To varying degrees in each entry, theResident Evilfranchise has iterated and experimented greatly on the survival horror formula it pioneered in 1996. From the slow-paced and vulnerable beginnings ofResident Evilto the more action-oriented future entries likeResident Evil 3: Nemesisand beyond, the franchise has seen a lot of evolution and revolution across its video game legacy.
Looking ahead, there’s now been a litany of rumors surroundingResident Evil 8telling all sorts of different stories from werewolves to medieval castles. Though it’s likely several of these rumors are untrue or vastly exaggerated, the sheer amount of these rumors in general points to a vastly different mentality from Capcom forResident Evil’s future. It’s clear that, in some form, Capcom is taking the series' revered survival horror into a completely new direction.
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Resident Evil 8 Rumor Roundup
Many of the rumors surroundingResident Evil 8offer a variety of different takes on what’s coming to the next entry. Outlets have reported and fans have heard about rumors involving witches, werewolves, vampires, medieval castles, and a variety of other left-field picks for the nextResident Evilgame. The earliest of these rumors came in late January and early February, where initially a leaker stated that there was aResident Evil"spin-off" in development that was vastly different from its predecessors. Many expected the full reveal to come fromthe rumored PS5 reveal eventthat was supposed to occur in February, which despite several rumors, never occurred.
After February, the rumor mill began to move towards this “spin-off” shifting its development focus into a full-on numbered entry in theResident Evilfranchise. ThisinitialRE8rumor discussed new enemy typesin general, though several follow-up rumors seem to point to the example of werewolves specifically. Beyond that, some rumors purportResident Evil 8would be a continuation fromResident Evil 7’s story in several ways: Ethan Winters would return as the protagonist, again in first-person perspective, along with returning veteran Chris Redfield joining Ethan in some fashion. On the other hand, not necessarily contradicting this, is the most recent set of rumors that indicate the next title is calledResident Evil 8: The Village, combining a number of the upcoming and already mentioned rumors.
Apparently, the main narrative ofResident Evil 8would take on more supernatural cues, with the main antagonist reportedly being some kind of spectral witch or ghost-like entity who appears female. Later rumors have yet to corroborate anything about the game’s antagonist, but did point out that the other enemy typeswould feature armored zombies in a medieval setting. There were even rumors of a specific moment supposedly witnessed during a Resident Evil Ambassador Program playtest session, where players participated in the siege of a castle and fought “Beast Men, zombies in armor with swords, and a Witch that laughs a lot.” While these rumors are all fascinating but potentially falsified in varying degrees, the consensus does point to a very differentResident Evil 8coming in 2021.
Witches and Werewolves
Now there is some plausibility to some of these rumors surroundingResident Evil 8. Primarily the rumors of medieval themes have been reported and corroborated by several sources, though many of the specific details differ between leakers. It’s never explicitly stated if it’s a medieval time period or simply involves a medieval-esque castle settingakin toResident Evil 4’s Castellan castle. Only the most recent rumors have stated anything about a castle siege of some kind, so that specific example may not necessarily be true. However, many reports and rumors point to mythically inspired enemies like werewolves (a simpler term, the original leak called the enemy type “Beast men”) and witches.
Obviously nothing has been officially confirmed by Capcom at this point. With the sheer volume of similar leaks from several sources,Resident Evilfans at bare minimum should expect something completely different coming for the next entry. Though some fans have gone as far to think the gameplay is going to be radically different, leaks and rumors aboutResident Evil 8point to a game that’s similar in function but thematically different. AestheticGamer, one of the most prominent leakers, states the gameisn’t chasing any kind of modern video game trends/stereotypes, ratherResident Evil 8will be “a lot stranger than that.”
(R)evolution
Capcom as of late has been focused on its fantastic remakes ofResident Evil 2andResident Evil 3, but it’s clear theResident Evilfranchise has a crazy evolution of the series in the pipelinethat fans may not be ready for. Granted there’s the possibility that none of it is true, but with multiple leakers and rumors aligning several key details between info dumps, it’s hard not to draw some early conclusions. Putting aside any specific details about werewolves, witches, or medieval castles, the surprising success ofResident Evil 7is a potential indication of where the series may be headed as well.
Resident Evil 7was a huge departure for the series in a number of ways. Gameplay was fundamentally reworked with the first-person perspective,likely inspired by P.T.’s massive success. The setting was condensed back to its roots, with the player pretty much entirely contained within the Baker residence. The narrative similarly unraveled a greater mystery to the monstrous Baker family to which players spent the game escaping from. It was a serious heel turn from the heavily action-oriented predecessorResident Evil 6, bringing a much greater focus on the survival horror origins ofResident Evil.
AsResident Evil 7resonated with fans quite well, along with the remakes, it seems Capcom is now willing to take more chances on the revered franchise once more. DespiteCapcom sending out a survey gauging fan interest inResident Evil, it seems there’s already a plan in motion to once again drastically reshape the franchise’s identity into something even broader. Assuming it is the supernatural, medieval tale all these rumors make it out to be, prepare for something even crazier inResident Evil 8.
Resident Evil 8is reportedly in development.
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