Like you, I just can’t wait to get my hands on Resident Evil Requiem. I’ve been reading up and playing a lot of the franchise’s best games and enjoying the hype that comes with waiting for a title that you’re almost certain is going to be a sight to behold. Every bit of promotional material I’ve seen so far makes me believe that this one is Resident Evil as it should be.
But things could have been very different. I do recall reports of the developer contemplating making Requiem an open-world shooter in what I can only see as a bold gambit to usher in a new host of ideas for the franchise for the current generation of gaming hardware and beyond. Would I have been intrigued at the thought of an open world Resident Evil game? Hell, yeah! But do I think Requiem should have taken that plunge?
I’m not entirely convinced, and here’s why.
An Open World Through The Resident Evil Lens
You might argue that Resident Evil has dabbled with open levels before, RE3: Nemesis being a solid example. Yes, the city felt like you could spend hours on its streets fending off zombies while dodging Nemesis. At least, that’s what it looked like on paper. But having a bunch of playthroughs under my belt thanks to Jill being one of my favorite heroines in the franchise, I would be inclined to disagree.
The first half of the game does contribute to the feeling of an open level but if you stop and think about it, you weren’t really free to go anywhere you pleased with the story ushering you down a fairly linear path. Yes, you could find paths to new areas but accessing them meant you had to go through the story until you picked up items that allowed you to proceed, or perhaps have any obstacles cleared out thanks to an event that the story triggers.
That immediately takes out the core part of an open world experience, which is being able to tackle the game’s content in any order that aligns with your interests. And yet, this semi-open world concept did work fairly well in RE3 as it fit the game’s narrative where Jill was forced to navigate Raccoon City’s streets in her desperate bid to save it from annihilation. The second half of the game was far more linear and more in tune with what the franchise was known for up until that point, though.
And then there was Resident Evil Village. That one came with a sprawling map and you were free to take on one lord or the other once things got moving with its story. But make it to one of their strongholds, and you were back on the linear paths set out for you as you made your way from one set piece or boss battle to the next. The franchise has always relied on tight spaces and a general sense of claustrophobia to make its horror land, and Village was no different.
Although each of the four Lords had strongholds that were quite elaborate, they weren’t really aligned with the concept of an open-world in the traditional sense. The horror in both the titles I’ve discussed worked because you always felt like there was nowhere to run, a sentiment that an open-world game counteracts almost by default.
And yet, the thought that Requiem might have been a sprawling map full of things for Grace and Leon to discover and engage with did have me wondering if that was the kind of game I wanted this latest chapter to the franchise’s saga to be. As a celebration of thirty years of Resident Evil, would it not be more prudent to stay true to the franchise’s roots? I certainly think so and I’m glad Requiem is doubling down on a tried and tested formula for the franchise.
But there’s more to it than a desire to see the final form of what a great Resident Evil game could be. I think that linearity suits the kind of story Requiem is trying to tell.
Finding Light In The Darkness
It’s been a pattern for Resident Evil titles to place their protagonists in dire situations that could break the spirit of any normal individual, and have them rise above it all to reach self-actualization, or perhaps resolve to ensure that their experience never have to be relived by anyone else.
To that end, the franchise has always made use of darkness and a feeling of uneasy tension in its visual design. Requiem is no different, with its narrative weaving in the game’s excellent use of light to make sequences where Grace is forced to evade the Staker all the more intense. Indeed, using light to keep the monster away is a crucial mechanic in those sequences after all.
I cannot imagine those sequences being as effective in any other setting other than the cramped, darkened hallways where they occur. Grace’s terror at her predicament would not hit as hard if she were in an open space where there were many more options to escape. And given that the Stalker is even scarier since it uses vents and pipes to get around and spring unpleasant surprises, it’s a solid argument in favor of sticking to familiar territory for the franchise in Requiem.
Leon’s new skill set is another reason I’m glad Requiem isn’t an open world title. That’s thanks to his new abilities that make him a deadly force in the field. But with melee moves and a parry mechanic that require him to get in his enemies’ faces to control the space around him, having open spaces with room to manoeuvre would immediately take away the thrill of the fight.
An open world in Requiem would hamstring it, taking away a lot of the thrills that the game is aiming for right off the bat in terms of its visual identity and mechanics designed around presenting a game that’s visceral and dare I say personal for its protagonists, and players.
Which brings me to my last argument in favor of Requiem preserving Resident Evil traditions.
Staying Close During A Crisis
It’s evident that Requiem is bridging the franchise’s signature horror with a bit of the more action-oriented approach it took in a few titles, seamlessly weaving them into Leon and Grace’s personal arcs to create dichotomy between the two. It’s also obvious that Grace and Leon are going to work together to come out ahead of whatever Gideon has planned for them.
An open world in such a setting would be counterproductive, potentially creating space for the two of them to work independently with an occasional meeting for them to exchange information. That would automatically take away some of the emotional heft of their respective stories, making them feel like their arcs do not have enough intersection to justify the working relationship they establish.
Conversely, having them traverse a giant world together might help their relationship but take away the space for them to explore their own personal stories. It would also be quite inconvenient for each character to have their secrets, as we know Leon does in the game. Either situation runs the risk of an uneven split between the two characters, which isn’t the case in Requiem right now as they’re both exploring the same mansion from what I could tell.
Another facet of an open world Resident Evil experience is that it would require a lot of side content for players to engage with. Setting aside the obvious risk of filler material, I believe it could be a distraction to a narrative that’s designed to be focused, its pacing being a crucial part of its heavy hitting moments and set pieces.
Requiem as an open world would put its horror on the back burner, making it something to be ticked off a list of objectives and distracting its players from what the game tries to achieve. It would be counterproductive to all the good ideas, old and new, that the game is utilising to make it a definitive Resident Evil experience for fans and newbies alike.
I would love to see an attempt at an open-world Resident Evil title at some point in the future. It would be quite good if you consider just how terrifying exploring the world in Dragon’s Dogma 2 at night can get. But I’m just glad it isn’t Requiem, as the story it is trying to tell, and the experience it is trying to present simply doesn’t justify a large map with things to distract its players from all of its best features.
Requiem works best when it’s able to control what its players are doing and the direction in which they are going. And that has always been its strength, as it has for most of the franchise’s entries before it. Might that change in the future? Possibly. Will I be along for the ride?
As long as the shift is handled well, you can bet I’ll be diving in the second that game becomes available. But for now, I’m going to enjoy the Resident Evil that I know and love, in a game that’s shaping up to be the best version of that formula I’ve seen.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
