Resident Evil: Requiem

[Unknown]

How do you know it’s the end?

Obviously I don’t, it just really looks like it might be. I think there will be an RE10, Requiem isn’t the last one, but I really do think it is like a part one of that, part of the era of RE that is leading to the last one.

To me that trailer could not have been more obvious in this.

Going back to Raccoon City is a gimmick, not any kind of indication that they’re wrapping up, especially when the focus is on a brand new character.

How do you know it’s a gimmick?

We didn’t know that at the time. Wesker’s story was the RE story at that point in the series, and since it revealed Umbrella’s beginnings, Wesker’s true plans, and put the world at higher risk than it had ever been prior, then killed off the main villain, with the original heroes alive and flying off into the sunrise, with the only remaining known organization that had access to the biohazard substances being destroyed by the end as well, that felt more like an ending than this does.

Honestly at the time, RE5 did feel like it was a kind of culmination, and it probably could have been. So, yes I can see why 5 could have looked like an ending, and the developers ultimately changed their minds and carried on way past the point they thought they would.

But I think you only get one of those, “it nearly ended and we all thought it would but it didn’t” kind of things. When you look at where gaming was then, it was really not as advanced as everyone thought. It’s now, that we’re at the point we all thought we were at during the PS3/360 era.

Really? The one remaining mystery regarding Ada was revealed, we finally saw what happened to Sherry, Wesker’s son is revealed and is now making up for family mistakes, no Progenitor virus variant has really been a threat after that in the chronological timeline because of his blood providing vaccines for every Progenitor variant (Vendetta and Dead Island notwithstanding), and the original government conspiracy that helped fund Umbrella’s BOW research being revealed and destroyed, and the whole world essentially being caught up in a biohazard war, that felt more like an ending than this does.

Ada is just more of a mystery in 6. I like 6, but the whole plot was pulled out of nowhere. If anything it really felt like a new beginning (that Capcom aborted following its mixed reception) all the endings imply further elaboration on all the new crazy stuff it brought to the table.

Before that ending scene, man. Prior to that, especially with the revelation that this game’s events were all caused by Spencer’s mentor, and is where the Umbrella insignia really came from, meaning that this was the true start of it all, until the game ended on that whole thing of the BSAA and realizing the Connections story wasn’t resolved yet either, it was feeling more like an end than this trailer makes this game feel.

Sure, there’s merit to looking at Village as at least being part of an ending, but definitely not THE end, plus you have to play it to get all that stuff about Spencer and Umbrella and how it ties back to the origins.

Requiem however, looks basically like THE END: PART ONE, to me, and that’s only after the first trailer.

 

[Teen Tyrant]

Obviously I don’t, it just really looks like it might be. I think there will be an RE10, Requiem isn’t the last one, but I really do think it is like a part one of that, part of the era of RE that is leading to the last one.

To me that trailer could not have been more obvious in this.



How do you know it’s a gimmick?



Honestly at the time, RE5 did feel like it was a kind of culmination, and it probably could have been. So, yes I can see why 5 could have looked like an ending, and the developers ultimately changed their minds and carried on way past the point they thought they would.

But I think you only get one of those, “it nearly ended and we all thought it would but it didn’t” kind of things. When you look at where gaming was then, it was really not as advanced as everyone thought. It’s now, that we’re at the point we all thought we were at during the PS3/360 era.



Ada is just more of a mystery in 6. I like 6, but the whole plot was pulled out of nowhere. If anything it really felt like a new beginning (that Capcom aborted following its mixed reception) all the endings imply further elaboration on all the new crazy stuff it brought to the table.



Sure, there’s merit to looking at Village as at least being part of an ending, but definitely not THE end, plus you have to play it to get all that stuff about Spencer and Umbrella and how it ties back to the origins.

Requiem however, looks basically like THE END: PART ONE, to me, and that’s only after the first trailer.

Ok, I can buy into a part 1 of the end, there could be something to that.

 

[KManX89]

I would hate if Leon's part in the game is just a short playable section similar to Chris's in Village.

We have the “Resident Action” games (which ironically kicked off with Leon) to thank for that. The OG characters are so OP’ed now that, if Capcom ever decided to return the series to its SH roots, which they did end up doing with VII, they would become expendable, only showing up in DLCs or short playable sections. There’s a reason the bits you did play as Chris in 7 and 8 were more action-heavy. After punching/kicking/suplexing their way through legions of zombies without a single nick on them and stockpiling enough ammo to fill a dump truck, you can’t go back to purely horror-based gameplay for the OGs because that would require the playable character being defenseless (limited ammo and melee), which 4-6 and the animated films have shown them to be anything but.

