Summary
Resident Evilstill hasn’t made a dedicated leap to anything close to an open world, but it’s a far cry now from how linear some of its earlier entries were and its latest installments have become accustomed to exploration in wider regions with valuable yet optional loot to be found.Resident Evil Villagegave players animals to huntso the Duke could cook them stat-boosting recipes, for example, while theResident Evil 4remake essentially had optional errands for Leon S. Kennedy to run that could be turned in at the Merchant. If this is the level design approach Capcom wants forResident Evilthen it’s not out of the realm of possibility that an open world could be in the franchise’s future.
There’s an argument to be made thatResident Evilgames lose a bit of replayability with this design because, while exploring can be exhilarating on a first playthrough, exploration can be more of a slog on repeat playthroughs. Replayability hasn’t been an issue for manyResident Evilgames, but some titles’ replayability is certainly better than others so long as there is enough content to fulfill multiple playthroughs. That’s why, with alternating scenarios providing unique perspectives and experiences,Resident Evil 2would be a terrific template for any futureResident Evilgames that are a return to basics.
Resident Evil 2’s A and B Scenarios Quadruple an Otherwise Linear Game’s Content
Being able to play as Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield twice over to see what each of them endures was a neat way to extend the story in a natural way and remains distinct from playing as eitherJill Valentine or Chris Redfield inResident Evil. Playthroughs will be different whether players choose Leon A or Claire A to begin with, for instance, and thus there are four unique scenarios to experience.
Scenarios inResident Evil 2could’ve been a regurgitation if executed poorly and thankfully they each contribute authentic elements that make them worthwhile regarding new content players are treated to.
Resident Evil 3didn’t have scenarios and instead chose to have a specific sectionfeature Carlos as a playable protagonist, but scenarios inResident Evil 2afford far more content and an elaboration on the narrative that players basically create themselves, though there is a canon A-to-B pathing with Claire played first and Leon played second. TheResident Evil 2remake arguably didn’t iterate on the original’s scenarios as much as it could or should have, and maybe a future game could reinvent the wheel by re-examining scenarios wholesale.
Resident Evil Taking a Backstep Could Be Its Most Progressive Choice in a While
A futureResident Evilgame being linear enough to warrant scenarios could be the most unique direction for the franchise. That said,Resident Evildipping its toes into more modern and trendy genre tropessuggests a backstep toward classic mechanics is highly unlikely.
Just like how improbable a return to tank controls and fixed camera angles is, scenarios would mean thatResident Evilhas to ditch the openness and nonlinearity of its more recent titles. This could be entirely too alarming for an audience who may not have grown up with theoriginal trilogy,Code: Veronica, and0, and wouldn’t know how tight-knit those installments are gameplay-wise.
Nonetheless, scenarios were a fundamental part of theResident Evil 2remake, which is one of the most ubiquitously belovedResident Eviltitles nowadays, insinuating that a leap back to scenarios might not be wholly jarring or unfavorable. If nothing else,Resident Evilhas a ton of viable options for franchise directions and each one would provide it with even more longevity and authenticity.
Resident Evil 2
WHERE TO PLAY
The genre-defining masterpiece Resident Evil 2 returns, completely rebuilt from the ground up for a deeper narrative experience. Using Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine, Resident Evil 2 offers a fresh take on the classic survival horror saga with breathtakingly realistic visuals, heart-pounding immersive audio, a new over-the-shoulder camera, and modernized controls on top of gameplay modes from the original game.In Resident Evil 2, the classic action, tense exploration, and puzzle solving gameplay that defined the Resident Evil series returns. Players join rookie police officer Leon Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who are thrust together by a disastrous outbreak in Raccoon City that transformed its population into deadly zombies. Both Leon and Claire have their own separate playable campaigns, allowing players to see the story from both characters’ perspectives. The fate of these two fan favorite characters is in players hands as they work together to survive and get to the bottom of what is behind the terrifying attack on the city. Will they make it out alive?
