Resident Evil 9 Introducing a New Protagonist Would Be a Double-Edged Sword

Resident Evil 9 Introducing a New Protagonist Would Be a Double-Edged Sword

As a seasoned Resident Evil gamer with over two decades of survival horror under my belt, I can confidently say that Capcom is standing at a critical juncture as they prepare for Resident Evil 9. The series has seen its fair share of ups and downs, but the reinvention brought about by RE7 was a breath of fresh air that reinvigorated my love for the franchise.


The Resident Evil franchise is standing at a crucial juncture as it gears up for its upcoming main installment, lacking an apparent lead character in the coming phases. After the revamp seen in RE7, which played a significant role in re-establishing the series’ popularity, Capcom has carried forward this fresh perspective in Village and revisited past titles to generally favorable reviews. With both strategies having been pursued for several years now, the potential risks involved in concentrating on either path have cast a degree of uncertainty over what lies ahead for the future of Resident Evil.

Introducing a fresh protagonist for Resident Evil 9 might inject an exciting dose of novelty, but there’s a risk that this change could estrange fans who have built strong emotional bonds with the characters from earlier installments. It’s true that the daring departure represented by RE7 worked wonders when it was released, but it might not be wise to focus solely on a captivating new storyline now that so many beloved characters are still in play.

The Resident Evil Franchise is at a Crossroads with RE9’s Player Character

Expectations Around Finishing What Resident Evil 7 Started

The narrative arc for the Winters family can be seen as starting when Ethan was on the Baker property in RE7, and ending in Resident Evil Village and its Shadows of Rose DLC. There’s been talk about RE9 having Rose Winters as the playable character again, but her story resolution and odd timing have left Chris Redfield’s continuing mission as the only thread from the previous game that seems to be fully developed.

Capcom Hasn’t Been Able to Ignore the Desire to Return to a Classic Cast

While its newer series were earning profits, Capcom was also profiting from high-definition remakes of the classic Resident Evil games from previous generations. The popularity of these characters like Leon Kennedy and Jill Valentine, who have been revived in recent years, has added complexity to deciding the characters for the next game. This is compounded by the fact that Ethan Winters, although less characterized compared to other protagonists in RE, still had an arc that concluded.

A New Protagonist Would Make or Break Resident Evil 9

Leaving a Full-Circle Moment Behind in Favor of Innovation

In consideration of various narrative elements tied to classic characters from the Resident Evil franchise, the upcoming RE could potentially draw inspiration from these, but it may opt instead to concentrate on a fresh, self-contained story rather than adhering strictly to established lore. Given the acclaim received by RE4, which was praised despite its departure from the traditional narrative, taking a more innovative approach for this long-standing series could maintain the recent trend of originality that started in 2017. With director Koshi Nakanishi now involved in the next Resident Evil project, there’s a strong possibility that it will embody the creative flair demonstrated in his previous work. However, since a soft reboot has been attempted in the past, there’s also a risk that repeating this approach might not hold the same allure in future installments.

Popular Characters Are Almost Guaranteed to Better Resonate with Players

Regardless of how hard they try to present a fresh persona, a new character in the role of protagonist is likely to fail to achieve the same level of impact as characters who have made triumphant comebacks. Unless their return leads to a scenario similar to the negative response towards Resident Evil 6, which suffered due to its overemphasis on action sequences and fan service, thus losing focus, then revisiting the original cast one last time could rise above mere nostalgia-baiting.

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2024-10-16 19:35