Such is the conundrum Capcom created by shifting the series away from horror into a more actiony style of gameplay. Giving us nightmarish environments doesn’t work when you can just shoot and punch/kick everything in sight and, well, you can’t walk back Chris punching effing boulders nor would they have any reason to go into a biohazard zone without being armed to the teeth. It’s also why they’ve given us new nonameface characters as the protagonists for the newly-rebooted-into-horror games.

I’ll say this: at least they gave us one with something resembling a personality this time around and an interesting backstory. And canonized Outbreak in the process, killing two birds with one stone.

 

[Turo602]

We have the “Resident Action” games (which ironically kicked off with Leon) to thank for that. The OG characters are so OP’ed now that, if Capcom ever decided to return the series to its SH roots, which they did end up doing with VII, they would become expendable, only showing up in DLCs or short playable sections. There’s a reason the bits you did play as Chris in 7 and 8 were more action-heavy. After punching/kicking/suplexing their way through legions of zombies without a single nick on them and stockpiling enough ammo to fill a dump truck, you can’t go back to purely horror-based gameplay for the OGs because that would require the playable character being defenseless (limited ammo and melee), which 4-6 and the animated films have shown them to be anything but.

Such is the conundrum Capcom created by shifting the series away from horror into a more actiony style of gameplay. Giving us nightmarish environments doesn’t work when you can just shoot and punch/kick everything in sight and, well, you can’t walk back Chris punching effing boulders. It’s also why they’ve given us new nonameface characters as the protagonists for the newly-rebooted-into-horror games.

I’ll say this: at least they gave us one with something resembling a personality this time around and an interesting backstory. And canonized Outbreak in the process, killing two birds with one stone.

The idea that you can't use series veterans in survival horror games is moot. Not all projects call for the same approach nor do all directors share the same vision.

What the animated films can get away with isn't indicative or reflective of the kind of gameplay you'll experience in the games either. A change in medium is going to allow for different things that a gameplay oriented experience restricted by game design can’t really do nor should do.

If the project is taking a much more survival horror oriented direction, then the character's abilities will be designed in accordance to the enemy A.I. to deliver the kind of experience they want the player to feel, regardless of what we've seen the characters do in past games, cutscenes, or movies.

You can still have the characters do cool things and not restrict their mobility or defense and still design a horror experience around it. Resident Evil 4 remake for example had the parry and melee mechanic which allowed for an epic knife fight with Krauser, yet nowhere else in the game are you going to replicate that moment as your parry and melee are going to become much more defensive measures on one off enemies when they're attacking you from all sides.

Besides, Dusk Golem still claims Leon is the main protagonist, or at least will get the majority gameplay, which is in third-person, with Grace likely being in first-person, as seems evident from the trailer as the story is going to unfold from her perspective as an outsider coming into the world of Resident Evil.

It sounds almost like what they tried to do with Ethan, but like you said, much more interesting this time and with a character who is at least tied into the greater Resident Evil lore. I'm sure Resident Evil 7 played some role in shaping whatever vision they're going for with this game, so the Grace and Leon combo makes sense just like they did with Ethan and Chris.

I'm just curious as to how they're going to execute this entire thing. The gameplay is said to be a significant evolution after 7 and not necessarily a copy and paste of the remakes despite still being third-person. It was the only thing the director really spoke about in that announcement last year and judging from the trailer and description, it sounds like they're taking a heavily cinematic approach, likely jumping from character to character and location to location. I hope the game design and replayability isn't impacted by this the way RE6 was.

I'm definitely intrigued by this game and what they showed us, but I'd also be much more on board had they shown us Leon and gameplay, otherwise, if it weren't for the whole return to Raccoon City thing they're setting up here, it just feels like more RE7, even if Grace is by default a better protagonist than Ethan.

I'm also very worried for the story as there isn't much to go on yet, and 7 and Village didn't exactly cast any good faith in that regard either. Especially if this is supposed to be some sort of concluding chapter. If this is the end of Leon, they better do him justice. The remakes have done such a fantastic job with his character, but I can't trust the mainline games will after how badly they did Chris.

 

[Ikawaru]

https://imgur.com/a/JGX8PI5

Actual (not fake) leaked screenshots.

Curious as to how everyone, apparently, got every single one of the predictions wrong.

 

[Turo602]

Preview impressions are supposed to be going out sometime today. According to a leak from XboxEra, which is where I think the photos originated from, the preview demo was 30 minutes long and featured seamless switching between first and third-person. The dev at the preview also said there would be a 2nd playable character who will be familiar and have lots of guns.

 

[Springhosen]

The dev at the preview also said there would be a 2nd playable character who will be familiar and have lots of guns.

