Summary
Resident Evil 9could go in a number of different directions. The Winters saga was definitively ended byResident Evil Village’s Shadows of RoseDLC, sowho exactly will leadResident Evil 9is a bit unclear. While a legacy character like Chris Redfield or Leon Kennedy could take up the mantle of protagonist once again, there are a number of benefits to introducing a new character who shares Ethan’s everyman persona. Then again, this would come with its own host of narrative problems.
By the timeResident Evil 6rolled around, the franchise had abandoned most of its horror roots. The games were still technically classified as ‘survival horror,’ but the fifth and sixth mainline releases lack the tension and vulnerability that true horror requires, choosing instead to focus on the series' larger-than-life heroes who, while iconic, never seem to be in any real danger, and thus are not conducive to a scary experience. Then,Resident Evilintroduced Ethan Winters, sacrificing a bit of charm in favor of relatability. This allowed those two games to be more frightening and intimate, as Ethan is nowhere near as capable as previous protagonists, and is actually personally connected to the conflicts at hand.
A Grounded Protagonist In Resident Evil 9 Would Be Hard to Justify
Since an average Joe hero like Ethan Winters facilitates more effective horror storytelling, andResident Evilis aiming for a horror experience, introducing another non-combatant, non-specialized, ‘normal’ person inResident Evil 9may seem like a no-brainer. However, introducing a new grounded character would be tough, as there’s no real reason for them to be engaged in a typicalResident Evilconflict. Ethan is a bit of an exception, as his wife Mia is directly connected to the fungal outbreak and Mother Miranda through her work with The Connections beforeResident Evil 7.
A highly specific background is whatjustifies Ethan’s involvement inResident Evil; the average person isn’t going to have any real reason to go on a zombie-killing adventure, at least not long enough to constitute a video game narrative. This is a big reason why characters like Chris Redfieldare at the center ofResident Evilgames, as it is quite literally their job to face off against dangerous biohazards and evil corporations.
Average protagonists work in a franchise likeSilent Hillwhere the horror is mainly psychological, but it’s a bit harder to pull off inResident Evil, which tends to feature large-scale conflicts that go beyond a single person.
It might be easier to write a story around one ofResident Evil’s legacy heroes, but Capcom shouldn’t forget about the strengths of the everyman. During Ethan’s relatively short stint as the series' lead,Resident Evilwas able to be scarier than it had been in years, offering a breath of fresh air through a personal, emotionally resonant, and terrifying story. Epic battles against the likes of Wesker are great, but they don’t match the psychological horror of Ethan being attacked by his infected wife, or thinking that his child has been killed. This relatability and vulnerability need to be recaptured inResident Evil 9.
AlthoughVillageis a bit more action-packed than its predecessor, it seems likeResident Evilis moving away from action-horrorand more toward psychological horror, at least with its main, non-remake titles. It could achieve this psychological horror by simply rehashing the Winters saga, introducing a character with basically the same motivations as Ethan, but this would be repetitive at best and nonsensical at worst. Maybe the best move would be forResident Evil 9to merge the series' two identities—action and horror— into something new, showing a vulnerable and personal side of a character who would logically be part of the narrative.
Resident Evil Village
WHERE TO PLAY
Ethan Winters finds himself in an entirely new nightmare in Capcom’s latest installment of the acclaimed Resident Evil franchise. Whether you’re defending against Lycans in the grim dwellings of the village or exploring the lavish Castle Dimitrescu, the meticulously designed environments immerse you in this eerie world, powered by Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine. Run from, hide or face off against a diverse cast of terrifying village inhabitants in dream-like - no, nightmarish - situations and fight your instincts to push through classic horror-based sequences. Also, be sure to check out “The Mercenaries” that unlocks once you’ve finished the campaign, a fast-paced and arcade-like game mode which challenges players to blast away enemies against the clock.
