Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about Resident Evil as a series. We’ve seen it evolve from something spectacular into something dreadful, then back into the spectacular again. Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2 had two things that the later games are all pretty much missing. Those are multiple characters within the same story, as in ones you can play in the same story, and A and B scenarios. I’m more focused on the A and B scenarios here, because those were what unlocked most of the lore and story in Resident Evil 2 back in the day, and I miss them.
While they were included in Resident Evil 2 Remake, A and B scenarios really hit their stride in Resident Evil 2’s original release. The A scenarios are the game proper. This is what you’ll play, either as Claire or Leon, as the main story in the game. The B scenarios put the opposite character into the same story, so Leon in Claire’s story. This saw new story sequences unlocked, and you could even influence your next playthrough by making certain decisions.
This hasn’t been a part of the series, not properly, since that game. Resident Evil 2 Remake doesn’t have the same level of nuance to it, so it’s been dead for a while. What I’ve been wondering is if we’ll see these return alongside a separate character in Resident Evil Village. The game looks to star Ethan, but there’s nothing to say it won’t have a second character as well. Chris Redfield would be a good bet, and maybe even Mia. Players could complete each basic story, and then go through the B scenarios, seeing the characters put in the opposite stories.
I think this would greatly extend the gameplay for everyone, and I know that all Resident Evil fans would enjoy it. Even if there’s just a secondary campaign that we can play through, that would be enough. I think Capcom is getting better at putting in features that fans love, but they still need to work on some aspects. This one would be something that pushes the game way beyond its limits and into the best survival horror title of our time.