That concerns me a bit. Here's hoping those sections aren't too long and the character isn't crazy OP.

 

[Unknown]

I don’t agree with the idea that series vets like Chris and Leon can’t be used for a horror game.

Once again, nothing about Leon, despite Dusk’s claims. Guy’s riding that one hard though…heard talk about a second playable character before the embargo lifted, supposedly hinted at by a developer, yet none of the previews mentioned it. So far it’s seeming like yet more journalist rubbish.

I hope it’s all bull, as has historically been the case with Dusk. I don’t want Leon randomly taking over the game, that would be awful. If he’s got a playable section like Chris where you go in and wreck everything then that won’t be too bad, but I really don’t want him having anything more.

 

[Turo602]

I don’t agree with the idea that series vets like Chris and Leon can’t be used for a horror game.

Once again, nothing about Leon, despite Dusk’s claims. Guy’s riding that one hard though…heard talk about a second playable character before the embargo lifted, supposedly hinted at by a developer, yet none of the previews mentioned it. So far it’s seeming like yet more journalist rubbish.

I hope it’s all bull, as has historically been the case with Dusk. I don’t want Leon randomly taking over the game, that would be awful. If he’s got a playable section like Chris where you go in and wreck everything then that won’t be too bad, but I really don’t want him having anything more.

GameSpot said they feel there's a second playable character as the demo didn't feel like a departure from previous games at all and featured virtually no action, which the game is confirmed to have. It's likely they're not playing all their cards yet, but the director has said he believes this game will satisfy fans more than his previous 2 games, being Revelations and 7. Not featuring a staple protagonist, which was a big criticism of 7, doesn't exactly sound like something that would please fans.

The demo was also recommended to be played in first-person, meaning it's likely Grace's playstyle is going for a more traditional slow paced kind of horror suited for first-person while the more combat centric "cinematic action" was intended for third-person, which is why both options are available and presumably work much better than they did in Village.

The characters are getting too old and sidelining them like they did Chris in 7 and Village would be terrible. This series needs closure and needs to wrap things up. There's room to introduce new characters, but not at the expense of the old. They have an opportunity to give Leon a proper third chapter, which 6 failed to do, now that they've remade 2 and 4, so I personally see no point in pushing him aside. Resident Evil 9 starring Grace Ashcroft interests me about as much as RE7 and Village starring Ethan Winters did, which is not much.

 

[Ikawaru]

Dusk Golem still has his fanboys, I guess?

 

[Turo602]

Dusk Golem still has his fanboys, I guess?

I don't like the guy personally, but it's pretty idiotic to write him off when he's been credible in the past and got lots of details right about this game, even as far as leaking the title during SGF and knowing that it would be announced at SGF. It sucks having nothing to go on and being dicked around by "leakers" to no avail, but going full hate boner for the guy is also weird.

 

[Unknown]

GameSpot said they feel there's a second playable character as the demo didn't feel like a departure from previous games at all and featured virtually no action, which the game is confirmed to have. It's likely they're not playing all their cards yet, but the director has said he believes this game will satisfy fans more than his previous 2 games, being Revelations and 7. Not featuring a staple protagonist, which was a big criticism of 7, doesn't exactly sound like something that would please fans.

Feeling like there’s a second character is not "a Capcom dev hinted at a second character". EVERY previous RE game has had action.

The game doesn’t have to feature a staple protagonist to "please fans". RE7, while at the bottom of my list, was a very well received game. Grace is confirmed as "the protagonist". All the previews support this. The director supports this.

The demo was also recommended to be played in first-person, meaning it's likely Grace's playstyle is going for a more traditional slow paced kind of horror suited for first-person while the more combat centric "cinematic action" was intended for third-person, which is why both options are available and presumably work much better than they did in Village.

This is massive conjecture. You want something to be true so you’re saying things to keep your hope alive. And fine, but to announce the game with Grace, preview it with her, say she’s the protagonist, big up horror, watch the previews get excited about it, excited to play as Grace…I just don’t see them later down the line throwing all of this away to reveal Leon as the true protagonist.

The characters are getting too old and sidelining them like they did Chris in 7 and Village would be terrible.

I think sidelining Leon would be fine. I don’t need a full, or most of a game with him. He can still be in the story as a key support character, and impact the plot in a big way, like Chris in Village.

This achieves the feat of keeping them around while allowing them to explore new avenues.

This series needs closure and needs to wrap things up.

Well, I did say this seemed like the it was nearing the end…but agreed. I’m hoping RE10 does just that.

