Summary
Resident Evilremakes have become a staple of the contemporary video-game landscape. 2019’sResident Evil2kicked off a chain of remakes for the series, and for good reason. Capcom’s new vision forResident Evil 2re-imagined the title in a way that perfectly blended new and old, and thoughResident Evil 3’s remake was a bit more divisive,Resident Evil 4’s remake was released in March and has been one of the year’s most well-received titles. Now thatResident Evil 4has been conquered, the future ofResident Evil’s line of remakes is uncertain. While the obvious choice isResident Evil 5, it may not be the best choice for the series' next entry.
Resident Evilhas something of a checkered past. While the original four mainline games andCode: Veronicaare generally well-regarded, the series had a little bit of an identity crisis beginning in the late 00s.Resident Evil4is a masterpiece, but it was also something of an anomaly for the series. Rather than lean into its horror roots, the game was campier and lighter-hearted than previous entries. It is also more of an action game, putting some of the series survival horror tropes on the back burner.RE4worked because it struck a strong balance, butRE5andRE6would double down on non-horror elements to mixed results. As such, aResident Evil 5remake would need to be reworked significantly to fit the new tone. Instead of putting in all that effort, returning to a horror-focused entry makes sense, and before Capcom jumps back toCode: Veronica, it should go even further into the past.
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Resident Evil Remakes Are At A Fork In The Road
Resident Evil 5 Remakewould face an uphill battle in a number of ways. The first is that the original isn’t very scary, leaning much more into the action shooter elements ofRE4than the series horror roots. Another issue it faces is that it came out for seventh gen consoles, meaning that its presentation is - compared to other remade titles - still fairly modern. A remake forResident Evil 5could work, but it might need to do more re-inventing than previous remakes have. While theRE2andRE4remakes had a strong foundation to work from as horror games,Resident Evil 5’s tonal inconsistency and relative newness mean that it would have to enhance its horror elements to justify being more than a remaster.
AResident Evil Code: Veronicaremakeis something that has been requested fairly heavily by fans, and it appears Capcom isn’t totally opposed to the idea.Code: Veronicawas developed as the true follow-up toResident Evil 2and has wide-reaching story implications. Coming out in 2000, the game could stand for some modernization as well. WhileCode: Veronicawould be a stronger choice thanRE5for a remake, there is another set of games that the series could revisit next that would also help to flesh out series lore for fans discovering the franchise through its remakes.
Resident Evil And Resident Evil 0 Are Ripe For Remaking
The originalResident Evilwas remade for the GameCube in 2002. This remake is the definitive way to play the original game, but it is still a far cry from the modern remakes the franchise has enjoyed. In recent years the remaster ofResident Evil 0has sold well, showing that fans still have interest in the series origins. The perfect remakes for the series to tackle next could beResident EvilandResident Evil 0. If Capcom wanted to get ambitious, it could remake them as one narrative given the proximity of the events, but more traditional remakes of each game could be bundled together as well.
Resident Eviland its prequel are the perfect choice for the franchise’s next remakes. WhileCode: Veronicais an important part of the lore, so is the story’s very beginning, and aResident Evilremake would be able to lean into the franchises' horror roots and expand on them with modern presentation.Resident Evil 0is so tightly connected to the original that it’s inclusion would make sense.Resident Evil 2remakewas so well received because it enhanced the original while remaining faithful to its vision, and the originalResident Evilis the perfect candidate if Capcom wants to recapture that magic.
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