Resident Evil is
a survival horror game developed and published by Capcom
in 1996. It is the first game in the Resident Evil
franchise and paved the way for all survival horror games to come.
Decisions,
decisions.
The
game stars S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team members, Chris Redfield and Jill
Valentine, who the player gets to choose between before starting the
game. Each character offers their own challenges and scenario. Chris
can take more damage, but has fewer item slots and need to find more
keys. Jill takes damage more quickly, but has more item slots, a
lockpick, and Barry helps out a lot more from the start compared to
Rebecca.
We
start things off with a black and white FMV with Chris providing
narration. Despite the game giving you the choice of who to play,
it's obvious Chris is meant to be the main character as he provides
narration for both scenarios and get the most screen time in the
opening credits.
Resident
Evil primarily takes place inside the Spencer Mansion, a mansion
found in the middle of Raccoon Forest that the team enters for
shelter. Depending on which character you choose, Barry or Chris
will be missing. Once a gunshot lures you into the dining room you
have your first feel for the controls.
“A
dining room!” – Barry
Nothing
gets pass him, huh?
Whether
you're new to the franchise or are a longtime fan, chances are you
probably discussed the “tank controls” at great length. For
those who don't know, “tank controls” is a term used when a game
doesn't allow the player's character to move forward and turn at the
same time. If you're not used to this style of controls it can be
extremely annoying. Many of us who grew up with the game didn't find
all that hard, but I'd be lying if I said I never ran into anything
stupid because of it.
Then
we have the fixed camera angles. As you explore the mansion the
camera will change accordingly. This provides some suspense when you
encounter an enemy you can't see, but it also generates a cheap
level of difficulty as when you go to line up a shot the enemy will
trigger the camera angle to change messing you up. Some times the
camera will be far away making it hard to line up your weapon.
Enemies
range from zombies, animals, etc. Each one is due to the experiments
that were going on in the mansion before you arrive. You can learn
more through documents you can discover in the house, just like a
mystery. The best part about the first game and what helps make it
so scary, is that you have no idea what's going on. Why are there
zombies walking around? What happened to the dogs? Why is there a
giant snake killing people? You don't find out until you put all the
clues together by the end. That, combined with the atmosphere and
music, makes it a wonderful experience to play.
Introducing
the “Master of Unlocking.”
Your
inventory comes into play when you need to balance out your weapons,
ammunition, healing items, keys, and items you need to solve
puzzles. This is where the survival elements comes in as you only
have so many slots, and you only get so much ammunition at a time.
Even ink ribbons that are used to save your process are in short
supply, so you need to use them sparingly or it can come back to
bite you, pardon the pun.
Because
of this, you really need to think carefully about how you're going to
use your items. Some times it isn't in your best interest to just
blast through everything that gets in your way. You need to explore
every crack of the mansion you can so you don't miss anything
important. I can understand why this wouldn't be some people's cup
of tea, but I honestly think this is what separates Resident Evil
(and survival horror) from other games and is something that's been
lost for a while now.
Puzzles
in this game can be rather tedious. When you're in need of a key or
something you need to solve a puzzle. In the example above, you need
to click on several pictures in order from newborn baby to old man.
That's easy to solve unless you just click yes to the first picture
you find. To get a key in order to fight Yawn, you need to exchange
emblems in two separate room and play on the piano to move the
clock. If Umbrella employees put half the effort into their
experiments that they did with these puzzles they'd be ruling the
world by now.
Aww.
I want a flamethrower.
Now,
while I enjoy Barry as a character, it just bothers me how much he's
used to save Jill in her scenario. In later games and the movies
Jill is depicted as a badass, but if you played the first game you
wouldn't get that vibe from her. She comes across more as a damsel in
distress than special forces. That's why I don't understand why
Rebecca is seen as the weakling. She ends up helping Chris a lot
more than Chris had to save her. To be fair to Capcom, I don't think
they intended for this to come across as sexist, that's just what
happened. They balanced it out pretty well between Rebecca and Chris
so it's just disappointing that they couldn't do the same with Jill
and Barry.
I
think you all know what's coming next.
The
voice acting is horrible! It's so bad it's good. When Resident Evil
began it never took itself seriously, whether it meant to in the
beginning or not. That's part of the charm. If that isn't something
you could get into I suggest playing the Remake. They do a better job
of playing it straight in that one.
Resident
Evil has multiple endings depending on choices you make in the game.
You don't even have to save your lost teammate to complete it.
Several FMVs were recorded to accommodate this, and if the mansion
remains in tact the Tyrant will survive. Rebecca and Barry can also
die if you're not careful so there is a sense of accomplishment
escaping the mansion with everyone.
Conclusion:
Resident Evil is a fun survival
horror game with a fair amount of replay value. If you enjoy
survival horror, zombies, or hilariously bad voice acting, then I
definitely recommend Resident Evil to occupy your time.
Get
it.
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