There's room to introduce new characters, but not at the expense of the old. They have an opportunity to give Leon a proper third chapter, which 6 failed to do, now that they've remade 2 and 4, so I personally see no point in pushing him aside. Resident Evil 9 starring Grace Ashcroft interests me about as much as RE7 and Village starring Ethan Winters did, which is not much.

It isn’t about a "point" in pushing him aside, or finding a reason to sideline him. You’re looking at it backwards, the point is pushing Grace to the front, as the protagonist. Grace is not another Ethan. I had the same interest in Ethan as you, but I think we can relax, she is a proper character and daughter of Alyssa. We’re told the game is heavily connected to the past, no random trips to the Louisiana swamp this time.

 

[Turo602]

Feeling like there’s a second character is not "a Capcom dev hinted at a second character". EVERY previous RE game has had action.

No, but it's insight from someone who actually played the game and understood the fact that the game is being promised to be a significant shift for the series by Capcom themselves.

The game doesn’t have to feature a staple protagonist to "please fans". RE7, while at the bottom of my list, was a very well received game. Grace is confirmed as "the protagonist". All the previews support this. The director supports this.

Capcom has always understood the difference between what is well received and what is expected from long-time fans. Clearly, the director himself is aware of fan criticism from RE7 and is aiming to please fans. Even back when RE7 was first revealed, it was said if the game was successful, that they'd incorporate the series characters and motifs into this new style.

This is massive conjecture. You want something to be true so you’re saying things to keep your hope alive. And fine, but to announce the game with Grace, preview it with her, say she’s the protagonist, big up horror, watch the previews get excited about it, excited to play as Grace…I just don’t see them later down the line throwing all of this away to reveal Leon as the true protagonist.

My hope for this series died a long time ago. The remakes are really the only thing I have hope in. So my hopes are in no way influencing my speculation. Just the little we know in accordance to the "leaks" and what I've said isn't exactly painting an unreasonable picture either.

The devil is usually in the details and that's why I'm reading into them the way that I have. Things in game development don't often happen for no reason. If they're going to design the game around 2 camera perspectives and make sure both are polished and suit the experience, then the third-person camera is most definitely going to be best utilized for action, which they have yet to preview. They already have the games to back that up and this game is clearly going to be a much bigger experience than anything they've done before and the demo hasn't reflected that. So there's obviously more to the game than they're willing to share.

It's like when Dusk Golem said that there'd be another playable character and people started going off the rails with Jill or Ada and so he decided to reel the speculation back by throwing it out there that it could be an entirely new protagonist. Putting 2 and 2 together, I figured if this is another Leon game and features a new character, then that character is likely to be a young blonde woman to continue the trend after Sherry and Ashley and lo and behold, Grace is a young blonde woman.

All speculation, of course. But it's fun to fill the pieces of the puzzle before knowing the bigger picture.

I think sidelining Leon would be fine. I don’t need a full, or most of a game with him. He can still be in the story as a key support character, and impact the plot in a big way, like Chris in Village.

This achieves the feat of keeping them around while allowing them to explore new avenues.

The thing is, how much longer can they realistically keep these characters around? If RE10 takes another 10 years to develop, there is no guarantee that we'll see the same character from the previous game, so opening their stories up doesn't really do much if the next director doesn't feel like exploring that specific character.

Chris essentially had his story end as an old man still keeping his eye on Rose. It'll be ridiculous to have him around past that, which is why they need to wrap up his personal story at some point prior to Shadows of Rose. Leon in Raccoon City is as fitting an end for that character as is Chris and the whole BSAA conspiracy. They're old, they're iconic, let's give them the send-off they deserve with stories worthy of their legacy.

I don't have much faith that Capcom can do that for the series, but as I've mentioned before, I really do like the idea of closing the series off and exploring different points of the timeline and filling gaps with new and old characters. I can also see the potential in killing off or ending one's story as a means of incentivizing sales of prior games but also new ones that have those characters return, albeit, in an earlier point in the timeline.

It isn’t about a "point" in pushing him aside, or finding a reason to sideline him. You’re looking at it backwards, the point is pushing Grace to the front, as the protagonist. Grace is not another Ethan. I had the same interest in Ethan as you, but I think we can relax, she is a proper character and daughter of Alyssa. We’re told the game is heavily connected to the past, no random trips to the Louisiana swamp this time.

Eh, I get that Grace isn't Ethan and has ties to the greater RE lore, but that doesn't do anything for me after what I've said above. I have no nostalgia for Outbreak and most people haven't even played those games either. It's a cool nod and an interesting direction to take with this series, but I have no hype for Grace being the protagonist over or at the expense of others who I'm much more invested in and would rather play as and see done justice at this point in the series.

