Is Leon S. Kennedy Resident Evil’s hottest character as a result of he starred in a single of the finest Resident Evil video games of all time? Or did he star in a single of the finest 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. Nonetheless, ever since his first day on the job at the Raccoon Metropolis Police Division again in 1998, Leon’s affect over the Resident Evil collection has solely grown to the level that his recognition threatens the future of the collection… once more.
When Resident Evil 4 hit cabinets on January 11, 2005, every part we knew about Resident Evil was upended. The collection’s well-known fastened digicam perspective gave method to a totally 3D digicam, 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 turned 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 brought about Capcom to enter a interval of being misplaced in the wilderness. The overwhelming success of Resident Evil 4 shifted the collection in the direction of a extra action-focused tone, at the expense of its horror components. 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 total route of the franchise. It more and more turned 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 at the coronary heart of the franchise, Capcom successfully rebooted Resident Evil in 2017 with Biohazard, the collection’ seventh mainline sport. It ditched Leon and plenty of of the franchise’s iconic (now extremely highly effective) characters in favor of unknown newcomer Ethan Winters who, regardless of a shocking resilience to a spread 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 components led to gross sales success and the begin of a brand new storyline centered on the Winters household (with an occasional cameo by legacy character Chris Redfield.)
Throughout 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 seemingly as a result of, whereas Leon may not have been at the forefront of the collection throughout this time, he was nonetheless hanging round because of remakes of older video games. Resident Evil 2 reinvented the PS1 traditional in a guise that extra intently resembled the over-the-shoulder, gun-heavy design of Leon’s most well-known journey, whereas the Resident Evil 4 remake replicated the authentic’s stability of horror and suplex tackles. However as time has gone on, it’s turn out to be clear that followers have been getting antsy to see Leon headline a brand new journey, not simply retread outdated territory.
Earlier this yr, 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 case you go searching the web for data on Requiem, you’ll see the identify of Leon S. Kennedy brought up so often that you’d suppose he was the principal character of the upcoming sport. 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 secret star(*20*), relying on who you ask.
Capcom, for its half, appears adamant that Grace Ashcroft is the face of Requiem, and there may be 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(*20*). This makes Grace one thing of a legacy character in her personal proper, giving her higher significance and stronger ties to the total canon of the collection.
Additionally, throughout the Capcom Showcase, Resident Evil: Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi immediately addressed some of the on-line rumors(*20*) surrounding Leon Kennedy being the sport’s secret protagonist, saying, “We at all times considered making Leon the protagonist, however making a horror sport primarily based round him is tough… Nobody desires to see Leon scared by each little factor. So he’s really fairly a nasty match for horror.”
Having performed a slice of Requiem(*20*), I can verify that Capcom is constant the revised components it launched in Resident Evil 7 and placing rather a lot of emphasis on horror in the new sport. One of the standout particulars is how Grace audibly reacts to completely different leap scares all through the demo, which successfully ratchets up the rigidity. Nakanishi makes a very good level about Leon being a nasty match for this sort of sport: by this level in the collection’ timeline, which is 30 years after the occasions of Resident Evil 2, Leon is a veteran who has no issues going through off towards even the scariest monsters.
Even the choice to keep up 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 probably 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 and put Leon nearer to retirement than in the thick of the motion.
I feel there’s lots of room for Leon Kennedy to look in Requiem as a seasoned veteran serving to the new protagonist, just like Chris’ position in Resident Evil Village. However the drawback 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 very good probability Leon may seem in Requiem, however Capcom’s consideration to element on Grace tells me that builders are fairly keen about her as a personality. It have to be just a little irritating to see followers brush her apart for an unconfirmed look by Leon.
However Leon and Resident Evil 4’s grip on the latest sport isn’t simply restricted to which characters followers need to see. Resident Evil: Requiem made waves when it introduced that, in an try and enchantment to all Resident Evil followers, there will probably be the choice to play Requiem in each the scarier first-person perspective launched in Resident Evil 7, or in 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 right away influence on how scary the sport is. That wider viewing angle reveals threats that might in any other case go unseen, spoiling leap scares and instilling further fear-conquering confidence. And for a sport that’s supposedly centered on horror, as Nakanishi claims, having an choice that instantly dampens the terror feels prefer it undermines the director’s objectives.
Identical to in the aftermath of Resident Evil 4, Capcom finds itself once more ready of balancing giving followers what they need, between the potential look of everybody’s favourite zombie-hunting agent and the option to play in each first- and third-person, and pushing each the design of Resident Evil and the story of Raccoon Metropolis ahead by way of the use of a brand new protagonist and modern timeframe.
If the builders of Requiem consider that the sport may be scary and compelling in each first- and third-person, then I look ahead to seeing that for myself subsequent yr. Equally, in the event that they really feel that Grace Ashcroft can carry the subsequent mainline Resident Evil sport as the protagonist, I’m much more excited to learn how 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 prolong Capcom the profit of 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 seek out its manner again once more.
Matt Kim is IGN’s Senior Options Editor.