Resident Evil has always been a series that isn't afraid to change things up.  The series has gone from slow and scary to fast and action-packed, and back again. However, this constant reinvention has left the story a bit messy.  With so many games and so many different styles, it's easy to forget what happened in the past.  For example, remember Jake Wesker?  He was a big deal in Resident Evil 6, but he's been missing in action ever since.  This isn't the only problem.  The series has also had some major tonal shifts and gameplay changes.  These changes have made the story hard to follow.  Some games feel like they're part of a different series entirely.  This is especially true when you compare Resident Evil 6 and Resident Evil 7.  One is all about big action, and the other is back to the scary survival horror roots.  But despite all these issues, fans still love the series.  The weird lore and cheesy moments are part of what makes Resident Evil so appealing.

Now, with Resident Evil Requiem on the way, the series has a chance to clean up its act.  The game could finally tie together all the loose ends and make sense of the messy story.  But will it?  Or will it just add more confusion?  One of the biggest issues is the way the series handles its mutagens.  The T-Virus, Las Plagas, and the Mold all create similar monsters, but they're supposed to be completely unrelated.  This has always felt like a missed opportunity.  Imagine if Las Plagas was connected to the T-Virus in some way?  It would make the story so much more interesting.  But instead, we're left with a bunch of coincidences and unexplained plot threads.  The good news is that Capcom has started to connect some of these dots.  For example, the Resident Evil 3 remake showed creatures that looked like they were infected with Las Plagas.  And the villain of Resident Evil Village was connected to the founder of the Umbrella Corporation.  These little connections are a start, but they're not enough.  If we're going to see all the numbered Resident Evil games as one big story, we need more of these connections.  We need a game that acknowledges the full history of the series and explains how everything is connected.

Resident Evil Requiem could be that game.  With a new protagonist who's connected to Raccoon City, the game has a chance to tie the original era of Resident Evil to the new one.  But it shouldn't forget about the Las Plagas and Ethan Winters sagas either.  These stories are important too, and they deserve to be acknowledged.  Maybe this is the time to bring back Leon Kennedy or other beloved characters.  Maybe this is the time to finally explain how everything is connected.  Maybe this is the time to acknowledge the destruction of Tall Oaks and other forgotten cities.  Maybe this is the time to make sense of it all.  Maybe this is the time to go back to where it all began – Raccoon City.

GAME LORE AND CONTINUITY

Resident Evil: Time to Tie Up Loose Ends

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