Capcom has been on a winning streak for almost a decade with both remakes and new entries in the Resident Evil series. The next up to bat–though still unannounced–is Resident Evil 0, which, according to leaks, will include an online co-op system.
Revealed in a social media post, code referencing the ability to invite friends for a co-op session has been discovered in a project codenamed “Rebecca”, which many assume to be a Resident Evil 0 remake based on the main character’s first name.
With a dual character system in the original title and Capcom’s experiments with multiplayer in recent years (R.I.P. Re:Verse), another stab at expanding past a single-player experience makes a lot of sense. The question that remains, if Capcom uses this mechanic, is what sort of impact a co-op system could have on a survival-horror experience.
A potential co-op system leaks
According to leaked information from the Capcom ID network, code labeled for “Invite Friend for Co-op” was found, revealing that the remake is at least considering adding some sort of co-op feature to the game. That said, it’s important to remember that leaked information is in no way official, which means that it’s entirely possible that Capcom scraps the co-op concept during the development process.
In the original Resident Evil 0, players were able to switch between the two main characters–S.T.A.R.S member Rebecca Chambers and convict and former Marine Billy Coen–throughout their game. When together, the unused character would be controlled by AI, which would later be used to the same effect in Resident Evil 5. Since both characters had unique abilities in the original game, a feature many early-series titles had, swapping protagonists was essential to searching areas, solving multiple puzzles, and navigating obstacles.
How a co-op experience could work (or not)
With these original mechanics in mind, some sort of online co-op system for a remake makes a lot of sense (and could even herald the potential for a future RE5 remake). Unfortunately, that also likely means this system would only work with online co-op rather than couch co-op, since Rebecca and Billy spend certain sections of the game completely separate from each other. Having a split screen across different locations would make for a clunky experience, something Capcom would most likely want to avoid.
The only concern that a co-op set up might bring is a potential neutering of the horror that makes Resident Evil so special as a series. Having an ally, especially a friend, could take away a lot of the isolation and fear that comes from navigating and managing resources alone. On the other hand, it’s clear that Capcom are completely capable of crafting intense atmospheres with homeruns running back to 2017, so players can reasonably trust that they’ll create something especially scary for two players to experience together.
