It has been 16 years since I last saw Chris punch a boulder and defeat Wesker alongside his partner, Sheva Alomar. Yet, there’s been no indication that the team behind the Resident Evil remakes is working on Resident Evil 5.
Okay, maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. Before I even ask Capcom where the RE5 remake is, I must ask, "How would they even remake it?” This question arises from the many issues that plague (get it?) Resident Evil 5. While it’s a fantastic action co-op game, it never truly felt like a Resident Evil game at its core.
Action or Survival Horror?
The biggest question is: What would be the best version of a Resident Evil 5 remake? Should it stick to its action-packed roots, with Chris and Sheva mowing down zombies in the Kijuju Autonomous Zone? Or should it lean more into survival horror, with tight corners, jump scares, and engaging enemy placement?
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+ 4Only Capcom can answer that, but as of now, they’ve been silent about RE5's future—likely because they’re busy with the rumored release of the long-awaited Resident Evil 9.
Co-Op or Single-Player?
The unique thing about Resident Evil 5 is that it was the first game in the series to embrace co-op gameplay fully. Sure, the split-screen mode wasn’t as seamless as Hazelight’s Split Fiction, but it worked well enough to let two players blow zombie heads off without a care in the world. I completed RE5 with my 12-year-old nephew back then, and we had a blast taking down Plagas as Chris and Sheva.
click to enlarge + 4But what if Capcom removes the co-op mode in favor of a single-player experience? If they rewrite the story, they could implement a split perspective, similar to Resident Evil 2 with Leon and Claire. Sheva could be Story A, while Chris could be Story B.
Alternatively, they could follow the Resident Evil 3 remake approach, with separate sections for Jill and Carlos. Chris and Sheva could be separated during the story, exploring different scenarios in each chapter. Maybe I’m just wishful thinking, but I’d prefer this setup.
Remake or Reboot?
Now comes the big question: Would it benefit Capcom to remake Resident Evil 5, or would a complete reboot be the better option?
Considering the game’s glaring issues, a reboot could be the smarter move. Capcom could start fresh, keeping Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar as the main characters and Wesker as the big bad. They could even improve onJill Valentine’s involvement or, better yet, Wesker’s demise.
click to enlarge + 4But to be fair, Capcom has enough flexibility within the Resident Evil universe to take creative liberties. We might even see a different direction if they eventually remake Resident Evil 6 in the future, but that’s a topic for another day.
A Cautionary Tale or a New Success?
Capcom could abandon the idea of a remake or reboot when all else fails. But I doubt that. Even though fans didn’t universally love Resident Evil 5, it has sold 15.3 million copies since its release. Players who don’t care about Resident Evil lore still enjoyed it.
There are countless possibilities for how Capcom could handle this remake, and it could either be a cautionary tale or another success, like Resident Evil 4. As someone who wants to fight Wesker in Capcom’s new engine, I badly want to see it come to life in the future.
click to enlarge + 4But why are we stressing over this? We’ll probably get a Code Veronica remake or Resident Evil 9 before we get to punch boulders with Chris Redfield in the RE Engine.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Features and Resident Evil page.