Is Leon S. Kennedy Resident Evil’s hottest character as a result of he starred in top-of-the-line Resident Evil video games of all time? Or did he star in top-of-the-line Resident Evil video games of all time as a result of he’s the collection’ hottest character? I’ll by no means know for certain. However, ever since his first day on the job on the Raccoon Metropolis Police Division again in 1998, Leon’s affect over the Resident Evil collection has solely grown to the purpose that his recognition threatens the way forward for the collection… once more.
When Resident Evil 4 hit cabinets on January 11, 2005, the whole lot we knew about Resident Evil was upended. The collection’s well-known fastened digital camera perspective gave option to a totally 3D digital camera, and the notorious tank controls have been changed with fast-paced motion and melee fight. And Leon Kennedy, who was launched to the collection in Resident Evil 2 as a fresh-faced rookie police officer, was promoted to a undercover agent motion hero tasked with rescuing the U.S. President’s daughter from an evil cult. Leon grew to become extra Ethan Hunt and fewer Ash Williams.
Resident Evil 4’s standing as a Corridor of Fame online game is undisputed, however the 2005 launch additionally triggered Capcom to enter a interval of being misplaced within the wilderness. The overwhelming success of Resident Evil 4 shifted the collection in the direction of a extra action-focused tone, on the expense of its horror parts. Resident Evil 5 took us to Africa, the place Las Plagas-infected militia troops engaged in automotive chases and gunfights. Resident Evil 6 pushed issues to the subsequent stage, with Name of Obligation-like road battles and explosive aircraft crashes. However whereas these video games adopted the blueprint set by Resident Evil 4 to super monetary success, followers weren’t wholly glad with the general path of the franchise. It more and more grew to become clear that turning Resi’s former on a regular basis cops into MMA-trained tremendous brokers had eroded away the collection’ core.
To rediscover the horror on the coronary heart of the franchise, Capcom successfully rebooted Resident Evil in 2017 with Biohazard, the collection’ seventh mainline recreation. It ditched Leon and most of the franchise’s iconic (now extremely highly effective) characters in favor of unknown newcomer Ethan Winters who, regardless of a stunning resilience to quite a lot of gnarly hand accidents, was primarily an “everyman”. Resident Evil 7 additionally adopted a brand new first-person perspective that not solely put gamers immediately face-to-face with the sport’s many scares but additionally restricted Ethan’s moveset — there could be no roundhouse kicks right here. This new formulation led to gross sales success and the beginning of a brand new storyline centered on the Winters household (with an occasional cameo by legacy character Chris Redfield.)
In the course of the period of Resident Evil 7 and Village, there was little demand for Capcom to revisit the extra action-prominent design of Resident Evil 4. That’s doubtless as a result of, whereas Leon won’t have been on the forefront of the collection throughout this time, he was nonetheless hanging round due to remakes of older video games. Resident Evil 2 reinvented the PS1 basic in a guise that extra carefully resembled the over-the-shoulder, gun-heavy design of Leon’s most well-known journey, whereas the Resident Evil 4 remake replicated the unique’s stability of horror and suplex tackles. However as time has gone on, it’s grow to be clear that followers have been getting antsy to see Leon headline a brand new journey, not simply retread outdated territory.
Earlier this 12 months, Capcom lastly introduced the extremely anticipated Resident Evil: Requiem, and as soon as once more, the studio debuted a brand new protagonist: FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft. However in the event you look across the web for data on Requiem, you’ll see the identify of Leon S. Kennedy introduced up so usually that you’d assume he was the primary character of the upcoming recreation. That’s as a result of rumors, each substantial and in any other case, declare that Leon will seem in Requiem in some capability, whether or not that’s as a second protagonist, cameo, or even the key star, relying on who you ask.
Capcom, for its half, appears adamant that Grace Ashcroft is the face of Requiem, and there’s sufficient details about her to consider this. In contrast to Ethan Winters, who was a whole unknown when he debuted in Resident Evil 7, Grace Ashcroft is the daughter of journalist Alyssa Ashcroft, a playable character from the Resident Evil Outbreak video games. This makes Grace one thing of a legacy character in her personal proper, giving her higher significance and stronger ties to the general canon of the collection.
