Summary
TheResident Evilseries seems to be at the top of its game, with Capcom churning out a stream of solid new entries and ambitious remakes alike. For many fans,Resident Evilhas struck a perfect balance between gameplayand horror elements with these new releases, providing engaging combat alongside thick tension and evocative scares.
It wasn’t too long ago that general sentiment about the series was remarkably different. For as beloved asResident Evil 4was and still is, it kicked off a trend that saw the franchise lean more into the action side of its survival-horror formula, gradually leaving the horror side of the equation almost totally emaciated. This shift in perspective and design philosophy culminated inResident Evil 6, a high-octane blockbuster thriller that is so removed fromResident Eviltradition that it’s nearly unrecognizable. Thankfully, Capcom took some time off from the franchise and returned withResident Evil 7in 2017, which revitalized its horror focus. That said, the series seems to still be clinging on to one overly action-oriented trend that it would be better off ditching.
The Sun Should Set on Resident Evil’s Recent Multiplayer Modes
Resident Evil Re:Verse and Resident Evil: Resistance Haven’t Worked Out
Launching in 2020 and 2022 respectively,Resident Evil Re:Verse andResident Evil: Resistancehave met receptions ranging from lukewarm to contemptuous. The former is a traditional PvP shooter, where players take control of iconicResident Evilcharacters and fight other competitors to the death, and the latter is an asymmetric multiplayer game similar toDead by Daylight. In the eyes of many fans, these sorts of multiplayer formulas simply don’t work forResident Evil.
TheResident Evilfanbase’s contempt for these multiplayer titles is evident in their Steam review scores, which are both “Mostly Negative.”
This is a rather fair criticism, as a competitive multiplayer framework isn’t quite compatible withResident Evil’s horror and narrative elements, which inform the series' unique gameplay. Really,Resident Evilis not a third or first-person shooter franchise, but a survival horror franchise that incorporates shooting, so an action-packed team deathmatch or asymmetric multiplayer game doesn’t play to its strengths.
ResistanceandRe:Versehave other notable problemsas well, like copious microtransactions and technical shortcomings. EvenResistance, which arguably has more potential compared to the more action-heavyRe:Verse, is plagued by matchmaking problems and poor cheat detection that overshadow any good qualities it might have. On top of all of this, these multiplayer games can feel cynical and phoned in, especiallyRe:Verse, which suffers from a controversial battle pass and a dearth of content.
Resident Evil Re:Verse and Resistance Are Resident Evil 6 All Over Again
Put plainly,Re:VerseandResistanceseem to miss the point ofResident Evil, much likeRE6and, to a lesser extent,RE5. Capcom may be able toimplement co-op in futureResident Evilgames, especially those that lean a bit more into combat, but the competitive scene might never be the franchise’s bread and butter. Couple this with the fact that live-service tropes like in-game cash shops and battle passes are continually falling out of favor, and it seems more reasonable than ever for Capcom to bow out of thisResident Evilmultiplayer push.
As Capcom works onmakingResident Evil 9as good as possible, competitive multiplayer should be left on the cutting room floor.REfans, generally speaking, come to the series for scares, a fun story, and satisfying but methodical shooting mechanics.Re:VerseandResistance, whatever strengths they may have in isolation, are prime examples of why not every IP needs to become a multiplayer or live-service experience, and the minds behind these titles ought to heed this lesson.
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.
