Revolutionizing Resident Evil 9: The Untapped Potential of Melee Weapons

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As a dedicated fan of the Resident Evil series, I’ve always admired its signature blend of gunplay, strategic item management, and resource allocation. Yet, one aspect that has consistently felt underdeveloped across many installments is the use of melee weapons. Take the knife, for example, which is often employed as a last-ditch defensive measure when a player finds themselves in peril and must quickly evade danger before resuming firearm usage. Even innovative games like the Resident Evil 4 Remake, with its added durability and parrying features, still seem to view melee combat as a secondary concern.

In Resident Evil 9, Capcom has a golden chance to shake things up drastically, not by swapping out guns, but by elevating melee combat to an equally strategic and adaptable aspect of my survival arsenal. By enhancing the melee system to be more dynamic, they could enrich the gameplay experience by deepening exploration, strategy, and battle sequences. To start with, something as simple as hunting for various melee weapons such as machetes or pipes, each boasting unique animations, tactical applications, and damage characteristics, could bring so much richness to the game.

Melee Weapons Need to Have a Purpose in Resident Evil

Currently in the Resident Evil series, knives primarily serve to prolong the inevitable reloading process, and they don’t seem to have a defined role. They essentially function as panic buttons. However, Resident Evil 9 might alter this by incorporating a stamina or momentum system related to melee attacks. For instance, delivering a strategic heavy blow at the right moment could stun an enemy, creating tactical benefits without depleting valuable ammo. On the other hand, quick, repeated strikes might prove effective against hordes of smaller adversaries.

A Meaningful Risk-Reward Balance is Necessary in Resident Evil

The concept is to make melee weapons deteriorate realistically as they’re used to stun opponents, rather than breaking instantly like the knife in RE4R. Instead, they should gradually lose their effectiveness unless maintained or replaced. This would force players to consider whether saving ammo is worth the cost of damaging a crucial tool over time. In the same vein, heavy weapons could be slower and leave the player vulnerable, while lightweight tools might have reach or power limitations. No single melee weapon should be a one-size-fits-all solution, and there should be trade-offs to ensure balance between each option.

In order for the enemy design in Resident Evil to keep up with this system, it should adapt over time. Some enemies might aggressively respond to close combat, compelling players to switch strategies. Others could be weak only under specific melee circumstances; for example, armored foes may need blunt force before gunfire becomes effective. Making enemies respond to melee combat as they do to gunfire would create a complete loop and upgrade melee from an emergency option to a deliberate, skillful choice for players.

Lessons Resident Evil 9 Should Take from Other Horror Games

Games such as “The Last of Us” demonstrate that melee combat can enhance survival horror genres effectively, without making the gameplay less terrifying. The gaming industry has witnessed how skillfully crafted melee mechanics are not about giving players an upper hand but rather providing them with additional ways to strategize and survive creatively. For instance, in “The Last of Us,” tactical use of melee weapons (taking into account factors like durability, speed of animation, and whether it’s a sharp or blunt weapon) significantly alters the pace of a fight without lowering tension. Additionally, an unexplored area that “Resident Evil 9” could explore is incorporating strategic melee interactions more frequently during environmental exploration.

In various instances, the Resident Evil franchise has toyed with the concept of environmental combat tools. For example, Moira in Revelations 2 wields a crowbar for both fighting enemies and opening certain doors, and Ethan’s stake weapon in Resident Evil Village serves as a backup melee option with significant impact. In Resident Evil 9 (RE9), this could be expanded upon by incorporating rarely used melee weapons such as fire axes or machetes for prying open doors, creating new pathways, and solving environmental puzzles. This would not only enhance the gameplay experience like the Katana in Revelations 2 or Joe’s gauntlets in RE7’s End of Zoe DLC did, but it would also emphasize themes of desperation, improvisation, and survival, which are hallmarks of the most memorable entries in the series.

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2025-05-02 23:16