If they can pull an Alan Wake 2 and tell a really good story with her and an older protagonist that feels significant, I'm all for it. I do like the angle of being a newbie with a connection to the lore coming in and uncovering the remains of a world we're all familiar with, so long as I get what I want as a fan of the series, which is to be able to play as that series veteran and see them done justice. Had Saga been the only playable character in Alan Wake 2 and Alan was only there for story beats and cutscenes, I would have been greatly disappointed after waiting 13 years to continue his story.

 

[Unknown]

No, but it's insight from someone who actually played the game and understood the fact that the game is being promised to be a significant shift for the series by Capcom themselves.

So I read Gamespot’s article and I didn’t see anything about them feeling like there’s another protagonist. There’s a musing on the possibility that there might be, but it’s completely neutral and not based on anything from the demo.

Likewise with the video, the guy just says he thinks because it’s the director of Revelations there might be multiple protagonists (guess he forgot about Mia in 7).

But hell, i’m wondering it myself, it’s RE, the shoe fits, but it’s based purely on the lack of knowledge we have right now, nothing more.

Capcom has always understood the difference between what is well received and what is expected from long-time fans. Clearly, the director himself is aware of fan criticism from RE7 and is aiming to please fans. Even back when RE7 was first revealed, it was said if the game was successful, that they'd incorporate the series characters and motifs into this new style.

They definitely listened and they understood, for sure. It takes a lot for a director to acknowledge criticism and in doing so give us Grace, a true character instead of what many would say is a stand-in/avatar i.e. Ethan.

It looks to be pleasing fans! I know i’m very intrigued. Mission accomplished i’d say!

My hope for this series died a long time ago. The remakes are really the only thing I have hope in. So my hopes are in no way influencing my speculation. Just the little we know in accordance to the "leaks" and what I've said isn't exactly painting an unreasonable picture either.

I feel you, I can’t wait to see if CV gets remade. Really hope it does, and RE5, damn… that will take the RE world by storm.

The speculation is great. The door is wide open for the likes of Leon or Chris or Jill to come in swinging and wreck some BOWs.

The devil is usually in the details and that's why I'm reading into them the way that I have. Things in game development don't often happen for no reason. If they're going to design the game around 2 camera perspectives and make sure both are polished and suit the experience, then the third-person camera is most definitely going to be best utilized for action, which they have yet to preview.

I do believe it to be more of an evolution of what we saw with Village’s added third person mode and Shadows Of Rose, than anything to do with another character. It showed their desire to increase accessibility and I expected the next game to have both for that reason.

It’s probably designed around first, but this time they made proper animations for third. They’ve also recommended first person as the perspective of choice, which I found very interesting.

Capcom acknowledging the criticism of Ethan/first person and creating Grace as a response to that, with a third person option is an ideal result, as both sides will find joy with the gameplay now (and it adds replay value).

It's like when Dusk Golem said that there'd be another playable character and people started going off the rails with Jill or Ada and so he decided to reel the speculation back by throwing it out there that it could be an entirely new protagonist. Putting 2 and 2 together, I figured if this is another Leon game and features a new character, then that character is likely to be a young blonde woman to continue the trend after Sherry and Ashley and lo and behold, Grace is a young blonde woman.

Well, Dusk’s not very reliable, to say the least, so basing any speculation on what he says isn’t something I would advise.

I think fuelling your theory that Leon is the other character with the fact that Grace is blonde, because Ashley was also blonde, is clutching at straws a tad. I don’t think there is a trend…Sherry was also Claire’s/Jake’s partner, not Leon’s, and Leon’s also paired with the dark haired Helena and Ada.

But who knows? Like I said before that door’s wide open, and any one of those old vets could walk right through it.

The thing is, how much longer can they realistically keep these characters around? If RE10 takes another 10 years to develop, there is no guarantee that we'll see the same character from the previous game, so opening their stories up doesn't really do much if the next director doesn't feel like exploring that specific character.

Well time to develop a game and the in game timeline are two different things, but I fully believe RE10 is being made right now with the Village directors and producers, which will resolve the BSAA plot. They make several of these games at once these days.

As I alluded to earlier though I sense an ending on the horizon, at least for these characters.

Chris essentially had his story end as an old man still keeping his eye on Rose. It'll be ridiculous to have him around past that, which is why they need to wrap up his personal story at some point prior to Shadows of Rose. Leon in Raccoon City is as fitting an end for that character as is Chris and the whole BSAA conspiracy. They're old, they're iconic, let's give them the send-off they deserve with stories worthy of their legacy.

Oh I definitely don’t think we’ll ever see Chris during the Shadows Of Rose time period. I don’t even think we’ll get another story set then, that was a simply a flash forward that won’t be relevant to any stories before it.

