If we’re to believe everything presented at face value so far, Resident Evil Village is a game very much about bringing some closure to hapless protagonist Ethan Winters’ story. Fans who saw 2017’s installment through to its end will know, of course, that the civilian unwittingly found himself embroiled in a war against a particularly potent bioweapon that had succeeded in infecting an otherwise ordinary Louisiana family after breaking free of confinement. Escaping the nightmare alongside wife Mia, the pair relocate to a remote region in rural Europe and soon find themselves at the heart of yet another plot involving grotesque monsters.
That’s the setup Capcom has provided, at least, but just how close to the truth is that synopsis? According to director Morimasa Sato, a big narrative twist connected to Ethan will reveal itself during the course of Village‘s campaign, an outcome, some think, could involve him being an imposter or, alternatively, the real deal that’s unceremoniously killed off early on, only to be swapped with the “true” hero.
It’s worth noting that this sort of bait-and-switch has been employed before by other developers, most notably by industry auteur Hideo Kojima, who made the ballsy decision to have Solid Snake controversially replaced by Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Obviously, it’s ll hypothetical at this point, though several previous rumors have suggested that Ethan will only be one of potentially three playable characters, with one other heavily expected to be Chris Redfield. The former S.T.A.R.S. member is already confirmed to be making an appearance and has his own reasons for being involved in the events to unfold, after all.
In any case, all will be laid bare when Resident Evil Village arrives on May 7th for current and last-gen consoles as well as PC, but until then, let us know down below what, if anything, you think Capcom is hiding.