The next Resident Evil game is in development, and the director of one of the scariest games in the series is returning to the director’s chair. And while he didn’t say much about the direction of the ninth Resident Evil game, it’s safe to say he’s looking to keep you awake with terror whenever it's ready for release.
Koshi Nakanishi, the man behind 2017’s Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, will be the lead mastermind behind Resident Evil 9. Nakanishi announced his involvement in the project during Monday’s Capcom Next stream.
Nakanishi was brief in his update on whatever he and the team are cooking up. But he promised a big step forward for the 28-year-old series.
“It was really difficult to figure out what to do after [Resident Evil] 7,” he explained, “But I found it. And to be honest, it feels substantial. I can't share any details just yet, but I hope you're excited for the day I can.”
Despite the brevity of his words, Nakanishi’s involvement in the ninth game suggests that Resident Evil will stop straying from its horror roots. Resident Evil 7 wisely took the series in a bold new direction. While the fifth and sixth games in the series leaned way more toward upping the combat action and absurdity of the series’ lore, Resident Evil 7 took things back to a more intimate, domestic setting, with more grounded, memorable antagonists. The seventh game also introduced the first-person camera, a great way to shake up the formula and place these new terrifying aesthetics front and center.
During Monday’s Capcom livestream, Nakanishi shared how the seventh game fulfilled his vision for the series.
“When we started development, Resident Evil was...well if I’m being honest, as a brand we were off-track,” Nakanishi said about the development of Resident Evil 7. “The action element had been expanded and fans reacted much more negatively than expected. In the end, an RE game has to be scary.”
Despite directly following up on Nakanishi’s well-executed, genuinely frightening reboot, Resident Evil 8: Village does away with Nakanishi’s vision almost immediately. Village feels like a logical escalation of what the seventh game introduced but dilutes much of what made the 2017 semi-reboot a welcome return to form.
The most apt comparison that can be made between Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil 8 is the relationship between Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5. Resident Evil 5 famously lifted entire boss battles and set pieces from the previous game in the series, but remixed them as pompous, Michael Bay-like action scenes full of bluster.
Similarly, Resident Evil 8 takes many of the concepts from Nakanishi’s 2017 game and cranks up the scale. For example, instead of exploring the mysteries of a dank, cryptic mansion, you’re exploring an expansive estate complete with grand castles and entire factories. Combat is more plentiful, but it comes at the cost of the seventh game’s expertly crafted tension.
By Resident Evil 8’s final hours, you’re mowing down lycans with an automatic rifle. Yes, it makes for a deliciously fun power fantasy after hours of being haunted by Village’s creepy siblings. But it felt like the series was already reverting to the bombast that the series needed to get away from in the first place.
In talking about his last Resident Evil game Monday, Nakanishi made it clear that he believes Resident Evil should prioritize the scares.
“The general consensus from fans of the series was that a Resident Evil game is one that should scare the hell out of you,” Nakanishi said. “That was the starting point for Resident Evil 7.”
Assuming this isn’t some elaborate misdirect, I wouldn’t expect to see any amateur wrestling moves or boulder-punching in this next Resident Evil game. And if Nakanishi is saying he’s found a way to make the next game feel “substantial,” he’s probably using his vision for the series as a reference point. It’s also reassuring to know that the series won’t be taking an extended detour from terrorizing players. After Resident Evil 4 in 2005, the series took 12 years to go back to basics. Thankfully, it seems we won’t have to wait nearly as long to restore the feeling.
Capcom has big plans for what’s next for their terrifying franchise. And these suggest there will be something for everyone. In addition to the next mainline game in the series, there are remakes of both Resident Evil: Code Veronica and Resident Evil Zero in development. It is likely that these two remakes will follow the mold of 2023’s excellent remake of Resident Evil 4. It will be the first time Capcom is resisting both of these games, which are both lesser-known spin-offs that were exclusive to specific consoles when they first launched in the early 2000s.