When Chris appears again i’m positive it will be right after the main bulk of Village. Raccoon City would be a fitting end for Leon though yes, if he died there. I can’t see them killing a main vet though.

Eh, I get that Grace isn't Ethan and has ties to the greater RE lore, but that doesn't do anything for me after what I've said above. I have no nostalgia for Outbreak and most people haven't even played those games either. It's a cool nod and an interesting direction to take with this series, but I have no hype for Grace being the protagonist over or at the expense of others who I'm much more invested in and would rather play as and see done justice at this point in the series.

I’ve never played Outbreak, but i’m more just hyped for a new, actual character. The last time we got that was RE6. I’m genuinely cool with not seeing any of them for this one, especially if more remakes are on the way.

 

[Ikawaru]

All bickering aside, everything I've heard so far seems like this game will definitely at least feel like a classic Resident Evil game, as it shows much promise in the survival horror and classical architecture symbolism that's a staple for the series. It contains the classical "block inventory system" and the game goes back to being paused when you get to the inventory screen. It seems that they are addressing some of the uglier elements of Resident Evil 7 like bad characters and an ugly setting that was way too influenced by 1970's horror movie tropes. Let's just hope the soundtrack is also better this time around.

Maybe it's not the groundbreaking overhaul of the series some of us thought it might be; I'm still baffled as to why this took an extra year of development unless there was some kind of bad delay in the studio (never a good sign), but at least it seems like a few steps forward in any case.

I'm just kinda irritated at people spreading rumors on the internet at the moment, as it can warp peoples expectations and generate false pipe dream in peoples heads and forces people recheck what they actually really expect from a game in this series.

Capcom, meanwhile, does deserve some criticism for taking a game that hardly seems like a massive great leap forward a little too long to develop. I mean of course it's better not to rush anything but still, seems pretty long for a game in which retains a similar caliber to 7 and 8.

 

[Turo602]

So I read Gamespot’s article and I didn’t see anything about them feeling like there’s another protagonist. There’s a musing on the possibility that there might be, but it’s completely neutral and not based on anything from the demo.

Likewise with the video, the guy just says he thinks because it’s the director of Revelations there might be multiple protagonists (guess he forgot about Mia in 7).

But hell, i’m wondering it myself, it’s RE, the shoe fits, but it’s based purely on the lack of knowledge we have right now, nothing more.

That wasn't all he said in the video. He came to that idea specifically because he said it felt like typical Resident Evil and not the departure they were claiming it to be.

There's also a number of factors that could give anyone that idea. Even Eurogamer came to the same exact conclusion I did about another character possibly being in the game to take advantage of the third-person camera.

Resident Evil is no stranger to multiple playable characters, the game is supposed to be this huge evolution for the series with immersive gameplay, cinematic action, a new era of survival horror, etc. and the demo wasn't really any of those things outside of the new stalker enemy having really amazing A.I.

Even then, Eurogamer was told not to spill a certain strategy they used on the enemy. So I'm sure there's more they're not allowed to talk about and could be possibly hinting at depsite not being able to confirm anything.

I think it was the XboxEra leak that claimed the dev told them there's another character, which I believe has been removed, but is where the images and the news regarding both perspectives originally came from. Clearly not a journalist or influencer who could be held accountable for leaking that stuff, so I see no reason not to believe that specific part of the leak when the rest checked out.

They definitely listened and they understood, for sure. It takes a lot for a director to acknowledge criticism and in doing so give us Grace, a true character instead of what many would say is a stand-in/avatar i.e. Ethan.

It looks to be pleasing fans! I know i’m very intrigued. Mission accomplished i’d say!

And in doing so, giving us another new character? That doesn't track, dude. Lol. The director himself even said he'd bring the iconic characters back. We'll see in time.

I feel you, I can’t wait to see if CV gets remade. Really hope it does, and RE5, damn… that will take the RE world by storm.

The speculation is great. The door is wide open for the likes of Leon or Chris or Jill to come in swinging and wreck some BOWs.

Well, whether you want to believe it or not, apparently Yasuhiro Anpo's next project is supposedly Code Veronica, which after 2 and 4 remake, is a great sign. It's only fitting that after telling Leon's story, he gets to do Claire’s. Probably not due for a while since 4 released only 2 years ago, but whatever the guy is working on next, I'm definitely interested.

I do believe it to be more of an evolution of what we saw with Village’s added third person mode and Shadows Of Rose, than anything to do with another character. It showed their desire to increase accessibility and I expected the next game to have both for that reason.

It’s probably designed around first, but this time they made proper animations for third. They’ve also recommended first person as the perspective of choice, which I found very interesting.

