Resident Evil games can more-or-less be identified based upon which characters star in them, as well as the characters involved affecting whether someone may like or dislike an entry in the franchise. The atmosphere and enemies in each Resident Evil game are important and inseparable to them, but their leads are much more definitive as players can usually discern what tone the game will have based on which characters appear. Once Resident Evil 7 released, however, this dynamic shifted due to its supposed lack of legacy characters that fans could depend on to uphold it.
Instead, Ethan Winters became Resident Evil’s newest playable protagonist alongside Resident Evil 7’s dramatic shift to a first-person perspective and a return to survival-horror. Ethan then went on to again lead Resident Evil Village, which will soon launch a DLC update affording a third-person perspective, which also featured some of the most colorful and creative antagonists in the franchise. Chris Redfield does appear in both entries, but Resident Evil should feel confident enough now to not have to rely on legacy characters appearing in future sequels.
Ethan Winters is Less Liked, But the Idea of a New Protagonist Isn’t
For better or for worse, Ethan is a lackadaisical and verbose protagonist whom players never even officially see the face of in the franchise’s seventh entry. This is likely due to the fact that the game is in first-person and the player is meant to occupy and embody the protagonist’s space, but the off-handed quip or awkward reaction to a grisly event is then even more awkward when Ethan does not have a perceivable reaction to something happening.
It is simply unrealistic, and these reactions carry over into Resident Evil Village with corny dialogue that it could have done without. That said, the idea of Resident Evil featuring a new protagonist, especially one that players could ascribe to themselves as a first-person avatar, was refreshing and surprising after the franchise’s history with storied legacy characters taking the reins of each subsequent installment.
It is obvious that some fans would still prefer to see Leon S. Kennedy or Jill Valentine appear in a future game, but the choices made in Resident Evil 7 created a genuinely authentic direction for the franchise. If sequels following Resident Evil Village were to feature Claire Redfield, Ada Wong, or another popular franchise icon, there is no doubt fans would enjoy that, but it would tarnish the exciting direction that Resident Evil has now.
Ethan is now supposedly deceased, technically for the second time, and if legitimate then the ninth installment will either feature a legacy character, Mia, Rose, or a completely new character as its protagonist. It would be nice to see a new character with their own perspective again, and Resident Evil will hopefully have the confidence to replicate the atmosphere it generated with Resident Evil 7 in that way.
RE7 and RE8 Haven't Done Any Favors for Chris Redfield
The argument could be made that Resident Evil is not ready to completely eschew and abandon its legacy characters, as its most prolific and original character, Chris Redfield, has appeared in both Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village. It seems like a sequel in the future will even center around Chris infiltrating the BSAA in Europe, which may be more likely now that Resident Evil Village’s DLC has been revealed and such a story is not a part of it.
That said, Chris only has a minor role in Resident Evil Village as a glorified cameo, and his tiny cameo at the end of Resident Evil 7 was only established to preface his own DLC, Not a Hero. Neither game emphasizes his character uniquely or offers him development as a modern, aged character in the franchise. References to places like the Arklay Mountains and to characters such as Spencer are fun when relevant to events in the game, but legacy characters no longer need to be exploited in order to distinguish these games as part of Resident Evil.
Many players were rightfully dissatisfied with the Molded enemies in Resident Evil 7 due to their lack of diversity throughout the entire game, but Resident Evil Village rectified that error with lycans, moroaice, soldats, and more. Still, these enemies lack a clear resemblance to the T-Virus infection or Las Plagas, but are nonetheless intrinsic to Resident Evil.
Resident Evil Sequels Should Continue Introducing New Characters
The chances of Resident Evil reprising fan-favorite characters in future sequels and fans liking what choices have been made with their older iterations are slim. Fans now have a concise picture in their heads that illustrate what they want specifically from each character, and sequels could effectively muddy that perception if executed poorly or if legacy characters are simply exploited for their nostalgia.
Further, though players may not realize it, they are currently receiving their legacy character installments via remakes. Sequels do not have to feature Leon, for example, because he is a primary lead in the Resident Evil 2 remake, and is set to star in the remake for Resident Evil 4.
These remakes are affording players who wish to see these characters again a chance to do so, even if it is under a circumstance that is less preferable than their role in an original sequel installment. The Resident Evil 3 remake was decidedly less favorable than the Resident Evil 2 remake due to an excessive amount of content that was cut from the original game, as well as its shorter length and lack of puzzles.
So while players were able to see a modernized Jill, it is bittersweet when the game she returned in was received negatively. It is unknown how many more remakes Resident Evil plans to make in the future, while games like Resident Evil Code: Veronica truly deserve the remake treatment more than Resident Evil 4.
Instead, sequels should concentrate on new characters and new content as is their direction, while remakes could give players more coherent narratives that bridge gaps between early installments with legacy characters. Resident Evil could remain in Europe or take place somewhere else where Umbrella may not have a secure foothold yet, but either way, it should continue relishing in the perspective of new characters.