Resident Evil 9’s Rumored Open-World Is A Bigger Deal Than You Thought

The Resident Evil franchise has been terrifying players for over 20 years across almost 30 mainline entries, spinoffs, and remakes. As one of the first major survival horror games, by combining scares with action, developer Capcom continues to adapt to the changes in the industry. This can be noted in its shift in camera angles throughout the series, from its initial fixed perspectives, to revolutionary third-person over-the-shoulder shooting, to its latest take on first-person horror. Based on recent leaks about the upcoming Resident Evil 9, the latest changes made to its franchise will concern its environmental design and map.

Resident Evil games have typically presented well-crafted linear environments that embrace tight and oppressive spaces to petrify the player. Recent gameplay leaks for the series’ latest iteration are suggesting that Resident Evil 9 could be an open-world experience, the first of the franchise’s kind. This will be a significant change and will necessitate a shift in the series’ previous approach to atmosphere, horror, and design. It is important to note that while this conversion is antithetical to Resident Evil’s roots, there is potential for it to be another successful experiment for Capcom.

Why Resident Evil Works Best in Claustrophobic Environments

Vulnerability Creates Fear in Players

A major staple of Resident Evil‘s biggest hits has been its confined level design. The series was a major influence on this approach, ensuring that players always feel vulnerable to the enemies and dangers within the world. Early games in the series, like Resident Evil and RE2, demonstrate this effectively, as the Spencer Mansion and Raccoon City Police Department both feature enclosed tunnels, tight corridors, and limited movement, to consistently restrict players from feeling safe. This was expanded upon in the Baker House from Resident Evil 7, as the claustrophobia intensified with the first-person perspective, which wouldn’t work in third-person.

These examples highlight the essence of Resident Evil‘s success in the past. By restricting player control as they navigate a tightly linear experience, the tension is amplified to ensure a chilling horror experience. Combining this with the inventory management system of the franchise enhances the fear of confinement in the games. Capcom’s venture into Virtual Reality for the latest in the series heightened the fear factor too. Modifications to this claustrophobic design could fundamentally change how the game feels, and questions are raised about how Capcom plans to maintain the beloved vulnerability within an open-world setting.

Previous Open World Attempts In Resident Evil

The Franchise Features Areas Of Exploration

Resident Evil has never fully embraced open-world gameplay, but has instead experimented with elements of exploration in larger environments. The series has always featured partial open-ended exploration, like hub areas that are returned to in order to unlock new sections, but the latest Resident Evil releases have expanded on this. In the well-received Resident Evil: Village, the player can explore the titular village, which acts as a central area with paths leading to distinctive locations that can be tackled as desired. While this was not a fully fledged open world, it experimented with player agency while not compromising on the series’ linear ethos.

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Open areas returned in 2023’s remake of Resident Evil 4, which gives the player some additional free rein and open-world elements. This was most evident in the Lake area, which allows players to freely explore an area at their own pace, with optional side missions and points of interest. Side paths, secrets, and treasures can all be found which do not progress the narrative, but provide added bonuses. These examples complement the Resident Evil experience, while not compromising the horror. Utilizing aspects from these two examples from the latest releases should be used in a potentially open-world Resident Evil 9.

Don’t Forget About the Core Tension

If the leaks concerning Resident Evil 9‘s open-world are legitimate, then Capcom should build upon Village and Resident Evil 4‘s remake by featuring segmented open-world areas instead of one fully seamless world. Taking inspiration from Silent Hill 2‘s map design could be very beneficial, where the streets of Silent Hill are open areas for the player to explore, which contain secrets and additional bonuses, while not compromising on the danger and scares. As the player progresses through the open spaces, they will end up in claustrophobic indoor areas like hospitals, apartments, or prisons, which amplifies the terror.

This approach seems like the natural progression for Resident Evil 9. Featuring the classic staples of relentlessly pursuing enemies in an open world (like Nemesis or Mr. X), while maintaining environmental storytelling, puzzles, inventory management, and claustrophobic spaces, could make a unique horror open world. Players still have to wait to see whether this will dilute the tension, but they will be hoping that the core horror mechanics will preserve the Resident Evil experience. By balancing open exploration with well-crafted scares, Resident Evil 9 could set a new benchmark once again for horror games.

Resident Evil

Video Game(s)

Resident Evil , Resident Evil 2 , Resident Evil 3: Nemesis , Resident Evil 0 , Resident Evil 4 , Resident Evil 5 , Resident Evil 6 , Resident Evil 7: Biohazard , Resident Evil 2 (2019) , Resident Evil 3 (2020) , Resident Evil Village , Resident Evil 4 (2023)

Created by

Shinji Mikami , Tokuro Fujiwara

First Episode Air Date

July 8, 2021

Cast

Milla Jovovich , Michelle Rodriguez , Ali Larter , Sienna Guillory , Oded Fehr , Iain Glen , Shawn Roberts , Kaya Scodelario , Robbie Amell , Hannah John-Kamen

Character(s)

Alice , Claire Redfield , Jill Valentine , Chris Redfield , Leon S. Kennedy , Albert Wesker , Ada Wong , Nemesis , Lisa Trevor , William Birkin

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