resident Evil 6 would be the next logical game to be remade after Resident Evil 5, and co-op would certainly need to carry over as an equally important part of gameplay. In the meantime, fans are probably satisfied with the direction that Resident Evil is headed.
If co-op was to introduce more action and less horror for the franchise, its success would be woefully misconstrued. Instead, Capcom needs to deliver on engaging co-op with a potential Resident Evil 5 remake, but not repeat the past and abandon its survival-horror mechanics altogether.
Resident Evil 5 is available on PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox 360.