Resident Evil Lore Master Reveals The 5 Burning Questions Veronica Needs to Answer

Resident Evil's unofficial lore maestro has weighed successful with his thoughts connected Resident Evil Veronica, and the 5 biggest questions that Capcom's upcoming remake volition request to answer.

Set to motorboat successful 2027 arsenic a ground-up reimagining of the archetypal Resident Evil: Code Veronica, our awesome archetypal peek astatine the crippled felt similar a connection of intent from Capcom — which present seems to beryllium elevating this erstwhile side-story to afloat main bid status.

Of course, Code Veronica featured immoderate of the series' biggest stars (Claire Redfield! Chris Redfield! Albert Wesker!) successful a canon communicative acceptable pursuing the events of Resident Evil 3. But the introduction has ever felt a small detached from the remainder of the franchise's core, numbered entries. No longer, perhaps.

Still, with this stronger nexus to the remainder of the bid — and a motorboat agelong aft consequent games person already filled successful immoderate crippled holes — there's imaginable for Capcom to spell further, and usage Resident Evil Veronica to truly necktie the archetypal crippled into the franchise's wider narrative. But however could Capcom bash this? How overmuch volition apt change? And what should enactment the same?

For answers, I turned to Resident Evil Podcast big TheBatman, the designer of an exhaustive timeline papers that charts each Resident Evil lore (beginning astir 4.5 cardinal years ago) — a superfan who seems to cognize much astir the bid and its characters than anyone other connected the planet.

Fair warning, this nonfiction discusses crippled points from the archetypal Resident Evil: Code Veronica. While these whitethorn alteration successful the remake, anyone who wants to spell successful wholly unspoiled should look distant now.

1. Who are the mysterious rival company/H.C.F. that employs Albert Wesker?

"This organisation was introduced successful the archetypal Code: Veronica and was progressive down the scenes successful respective different games including RE4 earlier mysteriously vanishing," TheBatman begins. "Since past we’ve had 1 astonishing notation successful RE7 and a fewer teases successful Requiem, but Capcom person ever refrained from going into immoderate large item astir them. Concept creation refers to H.C.F. arsenic Hive/Host Capture Force successful notation to Wesker’s ngo to seizure Alexia Ashford and the t-veronica virus, truthful determination is immoderate proposition they are a peculiar forces squad belonging to a larger organisation. RE: Veronica is the perfect accidental to truly clarify who they are and solidify immoderate links to The Connections from the much caller games arsenic we cognize they worked unneurotic connected the Mutamycete project."

An planetary transgression syndicate to which Requiem's villain Zeno belongs, The Connections were introduced successful Resident Evil 7, though retroactively revealed to person had an power connected the downfall of Umbrella, positive links to Tricell and the U.S. government. They're presently viewed arsenic being the series' overarching enemies, post-Umbrella.

"It wouldn't astonishment maine if Capcom retcon the rival institution arsenic being The Connections each along," TheBatman continues. "On the aboveground it seems logical but diving into the deeper lore that thought besides creates respective problems. I conscionable anticipation this remake provides a clearer representation and inheritance astir who they are, wherefore Umbrella perceived them arsenic a specified a menace and wherefore Wesker saw the payment successful defecting implicit to them."

2. How volition Alfred Ashford beryllium handled successful this reimagining?

"I don't privation them to code down Alfred," TheBatman says. "I recognize definite lines successful the archetypal localised publication are improbable to beryllium utilized today, but his tendency to impersonate Alexia is simply a cardinal portion of his character. He genuinely believes she is inactive by his broadside and dressing arsenic her and mimicking her dependable is simply a coping mechanics for his loneliness and psychosis. It was a important crippled twist successful the archetypal crippled truthful for a remake wherever galore players volition already beryllium alert of this revelation, it volition beryllium absorbing to spot however Capcom plays it. Some of these elements whitethorn beryllium scaled backmost but I personally anticipation they spell each successful arsenic it could effect successful immoderate truly creepy and memorable scenes."

In an interrogation with IGN earlier this month, Capcom told america that it would beryllium adjusting Alfred by "trying to dive a small deeper" and analyse the quality "on a somewhat deeper level" wrong the remake, though stopped abbreviated of giving further details.

"I besides anticipation the remake expands connected the past of the Ashford family. They primitively had ties to the Nazis, but these references were astir wholly removed from the archetypal game, truthful it volition beryllium absorbing to spot if they are reintroduced here. I’d besides emotion to spot – connected surface – Alexander Ashford’s look arsenic helium is subdued and looked down upon by his ain children arsenic they inject him with the t-veronica virus. That is immoderate terrifying imagery."

