The Resident Evil franchise has been on a roll ever because it turned its fortunes round with Resident Evil 7 in 2017, having delivered a string of stellar, all-time traditional survival horror titles within the years since then. However with Resident Evil Village now properly over three years previous, followers are rising more and more antsy in regards to the collection’ subsequent mainline numbered entry, and when Capcom will select to announce it. The one factor that we formally learn about Resident Evil 9 thus far is that it’s being helmed by Koshi Nakanishi, who final directed Resident Evil 7, and with Monster Hunter Wilds clearly being Capcom’s massive point of interest in 2025, it’s wanting unlikely that an official announcement and accompanying particulars for the subsequent instalment in its beloved horror franchise will arrive within the instant future.
As ever, although, there’s no scarcity of unofficial data on the market. During the last a number of months and years, leaks and rumours from a wide range of sources have claimed various things about Resident Evil 9, and right here, we’re going to check out just a few which have caught our eye. Keep in mind, nonetheless, that these are all unconfirmed and unverified particulars, which suggests there’s no ensures that they’re going to be correct. We actually hope some particularly do, nonetheless, as a result of they make some intriguing promises- beginning with our first decide…
STARS LEON AND JILL
Not counting any remakes, it’s been some time since we final received a mainline Resident Evil sport starring Leon, whose final chronological look was Resident Evil 6, and even longer since we final noticed Jill Valentine, who final appeared in Resident Evil 5- although her final playable look in a mainline entry was Resident Evil 3: Nemesis all the best way again in 1999 (or 2012 spinoff Revelations). In line with a latest leak by YouTube channel Residence of Evil, nonetheless, each characters are set to return as the first protagonists of Resident Evil 9. The sport is allegedly set 4 years after Resident Evil Village’s most important story, which suggests it’s a number of years earlier than its epilogue. Moreover, apparently sufficient, as per this leak, Leon and Jill received’t be the one returning acquainted characters.
CHRIS AND BARRY RETURN
Chris Redfield is and all the time has been a Resident Evil mainstay (you’d need to go all the best way again to 2005’s Resident Evil 4 for the final numbered instalment that didn’t function him in any capability), and as per Residence of Evil’s leak, although he received’t be the protagonist in Resident Evil 9, he’ll play a job within the story. He may also be joined by fan-favourite character Barry Burton (whom we haven’t seen since Revelations 2), with each characters allegedly set to play a assist function. Supposedly, Barry and Chris will probably be supporting Leon and Jill throughout their missions through radio calls.
EVELINE AND THE MEGAMYCETE
Eveline and the Mould have fashioned the spine of the Resident Evil 7 and Village story arc, and supposedly, RE9 is about to be the conclusion to that story. As per the leak, the sport’s story entails the shadowy group that initially created Eveline now mass producing her clones. To make issues worse, they’re supposedly doing it by utilizing the Megamycete, offered to them by Resident Evil Village massive unhealthy Miranda. That may solely imply bother.
ANTAGONIST
Resident Evil followers aren’t any strangers to locking horns with evil companies and enigmatic organizations, and as we’ve touched on, Resident Evil 9 is supposedly going to make that a part of its central battle as soon as extra. Who’s the central antagonist going to be, nonetheless? Supposedly, it’s going to be a person named Mr. Simon, who’s accountable for the mass manufacturing of bioweapons for the corporate on the island. This can be a franchise that has historically boasted robust villains, although its monitor report in that division has been a bit spottier ever because the dying of Albert Wesker all these years in the past, so it needs to be fascinating to see how this Mr. Simon fellow pans out- assuming, in fact, that this leak proves correct.
STALKER ENEMIES
From Mr. X and Nemesis to good previous Jack Baker, Resident Evil video games have delivered a number of the finest and most terrifying stalker enemies the survival horror style has ever seen, and as per Residence of Evil’s leak, RE9 will comply with go well with. Supposedly, each Leon and Jill can have distinctive stalker foes pursuing them all through the sport. The leak is mild on particulars on this space, however claims the enemy pursuing Jill will probably be known as the Goat-Man- which is a descriptive identify, if nothing else.
MAIN ENEMY TYPES
One other fascinating declare the leak makes is that zombies – or foes related sufficient to zombies – will return as the primary enemy sort in Resident Evil 9. The island’s residents will supposedly be contaminated with the Megamycete, which can flip them into ravenous zombie-like creatures, with behaviours starting from praying to the moon to ravenously working after prey, on prime of having the ability to use totally different weapons. If this seems to be correct, we’re most likely going to be one thing taking cues from Resident Evil 4’s Gonado as soon as once more.
SETTING
Sticking with the leak we’ve been discussing so far, it additionally claims that Leon and Jill’s mission will see them heading to an island to research the aforementioned firm and its actions, although they, too, will probably be contaminated, and must take care of hallucinations of Eveline all through the sport. No, it received’t be the primary time Resident Evil will probably be doing an island setting, nevertheless it does sound prefer it’s going to be a reasonably numerous one. Talking of which…
LOCATIONS
As per the Residence of Evil leak, Resident Evil 9’s island setting will function quite a few totally different areas. It claims that playtests over the previous yr have seen Jill exploring an deserted forest and Leon making his approach by way of a forest, whereas different areas on the island supposedly embrace residents’ homes (together with a number of deserted ones), caves, labs, a temple, and an deserted manufacturing unit. What does that say in regards to the sport’s dimension? Properly…
OPEN WORLD ELEMENTS
Many Resident Evil trustworthy will argue that the collection ought to by no means go open world, and it’s straightforward to see the deserves of these arguments- RE9, nonetheless, is supposedly going to function at the least some open world parts. Earlier in 2024, distinguished Resident Evil leaker Nightfall Golem claimed that Resident Evil 9 will make use of open world tech that Capcom constructed into the RE Engine for Dragon’s Dogma 2. Does that imply the sport will probably be open world? It doesn’t sound prefer it. It does, nonetheless, sound prefer it may be a bigger and extra expansive expertise than its predecessors.
LONGEST RE DEV CYCLE TO DATE
No sport – actually no AAA sport – is reasonable or straightforward to make, and certain sufficient, it goes with out saying that Capcom tends to depart no stone unturned with the event of its Resident Evil titles. With RE9, nonetheless, it’s supposedly going the additional mile, as per the aforementioned Nightfall Golem. At totally different events over the past couple of years, the leaker has claimed that Resident Evil 9 has the biggest ever improvement price range for an RE sport thus far, and by the point it releases, may also have had the longest ever dev cycle for the franchise, having supposedly began again in 2018.
