Resident Evil 8 leaks tease a European sequel to the franchise's best game
Details have seemingly leaked for the next major Resident Evil game, and it feels like the spiritual successor to a high point in the franchise.
Even though the remake of Resident Evil 3 was only just released in early April, a series of leaks have emerged this week suggesting that while Resident Evil 8 will go in a bold new direction for the franchise, it will also closely resemble one of the franchise's very best games from 2005.
Industry insider Dusk Golem first leaked information about Resident Evil 8 on April 3 via a Twitter thread: "'Resident Evil 2021' is Resident Evil 8, but it wasn't always RE8," they wrote. "During most of its development, it existed as Revelations 3." They claim it became the next mainline entry after positive internal testing. "Hallucinations, occultism, insanity and not being able to trust others are huge thematics of the game," they wrote, also noting the return of Ethan Winters, Resident Evil 7's protagonist, who would have to contend with werewolves in a "snowy village."
While Dusk Golem doesn't have a perfect record when it comes to leaks, their claims were backed up on Saturday by Video Games Chronicle, a more reliable outlet that leaked Nintendo's Mario 35th anniversary plans last month. On Tuesday morning, Biohazard Declassified followed those reports up with several new claims that Resident Evil 8 will be called Resident Evil Village (with the roman numeral for 8 appearing as VIllage.
Most notably, this new report also claims that the "snowy village" will be in Europe, drawing a specific connection to Resident Evil 4, which saw Leon Kennedy try to rescue the President's kidnapped daughter in another small European village.
Capcom is reportedly also implementing a Resident Evil 4-style inventory system for the new title as well. Between Ethan Winters, the occult, madness, and a European setting, all signs point to Resident Evil 8 being a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7 and the spiritual successor to the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 4. The 2004 GameCube game is one of the most well-received Capcom games and a highlight for the franchise. It also feels influential to the third-person shooter genre at large, so it makes sense that Capcom wants to tap back into that magic.
The leaks for Resident Evil 8 hint that the game will not only be returning to Europe for its setting but will incorporate some aspects of the occult and will feature an inventory system reminiscent of the one in Resident Evil 4.
There will still be some major differences between Resident Evil 8 and Resident Evil 4, however. The latest game in the Resident Evil series will reportedly feature Chris Redfield as something of an antagonist, supernatural enemies like witches and werewolves, and the gameplay should be from a first-person perspective like Resident Evil 7. Don't expect a direct sequel to RE4 by any means, but the new title should theoretically involve many of the same characteristics.
The Inverse Analysis — Capcom has done a terrible bad job at keeping this game a secret. Assuming some or all of this is true, then we already know a lot about Resident Evil 8 before it has even been formally confirmed. If true, then Capcom aims to incorporate the best elements from two of the very best Resident Evil games, which could make for yet another "greatest hits" entry while still charting new ground for the long-running franchise.
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