Resident Evil Code: Veronica Remake Wish List

Resident Evil Code: Veronica maybe he'll finally get his comeuppance, as a remake is reportedly slated for this year. As an incredible game and a great example of a particular brand of early 2000s survival horror ambitions, it's a great choice for a second try. But if the stars finally align, it's worth thinking critically about what's modern Resident Evil Code: Veronica should look like

That means looking back rather than forward, as Capcom's modern remake has been iterative and increasingly self-aware. Each remake has made it clear what the studio is willing to change and what it refuses to abandon. Any realistic wish list for potential Code: Veronika the remake needs to start there because this game may need a clear understanding of what the upgrade already meant Resident Evil, more than any other title in the franchise.

The Resident Evil 2 the 2019 remake kicked off the run with Capcom proving it had the confidence to rock. Sure, some later areas dragged and purists mourned some lost complexity, but the remake succeeded because it largely understood what could change without emptying the experience. The Resident Evil 3 the remake tested the limits of that philosophy in 2020 and stumbled as a result.

RE3The remake leaned more into the linear action it felt prepared for, but aggressively cut content and crossed the line of reinterpretation into erasure. To Capcom's credit, though Resident Evil 4 the remake did everything right to restore faith in these remakes as a larger project. The source material felt carefully re-examined; it was less camp but not humorless, dark without being gritty, and characters like Ashley, Krauser and Luis benefited from a much needed second pass.

What the Remakes Mean for Code: Veronica

A split image of the main protagonists from the Resident Evil games

These previous remakes make it clear that Capcom:

Modernize the characterization
Cut or rework levels
Cut out or replace obsolete mechanics
Re-emphasize the horror

However, the point is that a Code: Veronika the remake may need to be approached a bit more than that, to the point that RE3 may actually be the best example of what to do. Code: Veronika It shouldn't be over-zealously dissected like this remake, but it can learn from a commitment to a unique vision, genre, and purpose.

Mechanically, Code: Veronica Is a Gifted Student Turn Problem Child

Time and distance have made several of them Code: VeronikaToday, the pain points are clear. For one thing, it's mechanically demanding for (arguably) the wrong reasons, with pseudo-soft-lock scenarios like neglecting to store a fire extinguisher or the combat ammo sink of a Tyrant plane boss. There are glimmers of good difficulty here in resource tension and purposeful pacing, but something is clearly missing, a fact that drives modern Resident Evil expressly away from some Code: Veronikaboss fight style and general idea of difficulty.

The stash and protagonist swapping system is commendable and conceptually bold, but the problem is the mechanical frustration of passing things back and forth and suddenly resetting your inventory. It breaks up the pace and creates two halves of the game that feel stitched together rather than what was intended, two halves in conversation with each other. Something has to soften the landing, because the interesting idea that the system offers is overshadowed by the feeling of sudden punishment.

Code: Veronica has a huge human-shaped narrative problem

On the narrative end of the spectrum, it goes without saying that melodrama has always had its place Resident Evilbut Code: Veronika whipsawing between gothic horror and hapless fanfiction-level melodrama more violently and needlessly than any other film of the era. The problem is that gothic horror Code: Veronika taha z already has the grand operas baked in, and the game's motifs of isolated and declining aristocracy would resonate more if they could be left alone. A remake should allow the genre to do the heavy lifting instead of complicating it like the original.

The problem is that Resident Evil Code: Veronica will always have tone and narrative issues as long as Steve Burnside exists as he does.

Steve Burnside Is Code: Veronica's scariest monster

Steve is Code: VERonica's worst character

Steve Burnside is one of the most unlikeable characters Resident Evil series, and for a series like this, that's a remarkable feat. Hostile, gruff, and oscillating between antagonizing Claire and professing devotion to her, any empathy he might engender is diluted when his trauma is conveyed through blunt delivery and his uselessness and bad behavior in general. Worse, his wildly haunting love for Claire, though framed as fated in the text, has aged like milk. While the sexist dialogue could be changed just like what happened with Ashley RE4it may actually be best for Capcom to cut and replace the character entirely, with a similar kind of conviction RE3 redo shown.

The Code: Veronica Remake needs to improve the tones and characters

With the last few remakes and Code: Veronika's problems in hindsight, the question of what ideal Resident Evil Code: Veronica the remake looks like leftovers. Hopefully it starts with a modernized tone and less bad camp, not less camp in general. Narrative grandeur and outrage should mostly be reserved for elements like the Ashford twins, who embody Umbrella at its most horrifying indulgence.

It also means a remade couple of Steve Burnside and Claire Redfield, where he is completely different and she is in line with RE2 redo the portrait. This is absolutely necessary, and while it hasn't been mentioned yet, Wesker's characterization could also use some solid rethinking. Code: Veronika is where it goes all-in on the supervillain, and while Capcom probably won't get rid of it entirely, a little restraint could really scare it off and refocus the franchise on its horror roots, which it's clearly invested in.

More than wishful thinking

resident-evil-4-remake-cut-content-ashley-prologue

The good news is that all of this seems possible and even likely RE4 the proven camp can coexist with abstinence. Additionally, as challenging as it may seem with someone like Steve, Modern Resident Evil he's proven he can pull off this kind of character—the new Luis is charming before he's tragic, Carlos gains confidence through ability, and Ashley is actually stuck jumping from burden to partner. Wesker is probably the only real item in this section of the wishlist that can remain wishful thinking.

Code: Veronica Remake must have the right difficulty

The only mechanical item on this list is admittedly broad: a decent difficulty that remains difficult. This ranges from better boss telegraphy to less punishing inventory management, and relies heavily on the character swapping system to get a second pass. Code: Veronika should still require foresight, but punishing players for failing to predict the future should remain a thing of the past. It seems that this too is likely to change, though there's no telling how yet.

Code of Respect: Veronica deserves it

It all looks so grand, but Resident Evil Code: Veronica a remake doesn't need to sand off every rough edge. A lot of that roughness is the point, and modernization shouldn't mean erasure (at least for everything but Steve, maybe). But Resident Evil Code: Veronica he's unique because he didn't have a number and never stood confidently next to the series he helped shape. The right remake could be what finally changes that en masse.