TheResident Evilseries has been through its set of major changes and growing pains since its inception back in 1998, something highlighted by its changes in perspective. It has gone from tank controls and fixed cameras to anover-the-shoulder camera with manual aiming inResident Evil 4, and the series saw a complete reset to a first-person perspective withResident Evil 7.The franchise has had its ups and downs, with many viewing the heavier action games in a less than favorable light, which led to the aforementioned soft reboot of the series and withResident Evil 7and it’s sequelResident Evil Village.
While both the new games were mostly well-received from critics and fans for bringing the focus back to horror and inventory management, they also left many players wanting their favorite characters to return. Fortunately, some of them did return in the acclaimedremakes ofResident Evil 2andResident Evil 3, and they brought the classic third-person perspective along with them. With the upcomingResident Evil VillageDLC Shadows of Rose and the upcoming remake ofResident Evil 4both featuring a third-person camera and gunplay, a case can be made forResident Evilstaying third-person after these next two entries.
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The Connection To The Characters After Village: Gold Edition, Resident Evil 4 Remake
One of the biggest reasons for the series to remain in third-person is because of how many fan-favorite characters there are, and the cinematic scope of the more recent games and heavier emphasis on narrative prove that the franchise has evolved yet again. WhileResident Evil 7andResident Evil Villagewere criticized by many for their protagonist Ethan Winters being un-relatable and bland, the remakes ofResident Evil 2andResident Evil 3saw the return of Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, and other fan-favorite characters. They behaved differently than the original games, for sure, and not everyone enjoyed the changes made to the characters, but they also helped draw the players into the experience in a way that thefaceless Ethan Winterscould not do in either of his appearances.
Some of themore powerful scenes inResident Evil Villagewere the ones that did away with the first-person perspective and presented a complete third-person viewing of all the characters involved in the narrative. As such, this design choice seems essential for the franchise moving forward, allowing the story to be presented more organically and helping the player to connect more to the characters featured in cutscenes.
Some may argue that nostalgia plays more of a role for fans in regard to liking the old characters, but both the remakes ofResident Evil 2andResident Evil 3saw additions and changes to the cast. They behaved in a much more believable way than in the original game, and some fans even preferred the more modern approaches toLeon Kennedyand Jill Valentine.
Their core identities were still there, but the way they delivered their better-written dialogue and interacted with other characters during gameplay was enhanced by the third-person perspective. Visually seeing Leon’s wound from Annette Birkin’s gunfire in the sewers, or being able to see Claire put her jacket around Sherry Birkin, helped form a better connection to the player-characters that just isn’t possible from a first-person perspective.
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The Limitation Of Resident Evil in First-Person After Village: Gold Edition
WhileResident Evil Villagedid add new gameplay mechanics to the game, such as the ability to push enemies away after a guard, it also took away some key mechanics and gameplay of the coreResident Evilexperience.Resident Evilhas been through a lot of different gameplay mechanics, and thebalance between horror and actionwill seemingly continue to be a priority moving forward.
There’s been a heavy focus on survival like in the originalResident Evil, there’s been a dash of arcade-y campiness and loot like inResident Evil 4, and there’s been action so over-the-top thatResident Evil 6tried to please absolutely everyone and did not succeed, despite selling well. These constant changes and additions, as well as others like theResident Evil 3remake dodge and counter mechanic, prove that the series' gameplay mechanics can be drastically changed and improved.
However, a first-person perspective limits what is possible from a design point of view. The basic shooting mechanics are almost identical fromResident Evil 7toResident Evil Village, with the games being quite basic when it comes to puzzles and level structure as well. It at times feels likeResident Evil Villageis just a first-personResident Evil 4, and many feel that the game isn’t as memorable or revolutionary asResident Evil 4, a game that prided itself on being able to organically weave many different elements together.
While that can be the case for first-person games, it’s hard to distinguish many ofResident Evil Village’s improvements overResident Evil 7, asResident Evil Villageplays almost identically toRE7but with more enemies. It’s also difficult to see the series progress any further in first-person. The combat ofResident Evilworks because it is easy to play and understand, and there does not appear to be many places for the series to go in terms of gameplay from a first-person perspective now thatVillagehas improved the foundations left byResident Evil 7.
With the next two majorResident Evilprojects confirmed to be played from a third-person perspective, the series should stay there to continue on from where the fantastic remakes ofResident Evil 2andResident Evil 3left off. While nothing is known yet regardingResident Evil 9, and with Capcom re-doing the entireResident Evil Villagemain game in third-person, it’s unknown what exactly the future for the series holds, but athird-person perspective forResident Evilshould be in the cards.
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