Summary
As a ninthResident Evilgame lurks in the future, the franchise’s community is buzzing with speculation regarding what the next game will hold. BothBiohazardandVillagetook the series into a new era with its protagonist, Ethan Winters, but after the events ofVillage, the protagonist for the ninth game in the franchise is a mystery. Withrumors thatResident Evil 9has a massive budgetand many story possibilities, a lot of fans want to know which character from the franchise will be leading the game.
As one of the most iconic horror franchises in gaming,Resident Evilhas brought to life some great protagonists who have become beloved by fans of the game. One of the most notable characters from these games isResident Evil’s Chris Redfield, and recent rumors have suggested that he may be the one to star inResident Evil 9. Although this is a likely protagonist for the ninth game, the future ofResident Evilmay be more exciting by subverting expectations with its main character choice.
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Chris Redfield Playing a Support Role May Be Best For Resident Evil 9
Although Chris Redfield is one of the coolest characters the franchise offers, a newResident Evilgame may be more exciting with a different protagonist at the wheel. Ethan Winters may have been the protagonist of the last two games, but Chris was featured heavily throughout the events ofVillage. Chris should still be featured in the ninth game, of course, but either making him a side character or using him in a multi-narrative story structure may be a more exciting take on the next game.
One interesting direction could be featuring Rose as a playable character again.Village’s DLCShadows of Roseput the spotlight on Ethan’s daughter, Rose, sixteen years after the events of the eighth game. The DLC showed that Rose had come under the care of the U.S. government as she struggled to accept her Megamycete powers. Chris sees the potential in her powers and wants her to join his squad. The next game exploring the dynamic between these two working as a team could be a compelling way to show Rose gain a new father figure while also diving deeper into her abilities.
However, if Rose doesn’t appear as the main character, a great addition would be to bring backChris' sister, Claire Redfield. Although Rose is an interesting character in her own right, Claire is iconic, and a dual narrative where players could switch between Claire and Chris would be a great way to continue the trend set byResident Evil 2andResident Evil 3. Watching a sibling dynamic under the shroud of action-packed horror could be an interesting story for the series to explore.Resident Evilfound itself becoming more sentimental with Ethan and Rose Winters, and repeating this sentimentality while looking into a sibling relationship would be a great way to continue the theme of family dynamics.
As of now, there is only rumor and speculation on the progress ofResident Evil 9, but after the unique takes the last two games ventured into,the nextResident Evilhas a high bar to clear. Follow-ups are hardly ever an easy feat, but if the franchise continues to go down the path of exploring interesting relationship dynamics in a horror setting, then it could really help flesh out a new era for the world ofResident Evil. The landscape of horror games has been changing, and many developers are realizing that horror is a fantastic template for exploring complex themes. As great asResident Evilhas been through the years, the games can sometimes be shallow in their overall narratives, so it would be great to see deeper relationships and character dynamics explored in this world.
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.
