Despite there only being eight numbered entries in the series, there is no shortage of Resident Evil games for fans to sink their teeth into. Although the recent quality of games has been high, even diehard fans of the franchise would agree that it’s had its ups and downs over the years, particularly when the series has tried to do multiplayer co-op. While not every example of RE co-op is bad, when the main numbered entries in the series have had co-op mechanics be central to their experiences, the titles weren’t received particularly well.
The chief offenders of this in the mainline Resident Evil series are Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6, both of which were poorly received but not exclusively because of their co-op features. Both titles had plenty of other significant issues, and the mishandled co-op elements were just another problem on top of that. Now that it’s been nearly ten years since the last attempt at including co-op in a major RE game, it might be time for Capcom to give it another try. If the company applies the lessons it has learned from all of its past multiplayer missteps, a much stronger experience could be delivered.
After Resident Evil Village, a Co-Op Game Makes Sense
Resident Evil’s Push for Multiplayer
Multiplayer modes in RE games weren’t abandoned by Capcom following RE5 and RE6. In fact, spinoff games with multiplayer focuses like Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City and Umbrella Corps have been releasing pretty consistently, with the upcoming Resident Evil RE:Verse set to release in 2022 as well. PvP and PvPvE titles seem to be the direction that Capcom wants to take the Resident Evil universe in terms of multiplayer games, though it would be a shame for the company to drop any semblance of co-op in their mainline entries.
One of the major complaints surrounding the co-op in RE5 and 6 was that the titles didn’t seem to be designed with co-op in mind, making its inclusion feel tacked on and unnecessary. If a future Resident Evil game can make co-op the focus of its design, then it might be able to be something truly excellent. RE7 and 8 have proven that Capcom still has plenty of ideas about how to change up the series in satisfying ways, so there’s hope that the studio can make a co-op-centric title work just as it made first-person Resident Evil titles work.