Additionally, throughout the Capcom Showcase, Resident Evil: Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi immediately addressed a number of the on-line rumors surrounding Leon Kennedy being the sport’s secret protagonist, saying, “We at all times considered making Leon the protagonist, however making a horror recreation primarily based round him is tough… Nobody desires to see Leon scared by each little factor. So he’s really fairly a foul match for horror.”
Having performed a slice of Requiem, I can affirm that Capcom is constant the revised formulation it launched in Resident Evil 7 and placing lots of emphasis on horror within the new recreation. One of many standout particulars is how Grace audibly reacts to completely different bounce scares all through the demo, which successfully ratchets up the stress. Nakanishi makes a great level about Leon being a foul match for one of these recreation: by this level within the collection’ timeline, which is 30 years after the occasions of Resident Evil 2, Leon is a veteran who has no issues dealing with off in opposition to even the scariest monsters.
Even the choice to take care of the collection’ real-time timeline feels designed to get followers used to the concept that their beloved characters face a ticking clock. Even when Leon Kennedy does seem in Resident Evil: Requiem, it’d be as a member of the outdated guard. In spite of everything, he will likely be round 50 years outdated when the occasions of Requiem happen, and whereas I’m certain he can nonetheless roundhouse kick a zombie at that age, having him age in real-time since his introduction in 1998 looks like a deliberate try to put Leon nearer to retirement than within the thick of the motion.
I believe there’s loads of room for Leon Kennedy to look in Requiem as a seasoned veteran serving to the brand new protagonist, just like Chris’ position in Resident Evil Village. However the issue is how the Leon rumors have sucked up a lot of the oxygen round Resident Evil: Requiem, a lot in order that some followers of the collection are outright disregarding Grace as the sport’s protagonist. There’s a great probability Leon may seem in Requiem, however Capcom’s consideration to element on Grace tells me that builders are fairly enthusiastic about her as a personality. It have to be a bit irritating to see followers brush her apart for an unconfirmed look by Leon.
However Leon and Resident Evil 4’s grip on the latest recreation isn’t simply restricted to which characters followers wish to see. Resident Evil: Requiem made waves when it introduced that, in an try to enchantment to all Resident Evil followers, there would be the choice to play Requiem in each the scarier first-person perspective launched in Resident Evil 7, or within the iconic third-person perspective.
My concern, and one thing I famous in my preview, is that switching between first- and third-person views has a direct affect on how scary the sport is. That wider viewing angle reveals threats that might in any other case go unseen, spoiling bounce scares and instilling further fear-conquering confidence. And for a recreation that’s supposedly centered on horror, as Nakanishi claims, having an choice that instantly dampens the fear feels prefer it undermines the director’s targets.
Similar to within the aftermath of Resident Evil 4, Capcom finds itself once more able of balancing giving followers what they need, between the potential look of everybody’s favourite zombie-hunting agent and the selection to play in each first- and third-person, and pushing each the design of Resident Evil and the story of Raccoon Metropolis ahead by the usage of a brand new protagonist and up to date timeframe.
If the builders of Requiem consider that the sport will be scary and compelling in each first- and third-person, then I stay up for seeing that for myself subsequent 12 months. Equally, in the event that they really feel that Grace Ashcroft can carry the subsequent mainline Resident Evil recreation because the protagonist, I’m much more excited to learn the way she suits into the story of Raccoon Metropolis. After efficiently reinventing Resident Evil with Ethan Winters’ story and establishing a slower, creepier design that immediately opposes the high-octane horror motion of Leon’s journey to Spain, followers ought to lengthen Capcom the good thing about the doubt about Grace, Leon, and Requiem. And for the builders, I hope they pursue their imaginative and prescient for the Resident Evil franchise with out compromise.
As a result of the final time Capcom chased the ghost of previous Resident Evil video games, it took years for the franchise to search out its means again once more.
Matt Kim is IGN’s Senior Options Editor.