Last time we played Resident Evil, Ethan was traversing a creepy, old house filled with mold creatures and a murderous family. Many fans were happy to see the game return to its horror roots but were conflicted about the first-person approach. Now, at the peak of Resident Evil 3 remake hype, some interesting rumors have surfaced about Capcom’s newest game: Resident Evil 8.
The rumors came from Biohazardcast through an unverified source. Eurogamer later reinforced one of the more controversial rumors. Fans are divided about these rumors because they make some interesting additions to the beloved franchise. It’s difficult to have a concrete opinion with so few details and so much unverified info. Still, we’ll give it our best shot; here are five things about Resident Evil 8 we hope are true and five we hope are false.
10 Hope It’s True - Development was Rebooted in 2019
If this is true, it means we have to wait longer before getting our hands on Resident Evil 8. It does, though, seem like the better option compared to a contradicting rumor coming up. A reboot, hopefully, means Capcom was not happy with the game and wanted to make it better for fans.
It’s also a possibility that all these rumors are attached to the older development that took place before the reboot (this speculation comes from Gamesradar). If this actually a fact, then angry fans can rest easy knowing that the more troublesome rumors are from a scraped project.
9 Hope It’s False - Capcom Started Testing The Game in 2019
The testing stage usually comes later in development, which means Capcom is almost done with Resident Evil 8. In this contradictory rumor, Capcom is rushing to release a Resident Evil that fans do not want. What if development was never rebooted and all these rumors are actually attached to the new game? Fans would not be happy.
For the sake of the first two entries, we had to choose between two rumors, but let’s quickly ponder an alternative (and more likely) theory. Twitter user AestheticGamer says the game was tested in 2019, didn’t sit well with the testers, and was rebooted. This idea makes the first two rumors one and the same. It also explains their contradiction. Hopefully, this turns out to be the case.
8 Hope It’s True - Chris Redfield Will Make An Appearance
This makes a lot of sense with Chris Redfield showing up at the end of Resident Evil 7 and appearing in its downloadable content. Redfield is an iconic Resident Evil character and it’s always nice to see him return for various games. Fans were disappointed with some of his more action-oriented entries but Redfield’s serious and cool nature is always appreciated.
It would also answer some serious questions like: why did he show up in an Umbrella helicopter at the end of RE7? If nothing else, his presence would be welcome with Ethan, the protagonist of RE7, being such a boring character.
7 Hope It’s False - Ethan Will Return As The Playable Character
As of this writing, there is no available image of Ethan Winters because we never got to see him in Resident Evil 7. He sadly fell victim to the First-Person Disease, where the game’s protagonist does not get any real personality or face. Though we loved seeing horrors through his eyes, Winters was a boring protagonist who never showed much character depth.
His reactions to the horrible stuff around him was not too realistic and we never got to learn much about him. We would love to see a new playable character instead of getting stuck with Winters again. If we do, then at least give him a little more depth.
6 Hope It’s True - Zombies Make A Return
The latest Resident Evil took a break from zombies in favor of molded creatures that were scary and definitely hard to kill. Still, there was something missing: the classic zombie. Resident Evil does zombies so well. The best and most horrifying part is seeing a dead body and questioning its intentions.
Resident Evil 7 was missing that classic feeling of jumping out of your seat when a zombie reaches through a window. We would love to see the undead appear again. The mold creatures are fine, just add some zombies as well. It’s Resident Evil, after all.
5 Hope It’s False - A Ghost Will Stalk You
Rumors tell us a shadowy female will be haunting the player throughout the game. Bullets will only go through her, which indicates an unstoppable enemy. This sounds a lot like stalkers from previous games, such as the biologically engineered soldier Mr. X who’d break down walls just to punch you to death.
A ghost doesn’t sound too intimidating after running away from the fedora-wearing giant or Nemesis with a rocket launcher. A ghost has the potential to be scary, but its hard to live up to the past antagonists. Then again, we have no idea what this ghost will be like - this is only speculation.
4 Hope It’s True - You Will Fight Werewolf Inspired Enemies
You may say werewolves don’t really fit into Resident Evil, but hear us out. The rumors said nothing about actual werewolves and Resident Evil is known for some weird creatures. On the other hand, werewolf-inspired creatures would make for some fun enemies. Anything that diversifies the combat would be beneficial.
Werewolf creatures trying to take a bite out of you would be an intense and scary gameplay moment. These monsters’ immense strength and size would make for some unique enemies that are difficult to take down. This type of enemy would work well with the Resident Evil formula and add to the horrifying intensity that the series is known for.
3 Hope It’s False - It Will Have A First-Person Perspective
There is nothing inherently wrong with the first-person perspective. It pulled the gamer into Resident Evil 7 and made the scary moments even scarier. If we’re being serious, then we know the next Resident Evil will probably be first person. It worked out well for Biohazard and it seems unlikely Capcom will change the format so quickly.
With all this being said, Resident Evil works better as a third-person game. The outstanding remakes prove this. They were able to successfully recreate the original games and its third-person perspective. In this format, players can relate to the characters much better and see how they react to certain events.
2 Hope It’s True - It’s Set in A Castle
More specifically, gameplay will start in a village before moving to a castle. It will also feature snowy mountainous regions that resemble Europe. Resident Evil 4 had a similar setting and is considered one of the best games in the series. The thought of navigating an old castle spells out creepy.
If done right, this setting could create a haunting atmosphere that’s prime for scares. It’s also excellent fuel for puzzles and fun navigation. This type of setting could make for some great gameplay and set one of the best tones in the series.
1 Hope It’s False - It’s a Spin-Off
The actual rumor is that the new game will not be called Resident Evil 8, but will have a more creative title. This likely means it will be a spin-off instead of the next major installment. We’d be happy with any new Resident Evil, but if we had to choose then we’d like to see the next main entry over a spin-off.
This list has been filled with much speculation. Maybe none of these rumors will come to fruition, but it’s fun to evaluate them. Hopefully, we will see an official announcement soon and the next Resident Evil will ultimately make fans happy.
NEXT: 10 Games To Play While Waiting For Resident Evil 8
