Summary
Fresh off of the successful release and post-launch support ofResident Evil 4’s remake, the series is free to jump to eitherResident Evil 9or another remake next.Resident Evil 5,Resident Evil 6, and evenCODE:Veronicacould all see the light of day again, not to mention earlier titles in the chronology likeRE1andRE0. The concept of remaking many of these games, particularly the controversialResident Evil 6, is certainly an interesting one.
AResident Evil 6remake is especially fascinating, as it’s regarded as the worst of the numbered entries. The game completed the series’ shift from horror to action, but lacked the charm and innovation that madeResident Evil 4such a well-regarded shooter. Even the full campaignco-op, which redeemed the also-divisiveResident Evil 5for many players, wasn’t enough to saveRE6. IfResident Evil’s remakes ever reach this particular entry, little will need to go untouched, though it wouldn’t be the first time anREremake was rendered unrecognizable.
Resident Evil 3 Demonstrates What Can Be Lost In A Remake
WhileResident Evil 6is typicallyRE’s least popular mainline title,Resident Evil’s remakes also have their own black sheep. Hot off the heels of the popularResident Evil 2remake came Jill’s long-awaited return to the franchise in 2020’sResident Evil 3. This remake was set to adapt the often-overlookedthird game inResident Evil’s PS1 trilogy, a cult classic mostly known for not recapturing the heights ofRE2, but having plenty of unique value of its own.
Too Many Cuts Made RE3 Remake Feel Hollow
Unfortunately,Resident Evil 3’s remake may end up more forgotten than its progenitor because of how much value it cut. Just about half of the campaign areas were missing, the original Mercenaries mode was exchanged for theunsuccessfulResident Evil: Resistancemultiplayer spin-off, choice-based story paths were gone, and the no-longer-titular Nemesis was a far less dynamic pursuer than its past self. Veteran fans were furious that this was howRE3was treated after its ideas had directly contributed to theResident Evil 2remake’s successful Mr. X redesign, but the chances of another do-over are unfortunately slim.
Cut Content May Be Exactly What Resident Evil 6’s Remake Needs
However, the approach taken withResident Evil 3’s remake was not inherently bad, just out of place. A remake ofResident Evil 6treated likeRE3’s remake could end up significantly better off than both of them.Resident Evil 6’s four campaigns were infamously bloated, with little more than a vague virus, messy evil organization, and a few scenes shared between them. On top of that, co-op features felt forced into the game, placing newcomers Jake, Piers, and Helena into prominent roles alongsidereturningResident Evilfaces Sherry, Chris, and Leon. Ada Wong’s post-launch epilogue campaign even highlights their redundancy by using a generic agent as its co-op partner, which leaves any potential remakes in an awkward place.
What Applying RE3 Remake’s Philosophy to RE6 Might Look Like
There are plenty more issues inResident Evil 6to address, but it should prioritize taking afterRE3’s remake and cutting its chaff first. Co-op can stay if anRE5remake has already laid the groundwork, but it needs to be toned down.Resident Evil 6would work better if the story focused on Chris and Leon, finally giving themost prominentResident Evilprotagonists a shared game, as Ada flits in and out of the action. Sherry’s campaign, with Jake serving as an enigmatic person-of-interest, could then be exchanged with Ada’s epilogue as post-launch DLC. All of this work would turn aResident Evil 6remake into a truly brand-new game in the series, but that may be what it takes to salvage what good is buried inside it.
