When first revealed at the PlayStation 5 showcase, Resident Evil 8 was met with an equal amount of excitement and questions from longtime fans. Thanks to some translated hints from the game’s producers, some answers have finally been provided, including information about Chris Redfield in particular.
While some players may want to see the return of Resident Evil characters like Carlos Oliveira, or the inclusion of more new characters, Capcom seems determined to keep the focus on bringing back fan favorites. Within an issue of Famitsu magazine, which was translated by Resident Evil community member Alex Aniel, details regarding Chris Redfield’s role in the sequel are revealed by the game's producers. As it turns out, Chris is responsible for the return of protagonist Ethan Winters.
Per Aniel’s translation, “Famitsu confirms it was Chris who took Ethan to the mysterious mountain village” after some time had passed since the events of RE7. While it is unclear why Chris did such a thing, this shred of information does make a bit more sense of Chris killing Mia in the Resident Evil 8 reveal trailer. Clearly, he needs Ethan to achieve whatever goal he has within the village, though what Chris and the unlucky protagonist need to accomplish in the village remains unclear.
Ethan soon awakens and finds himself in one of the village’s open, explorable environments. According to Aniel, the magazine states that Resident Evil 8's many creatures are protecting a cult of villagers within the game. One villager in particular utters some iconic lines from RE4’s merchant, a character that will likely be seen in Resident Evil 4's rumored remake. Supposedly, Ethan has a picture book from Mia that predicts the events of the game, an odd addition that the translator believes will be crucial to the game’s plot.
A Q&A with producers Tsuyoshi Kanda and Pete Fabiano is included in the Famitsu article, and thankfully, it has also been translated. Within the Q&A, it was reiterated that Chris is indeed the man that kills Mia in the first trailer. Beyond that, the terrifying creatures in RE8 were confirmed to be intelligent despite not being able to speak a language. The merchant was described as someone whom “Ethan’s life will depend on,” and the religious cult’s prayers are supposedly said “to protect themselves from danger.”
Resident Evil fans are lucky that Alex Aniel was able to translate the Famitsu article, as it seems to have confirmed many plot details for Resident Evil 8. While RE8’s supposedly deep crafting system was not discussed, Capcom has plenty of time before the game’s release to share that information.
Resident Evil 8 is in development for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Source: Famitsu via Alex Aniel