Capcom acknowledging the criticism of Ethan/first person and creating Grace as a response to that, with a third person option is an ideal result, as both sides will find joy with the gameplay now (and it adds replay value).

Another thing to keep in mind, which is why I and I'm sure Eurogamer suggested the possibility of another character in regards to camera, is that the piece of gameplay in the demo was specifically recommended to be done in first-person in-game, which featured no combat and was mostly just exploring and evading. I think someone even said that cutscenes do shift into first-person, meaning it is clearly designed to be experienced that way. But that only really speaks to the demo and Grace's playstyle.

If there is another character, we know the game is set to feature action and has a third-person mode. From a game development standpoint, and judging from the director's comments last year about gameplay, I can only imagine they're going for a best of both worlds approach with a classic character and traditional third-person action-oriented gameplay and a first-person slow paced RE7 like experience.

They attempted this with 6 and while they failed miserably, I do believe Capcom has demonstrated with their recent releases that they can balance survival horror and action quite well, and this could be the perfect solution to the unrest RE7 and Village caused the fandom.

The guy definitely seems confident that he found a way to move the series forward due to new technology and that he's going to satisfy the fans. That's about the only way I can read this scenario, unless he's just blatantly lying to everyone. But I believe that's exactly what the angle here is for this game.

Well, Dusk’s not very reliable, to say the least, so basing any speculation on what he says isn’t something I would advise.

He's been right enough times to take what he says into consideration. There's a reason people report on everything he says and even attribute random rumors to him. He said the Goatman/Jill/Hospital "leak" from supposed "testers" were bullsh*t and well it looks like he was right. He knew the title would feature the number 9 instead of a roman numeral, he knew there'd be a new playable character, he knew the title of the game, and he'd also said the game would be in third-person.

Unless you wanna pull a gotcha on him and say "well he lied about it being only in third-person," then the guy seems pretty credible. A leaker can only know so much about a game without actually being a dev. If you expect him to have a perfect batting average, well that's asking too much of anyone. He very clearly has an inside source, but I've heard he's not the only one.

Don't take his words as gospel but he's worth listening to and it's always interesting trying to figure out how the pieces fit from whatever insight the guy offers, especially in terms of Capcom's game development. It's better than nothing or any of the random one off "leaks" from anonymous users and gets speculation and discussion going.

I think fuelling your theory that Leon is the other character with the fact that Grace is blonde, because Ashley was also blonde, is clutching at straws a tad. I don’t think there is a trend…Sherry was also Claire’s/Jake’s partner, not Leon’s, and Leon’s also paired with the dark haired Helena and Ada.

But who knows? Like I said before that door’s wide open, and any one of those old vets could walk right through it.

Clutching or not, what I said came true. Whether my reasoning was sound is a different story. Lol. But it's not uncommon to follow patterns. I don't see how Helena or Jake factor in, since I was purely basing it on Dusk Golem's claims of 9 acting as the end of the "Leon trilogy" which would be the latest remakes and 9, which honestly makes sense.

They're already synergizing the remakes and the main entries by revisiting Raccoon City, why shouldn't or wouldn't they do the same narratively and for the characters as well? I think it's no coincidence that Alyssa was referenced in 7 as well as other Outbreak characters in 2. I don't typically give Capcom credit for having any sort of cohesion or long-term planning, but it's looking possible they've been long-gaming this thing.

Well time to develop a game and the in game timeline are two different things, but I fully believe RE10 is being made right now with the Village directors and producers, which will resolve the BSAA plot. They make several of these games at once these days.

As I alluded to earlier though I sense an ending on the horizon, at least for these characters.

Oh, I'm sure they are. But I can't imagine it'll release anytime soon considering how badly this game's development ballooned, and every Resident Evil project they've worked on in the RE Engine with the exception of 3 which was handled by a B-team, has been much bigger than the last, so I'm sure that'll take time. But again, Dusk claims they want to get away from numbering the entries after this one and not have to follow a status quo with each game. So it's possible 10 avoids the present day setting and can give us that BSAA story.

Oh I definitely don’t think we’ll ever see Chris during the Shadows Of Rose time period. I don’t even think we’ll get another story set then, that was a simply a flash forward that won’t be relevant to any stories before it.

When Chris appears again i’m positive it will be right after the main bulk of Village. Raccoon City would be a fitting end for Leon though yes, if he died there. I can’t see them killing a main vet though.

We can only hope so. As for Leon dying, I feel like he's always been a bit of a grim character, from his first day as a cop, to I believe saying he wanted to commit suicide, to working for a questionable government, and not even being able to get the girl. He's definitely living up to the haircut.

