Summary
Officially speaking, the only bit of information Capcom has given about the nextResident Evilis that it is in fact in development, withResident Evil 7’s director Koshi Nakanishiconfirmed to be at the helm. But unofficially, there have been countless leaks, rumors, and reports surrounding the next entry in the long-running horror franchise, ranging from speculation on the game’s protagonist, to its setting, to its villain, and a whole lot in between.
By far the most prevalent and intriguing rumor so far has been thatResident Evil 9will feature an open-world structure. Originally leaked by DuskGolem, it’s believed thatResident Evil 9will take the gameplay foundations laid byDragon’s Dogma 2, and will forge its own open-world using the same engine and technology. A lot of fans have been vocal about their lack of interest in this direction for the franchise, with many believing it to be antithetical to the series' survival horror nature. But with the right mechanics,Resident Evil 9’s rumored open-world could be great, and one such mechanic can be found inResident Evil Village.
Resident Evil Village’s Cooking Mechanic Would Be a Natural Fit for an Open-World
Resident Evil Village’s Cooking Mechanic Explained
While hunting animals and looting their bodies for a consumable or two has been present intheResident Evilfranchisefor decades, 2021’sResident Evil Villagewas the first game in the series to introduce a dedicated cooking mechanic. Once players escape Castle Dimitrescu, they’ll be able to head back to Duke’s Emporium and unlock a new section of the upgrade menu titled “Duke’s Kitchen.” Here, players can find a bevy of recipes, each one increasing the player’s stats. These upgrades range from a permanent increase in the player’s health to an increase in the player’s movement speed.
Each of Duke’s recipes requires the player to hunt down specific animals, kill them, loot their bodies, and bring the meat back toDuke’s Emporium, where he’ll cook the meal automatically. Thankfully, once the player unlocks Duke’s recipes, special icons for each animal’s location are added to the player’s map, making them much easier to track down. However, some animals are only located in areas that the player won’t be able to return to upon completion of certain main story beats.
How Resident Evil Village’s Cooking Mechanic Could Be Expanded in RE9
IfResident Evil 9is adopting an open-world structure, then this cooking mechanic fromResident Evil Villagewould be a great inclusion. InResident Evil Village, Duke’s recipes incentivized players to explore as much of the map as they could, and pay close attention to each environment for any signs of wildlife. This is somethingan open-worldResident Evilgamewould benefit even more from having, with a cooking mechanic encouraging players to explore the game’s larger map just as thoroughly, paying close attention to environmental details along the way that would hopefully draw them into other engaging pieces of side content.
With a bigger scope,Resident Evil Village’s cooking mechaniccan also be improved upon in a few key ways. The most obvious improvement would be to simply add more recipes to the game, along with a more varied selection of upgrades. These could be implemented easily with the game’s larger open world, as more animals could logically fit inside the larger space.
Resident Evil Village
WHERE TO PLAY
Ethan Winters finds himself in an entirely new nightmare in Capcom’s latest installment of the acclaimed Resident Evil franchise. Whether you’re defending against Lycans in the grim dwellings of the village or exploring the lavish Castle Dimitrescu, the meticulously designed environments immerse you in this eerie world, powered by Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine. Run from, hide or face off against a diverse cast of terrifying village inhabitants in dream-like - no, nightmarish - situations and fight your instincts to push through classic horror-based sequences. Also, be sure to check out “The Mercenaries” that unlocks once you’ve finished the campaign, a fast-paced and arcade-like game mode which challenges players to blast away enemies against the clock.
