Muhammad Risyad Pahlevi

What We Want in Resident Evil 6 Capcom's survival horror series could use a few changes. These are our demands!

Resident Evil 6 doesn't exist - at least not officially. Despite plenty of rumors and wishful thinking by millions of fans worldwide, Capcom has yet to confirm the existence or development of the next major entry in its survival horror series.

Yet Capcom almost doesn't need to say anything. Small leaks about voice talent, alongside the not-insignificant fact that Resident Evil 5 ranks as the best-selling entry in the franchise, effectively guarantees the game will eventually arrive. That begs the question - what kind of Resident Evil game will we see?



Resident Evil 4 kicked off a new direction for Capcom's zombie series. Control and camera angles changed as did one much more significant fact - the game no longer focused on forcing players to survive in horrific situations. The survival horror genre of the franchise evolved to something much more action-oriented.

Resident Evil 5 only underlined this change. Whereas RE4 somewhat straddled a line between old and new, the last entry in the series abandoned its roots in favor of something that almost felt like its movie counterparts. Fans felt the series they had supported for nearly a decade was no longer recognizable, and despite being a very good game, RE 5 didn't exactly feel like Resident Evil. Quality aside, that was a problem.

Capcom appears to be listening to its fans, as Resident Evil Revelations on the Nintendo 3DS finds a creative way of balancing high-action and high-suspense by frequently shifting to locations that suit different temperaments.


Resident Evil 6 needs to fully embrace its roots. There are ways to have strong action moments in the midst of terrifying situations. Horror movies and previous RE titles have demonstrated this ability, so there's no reason to push Resident Evil further down an alien path. Bring back the scares and creepy, slow-moving enemies that freak players out. Bring back the chilling environments that aren't set during the middle of the day. When in doubt - make s**t jump out of windows. That always works.


The notion of scaring the crap out of players goes hand-in-hand with another idea - make it tough to survive. Resident Evil 4 didn't stray too far from this notion. Whenever an abundance of ammo was provided, big trouble was right around the corner - like an El Gigante or two. RE5 didn't seem to pay attention to this design idea, which not only removed tension from gameplay but further eliminated any feeling of fear. No creature, no matter how great a design, is too alarming when a player is fully armed and fully loaded.

Resident Evil 6 needs to almost go to the other end. Deprive us of ammo so much that we're forced to run away. Make us conserve ammo and place our shots carefully. Make us frantically question whether it'd be wiser to run and fight another day. That's what makes the RE franchise so engrossing.


Both Resident Evil 4 and 5, perhaps out of necessity, did something strange. In an effort to feel fresh and original, the two titles almost seemed to operate independently of the core ideas outlined in previous titles. Updates on the mighty Umbrella Corporation were still provided, and Albert Wesker certainly made his presence felt, but the games felt a bit removed. And why can't Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy seem to exist within the same story? Fans certainly want to see the two franchise icons work together, yet Capcom continues to keep them apart.

Resident Evil 6 needs bind its sprawling, almost unwieldy narrative together. It needs to remember the heroes and villains that have made the series so popular, while avoiding any troublesome or confusing concepts that most of us try to forget. Obviously this will be no easy task, but with the abundance of other zombie games out there, Resident Evil's legacy will continue to be its 15-year history. Despite the need for fresh mechanics and ideas, it can't act as if its past is something to discard or forget.