Jack and Marguerite Baker in Resident Evil 7. Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil 8. Mr. X in the Resident Evil 2 Remake. Nemesis in the Resident Evil 3 Remake. You’d think after four games, the formula would be getting a bit rote, a bit boring. You’re a (somewhat) powerless survivor whisked out of your comfort zone, and something supernatural and evil is trying to kill you. Rinse, repeat, right? But no. Each of these games has offered something different.
Resident Evil 9Developer: CapcomPublisher: CapcomPlatform: Played on PS5 ProAvailability: Out 27 February 2026 on PC (Steam), PS5, Xbox Series X/S
In Resident Evil 7, where Capcom first started implementing this rebooted design decision, Jack and (briefly) Marguerite felt sinister – human-level enemies that were deadly, but flawed. Both their AI and their overall function could be taken advantage of, but the like-for-like nature of your interaction with them gave the whole idea a solid foundation (and Jack’s characterisation did a lot of the heavy lifting, too).
By the time the remakes rolled around, Capcom was clearly emboldened. I think Mr. X – his creepy music, the footsteps you can hear across the whole Raccoon City Police Department, that terrifying silhouette – represents the best ‘stalker’ in the series so far. Perhaps it’s his relentlessness that makes him feel special to me. Nemesis was more of the same, but it pays close homage to the ‘stalker’ enemy type from the original game that wasn’t really bested until Alien: Isolation. It’s a shame you can’t kill hm in the remake.
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As for Lady Dimitrescu, I think some of her impact was undermined by the fact the internet at large wants to sleep with her: I know, anecdotally, a lot of people to ogle her and hear Maggie Robertson’s impeccably-delivered voice lines. But she’s got great AI, and though her section is fairly short-lived in Resident Evil Village, if you bump the difficulty up to Village of Shadows, she gets more freedom and becomes a much more persistent threat.
So, it’s no surprise really that Resident Evil 9 is pulling the same trick again. This time, though – at least in the demo I played ahead of Gamescom – the stalker feels more ‘survival horror’. Playing as new protagonist Grace Ashcroft, you find yourself in a claustrophobic space (seemingly a repurposed mansion-turned-medical facility) with unreliable power circuits and lots of close corridors. Awakening in a dark room, on your own and suspended upside down whilst being exsanguinated like something out of Dexter, Grace manages to get free and makes a break for the exit.