[b]RATING: [9/10] [/b]
Part 1:
A story told over every Resident Evil game I’ve played circa March-Apr, 2026.
It started with a friend of mine, an avid fan of the RE series. Man loves his RE. I don’t like interactive horror.
And at some point, he said the words “♥♥♥♥♥ made”.
And that was it. That was all I needed.
This was my introduction to Resident Evil.
[b][PRICE: $15AUD in a bundle with RE3][/b]
[b][OVERVIEW][/b]
I’m told this game pioneered the survival horror genre back in the 90s and set the bar high.
Since I’ve started on the remake I can tell you that for someone who never plays survival horror, it set the bar pretty damn high.
Since I was new to the series but knew the IP, I somewhat went in with a bit of a cushion knowing what was going on but I wasn’t prepared for how this game shapes and conditions you to learn its ways.
[b][GAMEPLAY]:[/b]
The best part of this game is of course, the gameplay.
The deep level design craft, the routing and the backtracking and realising how every little area in this game is interconnected is nothing short of amazing.
Each time I thought I couldn’t get back to an area, I was reminded “not to worry about it” because eventually, all roads lead back.
The gunplay and the survival gameplay is the most interesting and fascinating aspect of its gameplay.
One does not simply kill all the zombies.
Ammo is scarce, healing is scarce and you really have to pick your battles because of the limited resources you have.
Do you board up a window for a room you might not going back to? Or do you board it up thinking this might be your safest way back to the sweet sounds of a typewriter?
Are you able to save a shotgun shell or do you need to shoot this zombie? Does it block your path or can you walk past it?
These become very crucial questions to you but once you answer them, it’s too late for you.
You will be learning that a quick pistol round to the knee and weaving through becomes second nature.
You will be learning that some enemies just need to die.
You will be learning the dread of a change in music.
But you will learn to believe. You will learn the way.
Progression behind puzzles were such an enjoyable concept (especially with interactable items that you pick up, when angled differently).
It’s so cleverly done and with being reminded this was originally done in 1998 is nothing short of amazing.
Playing as Leon or Claire is different even though essentially, for the most part you’ll be traversing through the same areas (albeit different rooms to some extent and sections by a supporting character). But the weapons you use for each character feel so fundamentally different that I think it does add that element of feeling new and different.
[b][NARRATIVE][/b]
So remaining spoiler free here since this was my first resident evil game, I’d want someone to have a similar experience to mine.
Zombies happen.
And when the proverbial hits the fan moment happens, your playable characters, Leon and Claire, are smack bang in the middle of it all.
Both have their reasons for being in Raccoon City and the plot is really well told at a glance, but if you’re new to the series there’s small and crucial lore bits you’d be missing that will definitely come up.
I thankfully had a mate watching me play (love you DNX) who could answer any and all lore questions I had. It’s just a shame that you’d be missing out for not playing RE0 or RE1 originally.
[b][FINAL COMMENTS][/b]
I love watching horror but playing interactive horror was a beast I knew I didn’t want.
There were some golden moments both enjoyable and “jump scaring” that were all alleviated by the superb gameplay, constant suspense and no time to be scared mentality this game has drilled into my head.
[b] Make sure you wear your brown pants. [/b]