3. Where are each our heroes?

"Code: Veronica takes spot 3 months aft Raccoon City but has precise small build-up - it benignant of conscionable happens," TheBatman explains. "RE3 provided epilogues for each the cardinal characters, but yet they didn’t truly spell anywhere. I anticipation RE: Veronica truly expands connected the backmost communicative successful this three-month spread starring up to events connected Rockfort Island. What has Chris been doing each this clip successful Europe? How agelong has Umbrella been watching him? Why didn’t Jill Valentine nexus up with him instantly aft Raccoon City? There are truthful galore unanswered questions and present is the close clip to code them. Chris’s flat successful the teaser is ripe for exploration to get immoderate of these answers, though witnessing a small aged woman stealing his biscuits was not connected my bingo card…"

4. How volition Steve Burnside beryllium portrayed?

"Steve is precise polarising truthful I afloat expect helium volition beryllium the quality that has the astir changes and his show beryllium importantly toned down," TheBatman says of Code Veronica's widely-disliked 17-year-old.

"He is simply a unfortunate of condition and astatine 17 years-old I inactive privation him to clasp immoderate of that immature bravado and naivety astir Claire, but immoderate of his scenes from the archetypal volition beryllium changed significantly, astir notably wherever helium makes a determination connected Claire whilst she is asleep. That would not spell down good today. He is different tragic character, and I anticipation they larn successful much astir his narration with his begetter and the events that saw him brought to Rockfort Island. I’m precise keen to spot however his narration with Claire plays retired here."

5. How volition Capcom restructure the story?

"I deliberation it’s harmless to accidental the main communicative beats volition stay unchanged but the finer crippled points volition beryllium importantly changed," TheBatman says. "We’ve already seen successful the teaser that Claire already knows Chris' determination successful Europe earlier she adjacent gets to the island, which is simply a large alteration from the original. Capcom has said it wants to marque the bid consciousness much connected and cohesive. Audiences are already precise acquainted with Hunk acknowledgment to Requiem, truthful it’s logical to person him seizure Claire and instrumentality her to Rockfort alternatively than Rodrigo, who tin beryllium introduced later. In the original, Hunk trained connected Rockfort Island and was determination conscionable anterior to the events of the crippled having transported a Tyrant. As helium has a crushed to beryllium included and is caller successful the memory, wherefore not marque him beforehand and halfway this clip out?

"Likewise, Wesker’s communicative arc yet leads to Uroboros, truthful I expect his relation to beryllium expanded and his motivations for acquiring t-veronica to enactment up much intelligibly with his tendency to cull humanity and permission lone the superior behind. Code: Veronica was the archetypal crippled to dive into the past of Umbrella truthful that tin beryllium expanded. Something similar adding references to James Marcus successful the files is specified an casual happening to bash that would instantly fortify ties to RE Zero."

Remember, of course, that Resident Evil Zero is besides owed to get Capcom's remake treatment. While unannounced, leaks verified by IGN suggest a caller mentation of the prequel volition onshore successful 2028, a twelvemonth aft Veronica.

"There is besides the accidental to explicate immoderate of the plight Umbrella are successful pursuing Raccoon City," TheBatman concludes. "In the archetypal we had nary discourse for 5 years until RE4 was released but present we cognize astir the concern suspension orders, the Raccoon Trials and their face-off with the government. Adding important backstory successful the three-month spread betwixt Raccoon’s demolition and the events of this crippled is the cleanable accidental to truly link the wider series.

"We cognize Claire yet joins TerraSave truthful tin her relation beryllium adjusted somewhat to accommodate this? Perhaps the organisation was established, and she joined anterior to the events of RE: Veronica? These kinds of changes tin easy beryllium implanted without breaking canon.I besides fishy Capcom volition find a mode to get The Connections into this story. As I mentioned supra it could beryllium a lawsuit of retconning them to beryllium the rival company, successful which lawsuit that would by default enactment them successful Resident Evil 4 and fortify ties to the aboriginal games. Unlike Raccoon City, the events of Code: Veronica are rather standalone truthful determination is simply a batch of flexibility to restructure and remix the storyline whilst inactive preserving the halfway events that ensures continuity with the aboriginal sequels."

Wrapping up, TheBatman says helium hopes Veronica is utilized to uncover much astir Edward Ashford, the 3rd founding subordinate of Umbrella whose backstory remains comparatively unexplored. But for him — and galore much fans, astir apt — Veronica volition supply an adjacent much enticing oppurtunity to diagnostic further details connected Albert Wesker.

The archetypal Resident Evil baddie's instrumentality successful Code: Veronica was near somewhat unexplained, with further item added later, successful Wesker’s Report and Umbrella Chronicles. Could Veronica adhd much information, and perchance necktie the crippled into a aboriginal Resident Evil 5 remake arsenic well? As TheBatman himself says, "the accidental is surely there."

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social