Playthrough number one of Resident Evil 9 is complete and I thoroughly enjoyed another romp through Raccoon City. This game took some of the best elements of the series and mixed them with novel items resulting in a great game fits perfectly amongs its siblings, despite not quite reaching the franchise’s peaks.
The new protagonist Grace has a decent design, but is inherently boring, always stuttering and not truly growing much throughout. Despite this, her first-person gameplay is solid and serves as a fantastic survival horror counterpart to legacy Leon’s third-person vantage point. He is pure action, representing late-game power from prior titles. One-liners, over-the-top melee attacks and kick-ass weapons all show RE at its best. The balance between the two playstyles is fantastic, though that buildup to power is one of the best parts of games in this genre, and this strips that away. However, each represent the reliable formula that millions love about this series.
The game looks and sounds phenomenal, as expected. I played on a PS5 Pro and appreciated both the audio design and fantastic visuals. While the game’s setting was less memorable than 7 or 8, the intensity was there in spades. Many times, however, I could predict the by-the-numbers jump scares. The open-world portion has been criticized by many. Though this extended segment lost some of the game’s intensity, Leon’s gameplay was fun enough to offset any gripes of my own.
Resident Evil 9’s story was a weaker one, trying to tie in decades of lore with a new face entirely. Its forgettable nemesis, someone whose name began with a Z, was not at all intriguing and hardly fleshed out. The returning names, Sherry and Spencer were welcome, as was its RE2 setting, though that nostalgia could’ve been better harnessed. Though Grace’s history ties in with Umbrella, it feels a bit lazy, and BSAA’s involvement was never truly explained, though that may be the setup for unannounced DLC. Much of this story could exist without the ties to Raccoon City.
Fortunately, the good ending was exciting, culminating in a traditional monstrosity and absurd wrap-up. While we had back-to-back games with Ethan Winters, I don’t anticipate Grace’s visage leading the all-but-inevitable Resident Evil 10. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to return for the 100% run, the speedrun, and some infinite rocket launcher goodness. (Spoiler images ahead, for anyone reading)
