Resident Evil 5 was released on March 5, 2009 as a long-awaited sequel to the beloved Resident Evil 4 (the original, not the remake). RE5 had big shoes to fill. It launched to generally positive reviews, but faced substantial criticism, too. Looking at Capcom’s recent slew of Resident Evil Remakes, it wouldn’t be unusual if we got a remake of Resident Evil 5 in the near future—but what kind of remake will it be?
Before Resident Evil 5, previous titles were single-player only. In 2009, online multiplayer was in high demand, and Capcom decided to shake things up by adding co-op. It was a double-edged sword, though. According to many players, myself included, Resident Evil 5 is only fun if you play it with someone.
If you play Resident Evil 5 solo, you’ll still be accompanied by an AI companion that simply cannot take care of itself. You have to order them around, protect them from harm, and, most annoyingly, manage their inventory. When playing with a friend, these problems don’t exist. The game still isn’t perfect, but it’s definitely a better experience than solo.
This makes me wonder what kind of remake Resident Evil 5 might get. Will Capcom decide to ditch coop entirely or honor the game’s original design? Will it use the same garish yellow filter, or will the game be darker and gloomier like all its other Resident Evil remakes?
I think Capcom will ditch co-op entirely, or perhaps will add it as a DLC. Resident Evil games have had the most success as single-player games, especially last year’s Resident Evil 4 Remake which became Capcom’s best-selling game of all time. While experimenting with co-op may have been interesting in RE5 and RE6, Capcom knows its core playerbase wants a fun, scary single-player experience. Given how successful recent Resident Evil games have been lately as single-player experiences, I think it would be silly if Capcom decided to stir the pot yet again.
Even though I’m slowly embracing the fact that I won’t be able to play Resident Evil 5 Remake in co-op with my wife by my side, I’m still looking forward to hearing news about it—or any other Resident Evil game.
