Resident Evil Villageis one of Capcom’s biggest titles to date. Following the success ofResident Evil 7,Villagetook the best survival-horror aspects of its predecessor and incorporated gameplay elements fromResident Evil 4. The result was an immersive, action-horror shooter complete with one of the most iconic villains of all time:Lady Dimitrescu. The timing ofVillage’srelease couldn’t be more appropriate sinceResident Evilturns twenty-five this year, and Capcom hopes build on the series’ momentum with the upcomingResident Evil Re:Verse.
In what’s been described as a four to six-person survival-horror deathmatch, players take control ofResident Evilcharacters inRe:Verseand score points by shooting down other players. It’s a fairly straightforward style of gameplay that could learn a lot from the success of another multiplayer survival-horror game,Dead by Daylight.
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One key factor inDead by Daylight’ssuccess is its frequency of updates. Since it released in 2016, the game hasn’t gone longer than three months without an update. Each update is significant, too, since new killers, survivors, and maps are introduced with nearlyevery piece ofDead by DaylightDLC. It’s a routine that keeps players coming back to see what’s new. Fans’ initial reaction toResident Evil Re:Verse’srelease will be hard to predict, but Capcom would do well to maintain the game with thoughtful and consistent updates.
Moreover,Re:Versecould especially benefit from including recognizable characters. There are six humans and five “bioweapons” confirmed at the time of writing: Protagonists Claire Redfield, Leon Kennedy, Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, Ada Wong, and HUNK are joined by bioweapons Fat Molded, Hunter Gamma, Jack Baker, Nemesis-T Type, and Tyrant T-103. Names like “Leon Kennedy,” “Jack Baker,” and “Tyrant” stand out to fans of the series, but a number of other names are absent.
Some players may be enticed by the prospect of controlling the Fat Molded, but the inclusion of unmistakable enemies like the Lickers, Plaga-infected villagers, andLady Dimitrescuwould be surefire crowd pleasers. This is a celebration of all thingsResident Evil, after all, in the same wayDead by Daylightcelebrates all things horror.
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Asymmetrical Gameplay and PvE Options
Communication often dictates whether or not a team succeeds inDead by Daylight, and this sort of asymmetrical game design works well with horror of all kinds.Resident Evil Re:Versecould utilize these features for alternate game modes. Currently, its only mode pits four to six players against each other in a free-for-all deathmatch. A one-versus-four mode featuring humans and one bioweapon, however, could riff onDead by Daylight’sformula.Re:Versecould draw on its survival horror heritage and force players to budget ammo and other resources as they fight against a stalker Bioweapon player. This sort of gameplay has already been proven successful byNemesis’s appearance inDead by Daylight, and should work equally as well inResident Evil.
WhileDead by Daylightdoes not feature traditional player-versus-environment elements, previousResident Evilgames have, and it would be great to see this sort of game mode return inRe:Verse.Resident Evil 6’s“Mercenaries” mode provides a good blueprint for aco-op horde gameplayand could add replayability toRe:Verse. There’s a fine line between “Resident Evilco-op” and “generic action shooter,” though, so it’s important to incorporate as much of the coreResident Evilover-the-shoulder gameplay as possible. The bottom line is that players responded well toDead by Daylight’svariety of characters and maps, andRe:Versecould offer similar variety in game modes.
Resident Evilis an important franchise. Its influence reaches beyond video games, all the way into movies, TV shows, and evenResident Evilbooks. It’s important for games likeRe:Verseto celebrate milestones and do the series justice, especially as a follow up to successful titles likeVillageand theResident Evil 3remake. Capcom’s intentions with this title aren’t clear, though, and its free inclusion with purchases ofVillageindicate it may not be their top priority. In any case, the success of games likeDead by Daylighthave many lessons to teach—especially for other dev’s in the survival horror sphere.
Resident Evil Re:Verseis launching later this month for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
