SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST...
WITH A 10TH RESIDENT EVIL TITLE ON THE HORIZON, WE LOOK BACK AT 25 YEARS OF ZOMBIE HORROR
THIS year marks some important milestones for some of the world’s biggest gaming franchises.
The Legend of Zelda turned 35 in February, as will Metroid in August, while Sonic the Hedgehog hits the big 30 in June, and Crash Bandicoot turns 25 in September.
Also just turned 25 is Resident Evil, the game which defined the survival horror genre for generations of gamers.
Next month sees the release of Resident Evil Village, the 10th major instalment in the series, and one of the year’s most anticipated games.
If you’re looking to revisit Racoon City ahead of Village’s arrival, or are ready to dip your toes into the Resident Evil waters for the first time, these are the five games you should start with.
Resident Evil (PEGI 15)
If you have to start somewhere, then it may as well be at the beginning.
Released in March 1996 in Japan by Capcom, Resident Evil may not have been the first survival horror game, but it laid the foundations for nearly every game in the genre to come. The gameplay mechanics may feel a little old fashioned these days, but at the time they were groundbreaking.
Following the disappearance of their team, members of elite task force S.T.A.R.S. Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine (you can play as either character) investigate the outskirts of Raccoon City, which is being ravaged by a viral outbreak.
They find themselves trapped in a mansion infested with zombies and other monsters, and must explore the mansion to uncover its secrets in order to escape.
The game’s fixed camera builds the tension as you make your way through twisting and claustrophobic corridors and rooms.
Resources are painfully scarce, forcing you to be clever with your tactics. With an atmosphere you could cut with a knife, I sometimes still hear the groans of the zombies in my nightmares.
Resident Evil 4 (PEGI 18)
Released on the GameCube in 2005, this sixth major instalment in the series is considered the best. Its arrival saw a sweeping reinvention of the series, and is credited with popularising the “over-the-shoulder” third-person perspective. Set in Europe, you play as special agent Leon Kennedy, sent to rescue the US President’s daughter Ashley Graham, from a cult. Utterly uncompromising, the action is relentless from the get go. Focusing on action and shootouts, there are fewer survival horror elements, and ‘quick time’ events see you having to press buttons indicated on-screen to execute actions such as dodging a boulder or wrestling an enemy. Res 4 has been ported to many consoles since, so if you’ve not played this yet, there will be a version out there for you to try.
Resident Evil 2 (PEGI 18)
After a few years in the wilderness, the franchise was revived in 2019 with this remake of the 1998 original – and it’s the closest thing to a horror masterpiece I’ve ever played.
Capcom’s impressive reimagining of a modern classic set terrifying new standards for remastered games. Gorgeously gory graphics make you feel like you’re living the nightmare of Racoon City, as you try to escape the zombie apocalypse.
Combat is tight and visceral, the eerie environments and horrific enemies leaving you genuinely afraid of what’s around the corner.
The developers have tweaked the original story here and there, and added new controls and some smart quality-of-life revisions.
Amidst the horror are fun, baroque puzzles to solve which help you on your way. But most of the time it feels like subsistence survival, always a few bullets away from being slaughtered in the worst way imaginable.
Resident Evil – Code: Veronica X (PEGI 16)
One of the first games I played on the Dreamcast way back in 2000, this may have been labelled as a spin-off, but it started life as the true sequel to 1998’s Resident Evil 2.
It introduced real-time 3D environments which were no longer pre-rendered, allowing the camera to be more dynamic.
Action is split between Claire Redfield, and her police officer brother Chris, who we met in the first Res outing, and is dripping in European gothic horror.
It was the game which carried the franchise into the new millennium, and was supposed to steer the series onto greatness... but like many games on the Dreamcast, the console’s poor sales hit it hard.
Even though it was ported to the PS2, and GameCube years later, the graphics looked incredibly dated.
This is crying out to be revisited.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (PEGI 18)
Set in a spine-chilling plantation in the depths of Louisiana, Ethan Winters is desperately searching for his wife. Unfortunately for Ethan, the plantation is home to the Baker family – who are more Sweeney Todd than Paul Hollywood...
Biohazard boasts a complex map, with twists and turns, hidden areas and horrors around every corner.
The sparse soundtrack heightens the fear, with you questioning the origin of every creak and bang.
The action is incredibly tense, and playing in the dark adds to the atmosphere with jump scares and gory encounters. Pressure is added by the fact useful items are hard to come by, forcing you to be careful with your resources.
For those with a VR machine capable of running Res 7, you are able to totally immerse yourself in the situation. Although I don’t know if that would do my blood pressure any favours...