Resident Evil 9 Has Me Wrestling With Excitement & Anxiety Simultaneously

The Capcom atmosphere is brimming with spicy oxygen as Resident Evil 9 rumors circulate at an unprecedented rate. It’s honestly gotten to the point where I just want the blasted game to be announced so my mind can grab some water and calm down.

Information on the next Resident Evil is sparse right now with the only thing being rumors. 

That said, what the people claim is extremely outlandish yet within the realm of possibility. Here’s why …

Resident Evil 9 May Have Leon As The Protagonist & I’m Hyped

When it comes to Resident Evil, people will often cite the survival horror elements and fixed camera angles in the original games as things they love most in this franchise. It’s perfectly valid too.

RE9 leak update – Leon will be the protagonist for the entirety of the game.
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Me? I love Leon. That’s all there is to it.

I don’t miss any Resident Evil game that has Leon regardless of the capacity. Two titles serve as prime examples of “minimum Leon” and I still dived deep into them: Operation Raccoon City and Resident Evil 6.

And that’s the only reason why I’m over the moon because of this rumor that Resident Evil 9 will have Mr. Kennedy as the protagonist.

There’s just something about this guy that oozes personality. Even in the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 remakes, where Capcom soft-rebooted him, he still displays an immaculate blend of charisma, sass, badassery, and dorkiness.

And the original Resident Evil 4? It’s a masterpiece in every way. 

The original RE4 is the only single-player game I’ve played for over 500 hours. Yes, I know how wild that is. All I could think of back then was the next playthrough and the next thing you know, years had passed. To this day I remember every section of that title, even the nook and crannies. Too bad there’s no award for dedication.

For me, Leon is Resident Evil. It’s at a point where I actively avoid dying because hearing him scream causes real pain.

Not sure how this remake timeline and the original will impact the portrayal of his character in Resident Evil 9 should he turn out to be the actual protagonist but I digress. Here’s hoping for the best.

But that’s where my hype ends as concerns begin to take control and for good reason.

Rumors Of RE9 Being Open World Are A Bit Unsettling

I’m not one to outright dismiss something due to stigma or preconceived notions. It’s true that majority of the open world games fail to embody the essence of that genre but certain exceptions exist.

Resident Evil 9 Possibly Going Open World, It’s Claimed
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No, I’m not talking exclusively about Elden Ring or the latest Zelda games.

What those titles achieved is the pinnacle of open-world experiences but there’s a charm in worlds like The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption 2, Dragons Dogma 2, and even Hogwarts Legacy. This in spite of the map clutter some of these games incorporate.

The main problem with open worlds is the formulaic design and feeling of being empty or dead. Something I blame Ubisoft for popularizing back in the day and even now you can feel its effects. One such persistent element is map towers. You know where they are and why they’re problematic.

With Resident Evil, the main draw is the atmosphere, the story, and the feeling of something always lurking around the corner. If Resident Evil 9 is going open world, it needs to follow a very particular direction or up the ante when it comes to horror in order to prevent the series from falling flat.

One ray of light happens to be the Del Lago lake and cave region from the Resident Evil 4 remake. Compared to how that area was in the original, the modern recreation felt extremely open yet carried the horror atmosphere and the sense of dread given that Leon had a parasite in his body while being in a deranged land.

Whether RE9 will actually be an open world remains to be seen. Regardless, if that’s the direction Capcom has chosen, it can either be a well-designed interconnected map like the ones Fromsoft is known for or an open world that’s fun to explore and not a chore.

I Hope Capcom Delivers A Memorable Experience

As humans, we’re always quick to call names and hate others the second they do one bad or misunderstood thing despite their long-standing record of good.

Granted, Capcom is a corporation and it only cares about making money, but it hasn’t missed since its resurgence with Resident Evil 7.

Microtransactions shouldn’t exist in a $70 single-player game but Dragon’s Dogma 2 had bigger, more severe issues than purchasable goods that weren’t directly encouraged.

Yet people were quick to attack the developer. Many may call me a hypocrite but I’m more of a devil’s advocate here.

Corporations only know one language: money. Review bombing and ranting on Twitter hardly do anything when the corporation in question is taking in the cash. The latest debacle involving Helldivers 2 and Ghost of Tsushima is one example.

Coming back to Capcom, it’s been crafting top-class experiences for several years now. People gladly paid top dollar for it, unlike the bickering you see whenever Ubisoft announces a new game.

If it can replicate that once more, this time with Resident Evil 9, I’ll support it.

No idea what this game will be like and with all the rumors abound, an official announcement needs to be made soon.