After over a year of waiting, Capcom finally gave fans a much-needed update on the long-anticipated DLC to Resident Evil Village. In its half-hour showcase held last June, Capcom revealed Shadows of Rose, a story expansion to Resident Evil Village that focuses on the journey of Rose Winters. According to the trailer released by Capcom, Shadows of Rose takes place 16 years after the main game's events, which may have a significant effect on Resident Evil's legacy characters.
It is still a mystery whether the next mainline Resident Evil game will follow the story of Shadows of Rose. However, if it does, it is safe to assume that the franchise's legacy characters will have little to no involvement in the story moving forward, given that all of them will be in their early 60s and are unlikely to still be on active duty. If this is the case, Capcom must do two important things first before bidding farewell to Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon Kennedy, and Claire Redfield.
A Resident Evil Game Featuring Jill Valentine and Leon Kennedy
In Resident Evil's 25 years of existence, the franchise has produced numerous games allowing significant characters to interact with one another. However, it is worth noting that despite the franchise's long history, two of its most prominent characters, Jill Valentine and Leon Kennedy, are still yet to be seen together in a Resident Evil game. Of course, it is essential to point out that Jill has also never encountered Claire Redfield in a game, though it is heavily implied that the two know each other given their relation to Chris Redfield. For example, in a letter in the police station in Resident Evil 2 Remake, Chris requests Jill to reassure Claire that he is safe, saying, "Jill, if Claire tries to contact you, please let her know I'm OK."
Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said of Jill and Leon, which is a mystery given that both are prominent Resident Evil characters. Jill and Leon's popularity surpassed the Resident Evil community as both were the only characters from the franchise included in the Guinness World Book of Record's Most Iconic Video Game Characters. Given that both Jill and Leon are icons in Resident Evil and the video game industry, it would be a shame if Capcom transitions to a whole new storyline without having Jill and Leon cross paths.
A Game That Would Bring Closure To The Story of Resident Evil's Major Characters
If Capcom is planning to move away from the "old Resident Evil," then the perfect way to end this chapter of the series is to have all four legacy characters and several secondary ones appear in a game. Of course, having many characters appear in one game may sound familiar to fans, given that Capcom already did this with Resident Evil 6. However, to avoid the pitfalls of that game, Capcom should make the game focused on survival horror and have a story that is concise and believable, instead of having multiple stories that are all over the place as with Resident Evil 6.
While the possibilities in terms of the story are endless, Capcom could introduce a massive threat forcing Chris and Jill from the B.S.A.A., Leon Kennedy from the US government, and Claire Redfield from TerraSave to work together. The game could also implement the dual scenario system that was a staple in the classic era of the Resident Evil franchise. But, in the end, if Capcom is really moving away from the old Resident Evil, it would be nice if the studio releases a final game first that is survival horror at heart, featuring the legacy characters that Resident Evil fans have come to love for 25 years.