Remakes have been a major part of Capcom's revival of the Resident Evil series. Sure, RE7 and Village did a lot to bring new players to the table, but remakes of RE2, RE3, and most recently, RE4 helped ensure those players were up on the latest lore and could handle any plot twists thrown at them. That said, many corners of the Resident Evil continuity remain untouched, and there are plenty of candidates when it comes to interesting-yet-flawed games that deserve to be updated. The most recent leaks suggest Capcom is considering some of these opportunities.

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Leaks Suggest Capcom Is Working On Remakes Of Resident Evil Zero & Code: Veronica

Two Of The Most Underrated RE Games Soon To Be Remade?

In information first leaked by industry insider DuskGolem on X (formerly Twitter), then corroborated by both VGC editor-in-chief Andy Robinson and IGN, it was revealed that Capcom currently has remakes of Resident Evil Zero and Code: Veronica in development. That's all there is to know thus far: nothing has been officially announced by Capcom, and there certainly isn't a release date or trailer in sight. Still, DuskGolem is a pretty reliable voice, and the fact that two journalistic sources have endorsed this rumor means there's probably some truth to it.

But even unconfirmed rumors such as these are pretty exciting. Many RE fans have been clamoring for a Code: Veronica remake for years, and while there's been a lot of speculation about the possibility, no supposed leak has had quite as much credibility as this one. A Resident Evil Zero remake might not have been in such high demand, but it's still a fascinating prospect. Remakes of these two often overlooked Resident Evil titles could breathe new life into them, compensating for their flaws while retaining what makes them so unique.

How A Remake Could Change (& Not Change) Resident Evil Zero

Streamlining Inventories Without Detracting From The Core Gimmick & Atmosphere

The most noticeable thing about any REmake is the enormous bump in visual fidelity. Resident Evil Zero was first released in 2002 for the GameCube; it was remastered in 2019. Its pre-rendered backgrounds have helped it stand the test of time, so a remake wouldn't need to change too much about the visuals. Like most Resident Evil games, Zero is heavily atmospheric. Players wander sparsely lit halls where it's often difficult to tell exactly what's lurking in the shadows. A remake that maintains this kind of dramatic lighting, but generally improves texture resolution and character models, would be downright terrifying.

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And of course, most Resident Evil remakes change the original games' perspectives. For RE2 and 3, that meant going from fixed, cinematic camera angles and tank controls to a typical over-the-shoulder third-person view. This kind of shift changes not only the presentation, but also the gameplay: players are afforded greater freedom of movement, and the relative snappiness of aiming and shooting tilts Resident Evil's genre further towards action shooter than pure survival.

The actual merits of that choice are debatable, but few RE games stand to benefit from a change in perspective as much as Resident Evil Zero. It was one of the first RE games to incorporate the 180-degree quick turn mechanic, an important step in its transition to third-person shooter, and is now a staple in the series. Turning it into a full-blown shooter, with either an over-the-shoulder or a first-person perspective, would be a fascinating decision in the context of the rest of the series' development.

However, no Resident Evil Zero remake should alter its core mechanic. Zero takes the classic RE dual protagonists trope a step further: players can actually control both Rebecca and Billy during a single campaign. They can switch between them at will, allowing one to be controlled by AI while the other is controlled directly. This creates opportunities for complex strategies, like directing one character to search a certain area for resources while the other attempts to clear out zombies elsewhere. It's a unique mechanic that hasn't been replicated anywhere else in the series, and deserves the appreciation of the wider audience that a remake would bring it.

But Resident Evil Zero's dual protagonists also create a problem: a clumsy system of inventory management and sharing. In the absence of storage crates, players are forced to leave items lying on the ground. This is arguably part of the game's design. If the player wants to get an item from the character who found it to another character who needs it, they're forced to consider its placement carefully and make sure it's accessible. Still, the amount of backtracking this method requires can lead to frustration. A remake could benefit from more creative options for item trading, but simply allowing players to teleport things from one inventory into another would be going too far.

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How A Remake Could Change (& Not Change) RE - Code: Veronica

Updated Presentation, With An Intact Story

Resident Evil - Code: Veronica was first released for the Dreamcast in 2000. Unlike prior games in the series, Code: Veronica doesn't use pre-rendered backgrounds, instead opting for real-time 3D graphics throughout. That might've been impressive at the time, but as a result, Code: Veronica's graphics haven't aged as well as other titles in the Resident Evil series. They're very obviously a product of their time, with that blocky, fuzzy Dreamcast look. Updating the graphics would help this overlooked game appeal to a wider audience.

That said, everything else about Code: Veronica's presentation is stunning, and should remain mostly intact in the remake. Camera angles, while not directly controllable by the player, are more dynamic than ever before. Cutscenes are gorgeous, with John Woo-inspired cinematography and state-of-the-art CGI. Its story, which continues Claire Redfield's search for her brother Chris, is more of a direct sequel to Resident Evil 2 than a spinoff. It was also the first RE game to use gothic architecture to create a sense of dread, a tradition later continued in Resident Evil 4 and Village.

But Code: Veronica does still use fixed camera angles and tank controls, which the Resident Evil series has largely left behind. They may be better than ever before or since in this particular installment, but will probably be subject to change in the remake, even if they are a major part of the original game's identity. So a remake would come with a bit of give and take. Code: Veronica would be fundamentally changed, but would become available to a wider audience of newer fans.

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In the end, that's what the REmakes are all about: taking classic horror games and making them more accessible to modern audiences. They've focused so far on the main series, but these spinoffs look to be next on the remake docket. While their changes to certain aspects of the original games may not always be popular, they do tend to leave the core parts of each game's identity intact. Updating these games will bring more attention to lesser-known areas of the series' continuity, and bring a sense of consistency to the sprawling body of work that is Resident Evil.

Sources: DuskGolem/X, Andy Robinson/X, IGN