Contextualising Resident Evil with other titles released in 1996, it stands out as one of the most prolific of the year. Providing a fantastic start to the world of survival horror, Resident Evil still remains relevant 25 years later. The sheer amount of ports, remakes, and clones of this ground-breaking title should speak for itself. The challenging puzzles, chilling atmosphere, and "charming" characters define Resident Evil as a game that can be enjoyed in its clunky original state.
The original Resident Evil is almost a masterpiece in every offerable asset. For instance, the multi-layered thought process in it's puzzle design. Enemy placement is calculated, demanding the player to consider their ammunition and health resources in an encounter. Players must therefore be conservative of their supplies, or skilled in enemy manipulation and tank control movement in order to circumvent the threats throughout the mansion. Additionally, there are several multi-step puzzles that must be solved, that require thorough planning and excellent inventory management skills. Even the simplest actions like saving your game becomes a resource in Resident Evil, which adds a further layer of complexity, as there are a limited number of these in the game.
You'd think the poor quality voice acting of the original coupled with the relatively simple narrative would render these aspects of the game unenjoyable yet that isn't the case. Resident Evil manages to capture the spirit of a cheap indie B-movie horror flick, and thanks to it's confusing performances and terrible script as a result of poor translations from Japanese, the game somehow oozes charm throughout.
This stands in stark contrast with the foreboding atmosphere the game is able to create, through it's excellent environmental design, iconic soundtrack, and well crafted enemy noises. Resident Evil is a case study of visionary creativity, with every facet thoroughly considered. It is at it's strongest when the game is conveying it's story subtly through the environment and file text.
Going into this game completely blind is an incredibly challenging experience. You will undoubtedly make mistakes, lose progress, run out of healing items, fire your last bullet, but to master a game like this is incredibly rewarding. Resident Evil was designed to be replayed in a variety of ways. Firstly, there are two completely separate campaigns depending on the character you chose, which would change the story, gameplay, and difficulty significantly. Secondly, there are plenty of rewards such as alternate costumes and infinite ammo weaponry which are unlocked after completing various challenge runs, such as beating the game in under 3 hours, or achieving the best ending.
Within the realm of video games, Resident Evil is more than the inception of one of gaming's most iconic franchises, but it is a significant cultural event within the industry. It pioneered a brand new genre, and took advantage of the technology available to drag the rest of the industry forward with it. In my opinion, Resident Evil is the most impactful video game of its generation.
The original Resident Evil is almost a masterpiece in every offerable asset. For instance, the multi-layered thought process in it's puzzle design. Enemy placement is calculated, demanding the player to consider their ammunition and health resources in an encounter. Players must therefore be conservative of their supplies, or skilled in enemy manipulation and tank control movement in order to circumvent the threats throughout the mansion. Additionally, there are several multi-step puzzles that must be solved, that require thorough planning and excellent inventory management skills. Even the simplest actions like saving your game becomes a resource in Resident Evil, which adds a further layer of complexity, as there are a limited number of these in the game.
You'd think the poor quality voice acting of the original coupled with the relatively simple narrative would render these aspects of the game unenjoyable yet that isn't the case. Resident Evil manages to capture the spirit of a cheap indie B-movie horror flick, and thanks to it's confusing performances and terrible script as a result of poor translations from Japanese, the game somehow oozes charm throughout.
This stands in stark contrast with the foreboding atmosphere the game is able to create, through it's excellent environmental design, iconic soundtrack, and well crafted enemy noises. Resident Evil is a case study of visionary creativity, with every facet thoroughly considered. It is at it's strongest when the game is conveying it's story subtly through the environment and file text.
Going into this game completely blind is an incredibly challenging experience. You will undoubtedly make mistakes, lose progress, run out of healing items, fire your last bullet, but to master a game like this is incredibly rewarding. Resident Evil was designed to be replayed in a variety of ways. Firstly, there are two completely separate campaigns depending on the character you chose, which would change the story, gameplay, and difficulty significantly. Secondly, there are plenty of rewards such as alternate costumes and infinite ammo weaponry which are unlocked after completing various challenge runs, such as beating the game in under 3 hours, or achieving the best ending.
Within the realm of video games, Resident Evil is more than the inception of one of gaming's most iconic franchises, but it is a significant cultural event within the industry. It pioneered a brand new genre, and took advantage of the technology available to drag the rest of the industry forward with it. In my opinion, Resident Evil is the most impactful video game of its generation.
NascarRedSox
1 year ago