The Resident Evil franchise is paradoxically in its best position ever and at a crossroads. Capcom has already crafted remakes of the most beloved entries in the series, leaving the polarizing Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil 5 as the next most likely candidates to get the remake treatment, in addition to the anticipated reveal of the series' next mainline entry with Resident Evil 9. Should Resident Evil 5 be the next game in the series to get a remake, it stands to improve upon the original in many key ways, one of which could potentially be how it handles co-op and inventory management.
The early years of the Resident Evil franchise were built around each game having two protagonists, which Resident Evil 0 would expand upon by having the player control them both simultaneously. This approach was somewhat cumbersome in practice, leading Capcom to go back to the drawing board and make its next duo of protagonists a co-op-focused team in Resident Evil 5. Being able to swap items and ammunition on the fly was a major element that made Resident Evil 5's co-op so seamless for its time, and a remake needs to find ways to innovate without attempting to fix what isn't broken.
A Resident Evil 5 Remake Would Have a Tough Choice Ahead of It for One Boss Fight
While receiving a remake could elevate many aspects of Resident Evil 5, a certain boss encounter's dated nature makes its status more complex.
What Elements of Inventory Sharing Would Need to Stay in a Resident Evil 5 Remake?
Player perception toward Resident Evil 5 has shifted a bit in the years since the game's release, but one element that still stands tall is the game's implementation of co-op. Compared to the cumbersome nature of shifting between two protagonists in Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil 5 felt like a breath of fresh air whether playing solo or with a partner, and it's surprising how well the game still holds up even in a modern context. One of the things that helps make Resident Evil 5's co-op gameplay remain timeless is how the game seamlessly handles inventory management and item sharing.
Playing solo in Resident Evil 5 gave players the benefit of tweaking Sheva's AI settings to have her only use items necessary for her survival, effectively allowing them to double their inventory. But in co-op, players' ability to seamlessly swap items with one another and share all treasures accrued in each Chapter allowed for balanced progression and varied approaches to combat. Regardless of what changes a Resident Evil 5 remake implements, it would do well to leave these elements intact.
How Resident Evil 5's Remake Could Improve on the Original's Co-Op Progress and Inventory Sharing
One area where the potential Resident Evil 5 remake could improve co-op inventory management is with the actual mechanics of sharing items between players. In the original, both Chris and Sheva would need to be within proximity to one another to both get the benefit of using healing items or quickly swapping ammo boxes. A remake should take advantage of advancements in technology and give players the option to drop items on the ground for retrieval, either extending or outright eliminating the invisible tether between the game's protagonists.
Sharing of progress is another potential minefield for a Resident Evil 5 remake to navigate, especially if players match up with random co-op partners online rather than playing through the campaign consistently with a single friend. While the original RE5 allowed for all progress to be saved as if playing in single-player, this meant that all unlocks were also saved specifically to that file. One way that a Resident Evil 5 remake could improve this system is by tying progression to the player's profile rather than the specific save, allowing players to bring in their favorite upgraded gear into new sessions with different players.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 72 /100 Critics Rec: 62%
WHERE TO PLAY
The Umbrella Corporation and its crop of lethal viruses have been destroyed and contained. But a new, more dangerous threat has emerged. Years after surviving the events in Raccoon City, Chris Redfield has been fighting the scourge of bio-organic weapons all over the world. Now a member of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), Chris is sent to Africa to investigate a biological agent that is transforming the populace into aggressive and disturbing creatures. Joined by another local BSAA agent, Sheva Alomar, the two must work together to solve the truth behind the disturbing turn of events.
- Engine
- havok, MT Framework
- Multiplayer
- Local Co-Op, Online Co-Op
- Franchise
- Resident Evil
- Number of Players
- 2
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- October 29, 2019
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- How Long To Beat
- 12 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
- PS Plus Availability
- Premium (PS3 Version)
