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Capcom has confirmed that the upcoming horror thriller Resident Evil Requiem (also known as Resident Evil 9) will not feature an open world, as some had speculated. Reports picked up rumors of an open-world Resident Evil 9 (RE9) before Capcom revealed the game. The question has continued to hang over it as we get closer to release. With the action returning to Raccoon City, many players wondered how much freedom would be on offer.
In an interview with Game Informer, RE9 director Koshi Nakanishi said:
“[Capcom] did just want to make clear one point. They’ve seen some speculation of whether there’s any open world elements in the game, and they just want to set the record straight that this isn’t an open world game.”
Curation vs. Freedom
Resident Evil often puts players in a large environment that they need to explore, unlocking doors, buildings, and solving mysteries as they go. Resident Evil 4 and Village both offered a bigger space than other games, feeling like an open world at times. This made some players wonder if the series would fully make the jump to open-world design or keep the tried and tested format.
Thankfully, Capcom is sticking to what they know, and RE9 will be all the better for it. Resident Evil does not need to feature an open world.
While players have a lot of freedom when it comes to exploration in Resident Evil, choosing which order they want to complete puzzles and progress, the main strength of survival horror games lies in curation. Giving players too much freedom, such as letting them explore an entire open world, risks killing that immersion.
Locations like the Spencer Mansion, Raccoon City Police Station, and the Baker Compound wouldn’t be the same if they existed as part of an open world. The games would lose that playable horror movie feel.
While an open world can work well in horror games like Dying Light, sometimes, an experience needs limits and curation to be effective, and nowhere is this more apparent than in Resident Evil.
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