Resident Evil is a promising franchise with the possibility of new remakes and mainline installments far into the future. The assumption is that Capcom is potentially going to remake Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 if it continues to reimagine mainline entries in order. The original Resident Evil was unfortunately skipped, and it would have been fantastic to see what modern graphics and gameplay would have looked like for it. But it also makes sense because it already had a remake, even if it was not a third-person reimagining like Resident Evil 2 or Resident Evil 3.
Resident Evil 4 could be Capcom’s most divisive remake thus far due to how much nostalgia fans have for it. Gameplay shared from it since its announcement demonstrates that new mechanics have been integrated that will allow for similar functions as the original’s QTE prompts, but with modern sensibilities and UI in mind. This maintains its classic survival-horror roots with a touch of action that the original also has, but if Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 receive remakes in the future, there will be a lot more for Capcom to redesign and reconsider concerning gameplay and narrative.
Co-Op is Paramount in Both RE5 and RE6
The biggest hurdle that remakes of Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 would need is dedicated co-op. Co-op is single-handedly what makes Resident Evil 5 stand apart from other entries with regard to how intrinsic it is in gameplay, where players control both Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar throughout the entire game.
Co-op being omitted from a Resident Evil 5 remake would be absolutely unacceptable because it is so important, but that is a choice that could potentially be made if Capcom does decide to continue reimagining its mainline Resident Evil games. Resident Evil’s modern reimaginings have an opportunity to steer the franchise in the tonal direction that Capcom desires.
Therefore, if Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 do follow after the remakes of the second, third, and fourth installments, it will be telling what changes are decided upon. Co-op gameplay is one thing, but both the fifth and sixth installments are also heavily action-oriented and briskly omit any signs of survival-horror in lieu of arcade-esque shootouts. This is the fine line that Resident Evil 4 had to tightrope as it bridged the two gameplay genres, but Resident Evil 5’s co-op feature solidified it wholly as an action-arcade game.
Capcom Would Have to Work Its Magic to Reimagine RE5 and RE6
Capcom’s remakes are embedded in survival-horror mechanics, though, and it would be interesting to see how a Resident Evil 5 remake with co-op could be molded around this new gameplay design. There is a stigma surrounding Resident Evil 6 as one of the worst Resident Evil games, but that is not necessarily true.
Resident Evil 6 is not disliked as a game in general as much as it is disliked as a mainline Resident Evil game. A Resident Evil 6 remake would not be completely out of the realm of possibility with how much of an emphasis the modern remakes are putting on Leon S. Kennedy’s character, but there are a lot of other playable characters it would need to consider as well.
Resident Evil 6 is easily the longest Resident Evil game, and while that could have been fine if its content sustained that duration, there is a redundancy between character campaigns that makes players repeat content from a different perspective. Because there is a lot of potential fat to trim, Capcom would actually have a lot of leniency with content to cut or change from Resident Evil 6 because fans would likely be open to having entire campaigns abandoned for a singular narrative direction.
Resident Evil 4 is scheduled to release on March 24 for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.