I think I recall that one of the ideas for RE4 included killing Leon off, and honestly, with a title like Requiem and the whole going back to where it all started, I can see them doing it and personally, I'd be okay with it so long as it feels impactful and the game's quality and writing can live up to it. I see no reason to revisit these characters in wheel chairs, so what do they really have to lose by doing it? And like I said before, it'll just make people all the more excited to revisit Leon in a future project set before his death.

I’ve never played Outbreak, but i’m more just hyped for a new, actual character. The last time we got that was RE6. I’m genuinely cool with not seeing any of them for this one, especially if more remakes are on the way.

I've personally never been a fan of any of the new characters. Like, yeah, I can tolerate Sheva, Piers, and Helena in the context of the games they were in, but they ultimately added nothing and did nothing for me. I'd say Moira and Natalia were integrated much better as fresh faces who actually added to their stories in pretty much the same way it seems Grace is going to do, but they also had Barry and Claire in there to make them feel much more meaningful.

My problem with new characters in general is the fact that the series once felt like it was going somewhere with Chris, Jill, Leon, and Claire and then just sort of dropped it all and started doing one off stories without any character arcs being wrapped up. I'd gladly take a Sherry, Moira, or Grace as protagonists, so long as they're either intertwined with the original cast like Sherry and Moira were, or the veterans' time with the series is properly concluded and not just a lingering mystery while Capcom keeps creating more random toys to play with.

 

[Springhosen]

According to screen rant, it has been confirmed that first person/third person will be an option in the game settings and you'll be able to switch between them freely as you please. (Super excited about this, by the way.)

More importantly, it should put to bed that the camera perspective is indicative of style/scenario/character, etc.

 

[Turo602]

Capcom, meanwhile, does deserve some criticism for taking a game that hardly seems like a massive great leap forward a little too long to develop. I mean of course it's better not to rush anything but still, seems pretty long for a game in which retains a similar caliber to 7 and 8.

Why do you assume you've seen everything the game has to offer to make that judgment? We don't know the scope of the game yet and only have impressions of a 20-30 minute demo to go off of. We haven't actually even seen much.

Also, I haven't seen this get much traction but apparently Nick Apostolides updated his resume which includes full voice and motion capture as a lead in a triple A video game which he's only ever done for Resident Evil.

More importantly, it should put to bed that the camera perspective is indicative of style/scenario/character, etc.

Why? First-person was the recommended camera perspective for the demo and the cutscenes were said to have supported this as they shift into first-person even while in third-person. Having the option to switch between the two perspectives doesn't negate the possibility that the game or parts of the game could be designed and intended to be played with one over the other, as was evident by the demo recommending first-person in the menu.

 

[Ikawaru]

Why do you assume you've seen everything the game has to offer to make that judgment? We don't know the scope of the game yet and only have impressions of a 20-30 minute demo to go off from. We haven't actually even seen much.

In the world of business, if you actually do create something that's bigger, better, and prettier, you advertise the Hell out of it right off the bat and get people sucked in.

The demo(nstration) revealed that we are getting a more refined version of 7 that does things more correctly and appropriately for the series. At least Nakanishi seems to have learned from his mistakes and is rectifying them to the best of his directorial abilities.

I'm just wondering why it took so long for this to be developed, that remains the key mystery and does raise some flags but hey, if that's what it took to improve upon the formula of 7 so be it. It is what it is and look forward to witnessing the gameplay during Gamescom.

 

[Turo602]

In the world of business, if you actually do create something that's bigger, better, and prettier, you advertise the Hell out of it right off the bat and get people sucked in.

The demo(nstration) revealed that we are getting a more refined version of 7 that does things more correctly and appropriately for the series. At least Nakanishi seems to have learned from his mistakes and is rectifying them to the best of his directorial abilities.

I'm just wondering why it took so long for this to be developed, that remains the key mystery and does raise some flags but hey, if that's what it took to improve upon the formula of 7 so be it. It is what it is and look forward to witnessing the gameplay during Gamescom.

Yeah, video games don't always necessarily abide by those rules, especially when there's still work to be done and marketing material is usually prepared weeks or months in advance and can even halt development, which is why companies tend not to reveal things so far ahead from release anymore. The game is 8 months away, they're in the teasing stages and the game's description paints a much different picture than simply being a refined RE7.

Every game has gotten progressively larger since RE7 regardless of the team (RE3 aside) and with this game having had such a long development cycle, I trust there's more to it than what they revealed. It hasn't even been a week yet. For all we know, we'll never truly know the scope of the game until it's released. Wouldn't be the first time a game has pulled a bait and switch on players and with the sh*t they pulled at SGF, it's possible too. Resident Evil is an untouchable IP at this point. They can literally do whatever the hell they want and still sell millions of copies.