Summary
Although not much is known about the hotly anticipatedResident Evil 9, the internet has been rife with speculation, as is so often the case with long-awaited sequels. One of the most interesting and widely discussed prospects isResident Evil 9’s rumored open-world, which has been pondered over for quite some time and was recently reinforced by reputable leaker Dusk Golem in March 2024.
One of the reasons why this possibility is so intriguing is due to genre conventions: open-worlds and survival horror don’t typically mix. Of course, there are survival games with horror elements, such asThe ForestandSubnautica, but when it comes to the genre’s most recognizable, seminal titles, open-worlds are fairly sparse. This makes sense, as the horror found in games likeResident Eviltypically demands a controlled tone and nuanced pacing that can be hard to achieve alongside the freedom inherent in open-world design, but there’s one game that arguably achieves the best of both worlds:The Evil Within 2.
What Resident Evil 9’s Open-World Could Learn from The Evil Within 2
The Evil Withinis often considered underrated. Its tone, gameplay, and narrative could stand toe-to-toe with a series likeResident EvilorDead Space, but the IP is usually not spoken of in the same terms as those prestigious franchises. There are a number of elements that have helped bothEvil Withingames to achieve its cult classic status, but many fans point to the second game as a significant improvement; not only is it more polished and ambitious than its predecessor, but it makes numerous inventive design choices, not the least of which being its somewhat incongruous yet well-designed open-world spaces.
The Last of Us 2andAlan Wake 2both feature semi-open levels that may have been inspired byThe Evil Within 2, but it’s debatable whether they are as expansive, deep, or effective from a horror perspective.
The Evil Within 2’s Open-World Design Complements Its Horror
The general concern with making a horrorfranchise likeResident Evilopen-world isthe effect that such a change will have on things like tone and tension.The Evil Withinproves that freeform exploration and scares don’t have to be mutually exclusive, though, as the sandbox level that is the town of Union is arguably one of the scariest and most immersive parts of the game. Level design, narrative context, and atmosphere all play key roles here, but navigating the mysterious and otherworldly town with little to no sense of direction also helps to elevate the horror. Indeed,The Evil Within 2proves that the freedom associated with an open world can actually buttress a frightening experience, as players don’t have a reliable sense of structure or linearity to guide them.
Open-world design also synergizes withThe Evil Within’s gameplay mechanics. Like so many other survival horror games, resource management and optional upgrades play a significant role inThe Evil Within 2’s core gameplay loop. Choosing when to shoot a gun, when to run away, and when to take bigger risks for the chance of getting a worthwhile reward are all decisions players have to make in-game. Through its open-world structure,The Evil Within 2is able to make these decisions more dynamic, varied, and unpredictable, whereas they can feel tied to setpiece moments and linear exploration in other survival horror games.
Resident Evil’s environment design, resource economy, approach to puzzles, and gear system will all need to be molded around the open-world structure, and this could makeResident Evil 9’s theoretical open-world necessarily different fromThe Evil Within 2’s. This is especially true ifRE9is entirely open-worldrather than just featuring a few open levels during specific chapters. At the same time,The Evil Within 2could serve as good inspiration, as its open-world is tight, clever, and doesn’t betray survival-horror fundamentals.
Resident Evil
Resident Evil is a long-running survival horror franchise developed by Capcom. Spread across numerous mainline and spin-off entries, the series is known for it’s third and first-person action horror, zombie-related monsters and references, and challenging puzzles.
