In the midst of rumors about Resident Evil 9, Resident Evil Village fans are currently being treated to the announcement and details of DLC. Resident Evil Village’s Winters’ Expansion introduces new characters and features to its Mercenaries mode, a third-person mode for the base game, and a third-person narrative expansion for Rosemary Winters.

Meanwhile, leaks for Resident Evil 9 have purportedly shared numerous details about what players can expect from it. This information is to be taken with a grain of salt since it is unconfirmed, but it does generate more discussion about what indeed could ensue in the sequel. In spite of what the rumored leak suggests, there is still an opportunity that Resident Evil 9 follows Chris Redfield’s narrative instead. If so, Resident Evil 9 could pay as much homage to Resident Evil 5 as Resident Evil Village paid to Resident Evil 4.

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Resident Evil Village Pays Tribute to Resident Evil 4

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Resident Evil Village was a continuation of Ethan and Mia Winters’ narratives that took them to a wholly different landscape than Resident Evil 7’s Louisiana bayou. Even though a reasonable enough excuse for their relocation to Romania was given, the actual reason why such an environmental transition was implemented was due to how comparable Resident Evil Village wished to be to Resident Evil 4.

In the storied pantheon of Resident Evil titles, many fans would likely argue that Resident Evil 4 was the most impactful or seminal of the original franchise, and its inspiration is clearly illustrated in Resident Evil Village’s tapestry of familiar environments and imagery. Some influences are more subtle than others, such as the player’s ability to barricade certain doorways as an enemy mob approaches, and then there are iterations on particular characters such as the Duke obviously emulating Resident Evil 4’s unnamed Merchant.

Resident Evil 5 may not have had the same inspirational effect as Resident Evil 4 did, but it has still managed to outsell it and be one of Resident Evil’s highest-earning installments. Resident Evil 9 now has an interesting branching point ahead of it where Capcom could decide to feature a new cast of characters again as its protagonists.

Otherwise, it could choose to follow the epilogue narrative that was teased at the end of Resident Evil Village. If the latter is decided upon, Chris would seemingly return in a protagonist role, and it would be interesting to see Resident Evil 9 draw from Resident Evil 5 in the same way that Resident Evil Village drew from Resident Evil 4.

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Resident Evil 9 Could Pay Tribute to Resident Evil 5

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Capcom recently confirmed its long-awaited and highly anticipated remake of Resident Evil 4. This puts it in sequential order after Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 both received remakes of their own, but this direct continuation through the franchise’s mainline entries unfortunately does not necessarily conclude that Capcom will tackle Resident Evil 5 in the near future.

Resident Evil 5 introduced a much greater emphasis on action-oriented gameplay through dedicated co-op, with fans either playing as Chris Redfield or Sheva Alomar. Having Resident Evil 5 remade, then, would likely necessitate a drastic change in gameplay if Capcom wished to reimagine it with the same modern horror atmosphere that was offered in Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, and now Resident Evil 4.

But whether a remake for Resident Evil 5 is likely or unlikely, Resident Evil 9 could still pull from its well of inspiration to create a lasting tribute to Chris as one of Resident Evil’s prolific legacy characters. Resident Evil 9 would almost assuredly be an action-oriented game similar to Resident Evil 5 if it does go ahead with Chris’ narrative, especially since Chris’ most recent additions in gameplay have revolved exclusively around action.

If this is the intended route Capcom wishes to navigate, playing as Chris again in first and third-person could emulate some of the gameplay that fans remember from Resident Evil 5. The game may not take players back to Africa in particular, but there may be nods to Resident Evil 5 that offer the same sensation that Resident Evil Village offered in tribute to Resident Evil 4.

Likewise, Resident Evil 9 could pair Chris with beloved Resident Evil heroine Jill Valentine once again. The two were last seen together in Resident Evil 5, and having a continuation from that installment would bookend Chris and Jill’s narrative together perfectly.

Resident Evil 9 is rumored to be in development.

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