When Resident Evil Requiem was finally revealed at Summer Game Fest, my first instinct was to yell uncontrollably. But then, through the heady veil of late-night delirium and sweet vindication after not one but two fake-out teases earlier in the show, I caught something. Did that FBI guy just say… Ashcroft?
Yes, yes he did. It seems that Resident Evil's ninth mainline game will feature the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft, the cutthroat journalist who starred in PS2 spin-off, Resident Evil Outbreak, some 22 years ago. Aside from a small nod to her in Resident Evil 7, where one of her articles is found by Ethan Winters, the Ashcrofts have largely faded into the background since then. But now that Capcom is dredging up its past to carve out the series' future, I have a couple of hunches about what might come next for us survival horror fans – including a few theories on what the Resident Evil Requiem storyline might be.
Ancient grudge
The Resident 2 and Resident Evil 4 remakes are masterpieces, but which is better?
I'll cut to the chase: it's looking more likely that instead of a much-rumored Code Veronica remake, we could be getting a brand new Resident Evil Outbreak first. It makes sense that Capcom would continue its winning streak off the back of mega-successful Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4, but with Resident Evil 5's subject matter having aged like fine milk, I'm not holding out hope for Wesker's final act to get a modern facelift imminently.
Enter: Resident Evil Requiem, here to save the day by reminding us of one of the franchise's lesser-known spin-offs. Despite owning a copy of the PS2 game myself and very much not hating the thing, I'll be the first to admit that an Outbreak remake is not something I'd had on my bingo card.
Useful as the game is when it comes to fleshing out the lives of Raccoon City's everymen on the night it all went to hell and back, it has objectively less impact on the mainline series' events than something like Code Veronica. The latter is widely considered canon, but Outbreak and its sequel Outbreak File #2 are mere "fluff," so to speak, there to add some color rather than paint a new picture
But Resident Evil Requiem has the chance to change that. We don't know much about what the plot of the new game might be at the moment – only that our supposed protagonist Grace Ashcroft is a tech analyst for the FBI, her mother lost her life at the Wrenwood Hotel eight years earlier, and Grace is about to be sent back there to investigate a spate of suspicious viral infections.
We also know that Alyssa's story will be of some importance, given the brief flashback sequences in the RE9 announcement trailer. With glimpses of the Raccoon City Police Department pre and post-destruction thrown in there for good measure, on top of a mix of terrified voices pointing at something horrendous happening right now, it's likely we will be finding out exactly what happened to Alyssa (and, perhaps, Grace) at the Wrenwood this February.
My slightly more extreme theory, though, is that the Outbreak "remake" might happen as part of Resident Evil Requiem itself.
New mutiny
In this context, I can see how a remake-within-a-sequel would actually pan out pretty well.
Think about it: Outbreak plays out in the format of various scenarios, each featuring a handful of laymen who experience the T virus epidemic first-hand. Each of the scenarios takes only a few hows to complete apiece, meaning it's fairly easy to separate the stories from one another.
What if instead of mere flashback cinematics, we get to play through Alyssa's past in a split timeline in RE9 – both her more recent Wrenwood experience, and those late-90s escapades as seen in Resident Evil Outbreak? Moreover, what if Capcom decides to retcon bits here and there, adding more connective tissue throughout Alyssa's scenario – say, linking her story to that of Claire, Jill, or Leon, who were also active in the city that very same night?
Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but in this context, I can see how a remake-within-a-sequel would actually pan out pretty well. It would also put some stock into all the Resident Evil 9 rumors that had been going around some time ago – and have popped up again over the weekend – regarding Leon featuring in the next Resi game in a meaningful capacity. If Requiem straddles more than one spot on the Resident Evil timeline, it would give the once-rookie cop more stake in the matter, both as a participant of the game's modern timeline and by giving us more backstory into how he and Alyssa might have once crossed paths.
So there you have it. My most out-there prediction, written up for all to roll their eyes at. But maybe, just maybe, if I happen to be right… well, it'll be like the Summer Game Fest reveal all over again, only I'll be twice as smug about it.
Resident Evil Requiem is just one of the upcoming horror games looming on the horizon...
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