Summary
1998, the world will never forget it. Or more accurately 1996, the yearResident Evilwas first released to the public. Capcom’s PS1 horror game created by Shinji Mikami and Tokuro Fujiwara became a phenomenon, defining its own genre of “survival horror” and going on to spawn countless sequels and remakes. Originally intended to be a single-player, immersive horror experience, theResident Evilfranchise continued to evolve and experiment over the years. Though not all entries have always appealed to everyone, the modern-day releases show that the franchise may have finally found its sweet spot.
Every so often theResident Evilseries has shifted genre, gameplay, design, and presentation in an attempt to freshen the franchise and adapt it to the changing interests of fans. Diving into everything from light gun games, squad-based shooters, tactical shooters,asymmetric multiplayer horror games, and more.Resident Evilhas been endlessly able to reinvent itself in the 27 years it has been captivating audiences. Although it has been able to consistently create new content, not every entry in the series has always appealed to everyone. In fact, there has always seemingly been a split between fans who love the original style games and those who prefer the games fromRE4onward.
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The Resident Evil Franchise’s Newest Take on Survival Horror
TheResident Evilseries had its most divisive split in fan base with the release of the originalResident Evil 4in 2005. Shinji Mikami returned to the franchise to reinvent it again during a time when its future was not guaranteed, effectivelydefining the modern third-person shooterin the process. Following the success ofRE4, RE5, andRE6doubled down on the more action-focus until fan interest shifted once again, and it was time for a fresh start.
The series was at its lowest point after the release ofResident Evil 6in 2012, with fans of both the original games and the new feeling as though the series had lost its spark. Manycriticized theResident Evilseries for no longer being scary, a remark Capcom seemed to take notice of when they developedResident Evil 7.RE7served as almost a soft reboot of the series, returning again to a serious survival horror focus. ReestablishingResident Evilas a game to be taken seriously,RE7perfectly set them up for the next release that would do what no otherREgame before could.
Resident Evil 2Remakefrom 2019 was released to massive critical and commercial success. Perfectly combining elements of the originalResident Eviltitles, post-RE4games,and plenty of new features, it effectively united theResident Evilfan base and reestablished itself yet again.RE2 Remakebrought the franchise back into the limelight andreintroduced the world to survival horrorin a way that was fun and engaging to fans of all types of games. This then set up the series to continue withRE3 Remake,RE Village, and most recentlyResident Evil 4 Remake.
Now theResident Evilfranchise has hit its sweet spot ofhorror elements, action gameplay, cinematic cutscenes, and compelling characters. WithRE4 RemakeCapcom has managed to capture everything fans love about the series in a complete package that feels aware of its legacy while still innovating for the modern day.Resident Evilis at the height of its popularity, and it remains to be seen what comes next. However, if recent games are any indication, future entries will be worth paying attention to for both new fans and old.
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