Resident Evil Code: Veronica Remake Wish List

Resident Evil Code: Veronica may finally come into its own, as a remake is reportedly slated for an announcement this year. As an incredible game and a great example of the early 2000s' particular brand of survival horror ambition, it's a great choice for a second go. But if the stars are finally aligned, it is worth thinking critically about what a modern Resident Evil Code: Veronica should look like.

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

The Resident Evil 2 The 2019 remake set the pace by proving that Capcom had the confidence to swing big. Sure, some later areas dragged on, and purists mourned some lost complexity, but the remake succeeded because it largely understood what could change without eroding the experience. The Resident Evil 3 remake tested the limits of that philosophy in 2020 and stumbled as a result.

RE3s remake leaned more heavily into the linear plot it felt primed for, but it did cut content aggressively, crossing the line from reinterpretation to erasure. To Capcom's credit though Resident Evil 4 remake did everything right to restore confidence in these remakes as a larger project. The source material felt painstakingly revisited; it was less campy but not humorless, dark without being sour, and characters like Ashley, Krauser and Luis benefited from a much-needed second pass.

What the remakes mean for code: Veronica

Shared image of the main characters from Resident Evil games

These previous remakes make it clear that Capcom will:

Modernize the characterization
Cut or rework levels
Cut or replace dated mechanics
Reemphasize the horror

However, the thing is one Code: Veronica remake may need to be approached with a little more than that, to the point that RE3 may actually be the best example of what to do. Code: Veronica shouldn't be cut up too zealously like that remake, but it could learn from the commitment to a unique vision, genre, and purpose.

Mechanical, Code: Veronica is a gifted student turned problem child

Time and distance have made several of Code: Veronicas pain points clear today. First, it's mechanically challenging for the (questionably) wrong reasons, with pseudo-softlock scenarios like neglecting to hide the fire extinguisher or the Tyrant plane boss fighting over ammo. There are glimpses of good difficulty here in the resource tension and deliberate pacing, but something is clearly missing, a fact that has led to the modern Resident Evil expressly removed from some of the Code: Veronicas style of boss fights and general ideas around difficulty.

The storage and protagonist switching system is commendable and conceptually bold, but the mechanical frustration of passing items back and forth and the sudden inventory resets are a problem. It breaks the pace and creates two halves of a game that feel stitched together rather than intended, two halves in conversation with each other. Something has to soften that landing, because the interesting idea the system poses is overshadowed by the sense of abrupt punishment.

Code: Veronica has a giant, man-shaped narrative problem

On the narrative end of the spectrum, it goes without saying that melodrama has always had a place Resident Evilbut Code: Veronica whiplashes between gothic horror and unfortunate fanfiction melodrama more violently and unnecessarily than any other entry from that period. The problem is that the gothic horror Code: Veronica pulls from already has the grand operas baked in, and the game's themes of an isolated and decaying aristocracy would resonate more if they could just stand alone. A remake should let the genre do the heavy lifting, instead of complicating it like the original did.

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

Steve Burnside is Code: Veronica's terrifying monster

Steve is Code : VERonica's worst character

Steve Burnside is among the most unlikable characters in Resident Evil series, and for a series like this, that's a remarkable feat. Hostile, abrasive and oscillating between antagonizing Claire and professing devotion to her, any empathy he can generate is diluted when his trauma is delivered through straight exposition and by his worthlessness and bad behavior in general. Even worse, his wildly creepy crush on Claire, though framed as fatal in the text, has aged like milk. While sexist dialogue could change just like what happened to Ashley in RE4might actually be best for Capcom to cut and replace the character entirely, with a similar type of conviction as RE3 remake is shown.

The Code: Veronica Remake must nail tones and characters

With the latest remakes and Code: Veronica's problem in the back, the question of what an ideal Resident Evil Code: Veronica 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 horribly indulgent.

It also means a reworked pairing between Steve Burnside and Claire Redfield, where he is completely different and she is compatible with RE2 remake. It's absolutely necessary, and while it hasn't been mentioned thus far, Wesker's characterization could also use some solid rethinking. Code: Veronica that's where he goes full-on supervillain, and while Capcom isn't likely to do away with it entirely, a touch of restraint there could make him properly terrifying and refocus the franchise on the horror roots 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, as RE4 demonstrated that camp can coexist with restraint. Plus, while it may seem challenging with someone like Steve, Modern Resident Evil has proven it can fix these types of characters – new Luis is charming before he's tragic, Carlos earns trust through competence, and Ashley actually managed to land the leap from burden to partner. Wesker is probably the only actual item in this part of the wish list that can remain wishful thinking.

The Code: Veronica Remake must gain difficulty

The only mechanical entry on this list is admittedly broad: quite difficulty that is still difficult. This ranges from better boss telegraphing to less punishing inventory management, and relies heavily on the character swapping system getting a second pass. Code: Veronica should still require thought, but punishing players for failing to predict the future should stay in the past. This also seems likely to change, although it's impossible to say how yet.

The Respect Code: Veronica deserves

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