Highlights

• Horror must constantly reinvent itself to avoid becoming oversaturated and stale in a genre flooded by imitators.
• Resident Evil stands out as a profound, enduring horror franchise that continues to evolve and meet audience demands successfully.
• The franchise's potential is limitless, with the possibility of pushing boundaries further and captivating players with bold, new directions.

Horror isn’t ever afforded the luxury of being able to play it safe or by the numbers, for better or for worse. As a genre, horror always seems to need to redefine itself. Perhaps that’s because so much produced in that space is so identical or inspired, but carving out a niche in horror never lasts long when imitators flood the scene and oversaturate whatever intriguing hook horror’s imparted lately. For a while, horror had found success in allegorically or metaphorically depicting mental illness through grisly, supernatural encounters, though that hasn’t been nearly as nuanced or subtle as of late.

Resident Evil, on the other hand, has stuck around and met the demand of many uniquely shaped molds. Indeed, while not without its own blunders and missteps, Resident Evil has prevailed where few other horror franchises have managed to excel. This could be a stroke of luck depending on how Capcom’s approach to the series is perceived, and yet the fact that it’s still pushing out numbered mainline installments almost 30 years later is a profound achievement and unmistakably impressive. With this in mind, it’s easy to see how Resident Evil shows no signs of quitting while it’s ahead and could be a seminal horror property for another decade or longer.

Resident Evil’s Nearly 30-Year History is a Testament to Its Timelessness

Not every Resident Evil game may be to every individual player’s liking, but that’s the beauty of Resident Evil because it ensures there’s at least one entry that anyone could adore for how unique it is. Personal preferences will play a huge role in which games are enjoyed and with eight numbered mainline titles, a handful of spin-offs, and several remakes there is quite a lot to choose from.

Remakes themselves give new audiences an opportunity to experience classic games through a reimagined lens and also add a new perspective to games that maybe not everyone fully appreciated when they had tank controls, fixed camera angles, and polygonal characters. It’s been incredible to see how Resident Evil has evolved since its original trilogy, making drastic design changes to adopt a new gameplay structure, and though its action-leaning endeavors have been deemed less iconic in the franchise, they were also the franchise’s best-selling games before 7, Village, and the remakes had launched.

There’s arguably never been a point in Resident Evil’s lifespan where the series wasn’t doing well and that’s because Capcom has kept a thumb on the genre’s pulse to decide when and where it needed a fundamental shift. That’s becoming more difficult to gauge now that its mainline games are embedded in horror while its remakes are steeped in action, but if anyone has had experience successfully navigating horror’s dips and bends it is Capcom.

Resident Evil Has Infinite Franchise Potential

Resident Evil could continue on forever if Capcom wanted it to so long as it manages to include a new hook every couple of mainline installments. There’s no reason to stop at Resident Evil 10 if Capcom could viably get to Resident Evil 20, for example. The franchise has only recently begun to scratch the surface of how bold and reinventive it can be when Capcom loosens its grip on Resident Evil’s leash, folding fantastical horror into its signature dark humor brilliantly in Village.

There’s no plausible way Resident Evil would’ve been around still if it wasn’t for how creative the franchise can be—Resident Evil 9 is rumored to be an open-world game, too.

That’s not necessarily emergent considering how many open-world games there are; regardless, it’s an avenue Resident Evil has yet to attempt and Capcom truly delving into those mechanics and design philosophies would once again cement the fact that Resident Evil is unafraid to stretch its legs. If Resident Evil only ever makes it to 10 mainline games before shuttering that would be a phenomenal and undisputed legacy to behold. However, there’s no reason why Resident Evil should ever retire if it has the means to terrify and excite players with engrossing stories.