Resident Evil 8is approaching fast, and many players are eager to get their hands on the next foray into survival horror from Capcom. In the meantime before the game’s release, though, there’s time to catch up on the story leading up to the events ofResident Evil 8and to check out other games in the genre to get a sense of where the survival-horror genre stands as a whole right now.
Many fans of the franchise are awaiting new information aboutResident Evil 8and the story of Umbrella Corporation. Luckily, there isa showcase planned forResident Evil 8soonthat will hopefully answer some of these fans burning questions about where the next chapter will takeResident Evil.Through then and until release, though, there’s still some horrors to be had.
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Resident Evil 7
Taking place in a decrepit house in the Louisiana swamps,Resident Evil 7players were met with an experience that was more survival and more horror than the previous two installments. Creepy ambience and slow building of story through voice memos and video tapes helped recreated the sense of dread from the originalResident Evilgames in a way that many players found fresh for the series. With theupcomingResident Evil 8set to seemingly take the same approach,Resident Evil 7is both a great way to catch up on the story, specifically that of series mainstay Chris Redfield, and get a taste for the gameplay mechanics.
The Evil Within 2
After his departure from Capcom, Shinji Mikami was free to create games with the more supernatural elements he had originally wanted toinject intoResident Evil 4. The original plans for that game included ghosts, phantoms, and many other paranormal elements that ended up making their way intoThe Evil Withinand its sequel. Featuring the now-standard third-person shooting mechanics pioneered back inResident Evil 4, The Evil Within 2continues the original’s story about Sebastian dealing with both the trauma of the loss of his daughter and his wife’s abandonment afterwards.
Still shook by the supernatural events that occurred at the Beacon Mental Hospital during the first game, Sebastian has descended into severe alcoholism, while the grim tone is matched by the game’s overbearing atmosphere of dread. It should be noted that expanded gameplay mechanics made toThe Evil Within 2fun to play, but the game was met with criticism from some fans over its story. Overall, theEvil Withinfranchise is a worthy addition to the genre andMikami’s influence is still evident inResident Evilto this day.
Resident Evil 2 Remake
The first in whatCapcom has said will be a strategy of remakes and remastersof its classic games going forward,Resident Evil 2 Remakewas lauded by fans for its adaptation of the original game’s story and mechanics into the modernResident Evilworld. Retelling the story of Leon and Claire, Chris’s sister, as they navigate the T-Virus outbreak in Raccoon City and incorporating the third-person shooter gameplay ofRE4andRE5.For its recent pedigree alone, it’s an easy recommendation for any survival horror fan.
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The Last of Us 2
Topping more than a couple 2020game of the year lists isThe Last of Us 2. A great way for players to gauge the state of the genre at large and a bar for storytelling,The Last of Us 2continues the story about a world overrun by a plague that turns humans into hideous monsters. The series is known for its blend of storytelling and intense stealth-centric gameplay, while the survival-horror title features on-the-fly crafting as players travel as silently as possible to avoid the monsters left in the plague’s wake.The Last of Us 2is definitely one of the games thatResident Evil 8will be contrasted against as the top of the genre, so players would do well to play throughThe Last of Us 2if they haven’t already.
Resident Evil 3 Remake
The second of Capcom’sResident Evilremakes,RE3 Remake,again is a modern adaptation of the classic game. Expanding on the gameplay conventions inRE2 Remake,RE3adds more options for surviving the hordes of zombies and Umbrella bioweapons. It maintains the difficulty and actual survival aspectsimprovements thatRE2brings, although it cuts a lot of content and ventures far too much into action territory for some fans. However, that doesn’t make it less of an important game to play beforeResident Evil 8, if only so fans can compare the two.
(Bonus) P.T.
ThePlayable Teaserreleased by Konami and famed director Hideo Kojima was a surprise to many players on PS4, ultimately turning out to be a demo for what would have been the nextSilent Hillgame. The project had also involved horror film legend Guillermo Del Toro and the playable protagonist was revealed to Norman Reedus ofWalking Deadfame. Even as just a demo,P.T.quickly became a big influencein the horror genre. Clever use of alien geometry, a horror visual device that makes subtle changes to otherwise normal environments, made the recurring loop through the demo’s single hallway incredibly unsettling and the first-person perspective made the jump scares even more frightening. It’s hard to get hands on today, though, so fans will want to keep that in mind.
Resident Evil 8is set to release in 2021 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
