Re Re-Enter the World of Survival Horror
The mid-90s saw a radical shift in the way video games looked and played, especially on consoles. The Playstation One was a fledgeling little machine that was capable of producing high polygon visuals the likes of which had only been previously seen on a PC. Capcom’s Shinji Mikami decided to design a game in the vein of Alone in the Dark, one of those fancy PC titles. It was going to feature all those high polygon counts as well as the concept of pre-rendered backgrounds; photo-realistic but non-interactive set pieces that looked astonishing to the player eye in 1996. Resident Evil was released that year to high praise both commercially and critically. Six years later, Mikami pulled off the unthinkable: he remade (still a fresh concept back then) his own game with an even more impressive array of lifelike visuals. And REmake wasn’t simply an update on graphics; it altered every expectation of the hardcore Resident Evil fan. New rooms were created, and fresh enemy designs made for an entirely different and horrifying experience. Now, 13 years later, and nearly 20 years on the cusp of the original title’s anniversary, we are presented with the inevitable: a remaster of one of the most iconic remakes of all time. But aside from a minor change in control scheme, that is all it really is.
Hardcore fans of the original three games in the core series will love the HD update, but finding new fans will probably prove a nigh impossible task for Capcom. Aside from the modern control scheme (characters now move in the same direction the analog stick does) the same survival horror formula applies. That means strenuous backtracking, constant item management (especially with Chris), and an archaic save system that requires the scavenging of ink ribbons to be used on the handful of typewriters in the game.
So if you've read this far, you've probably already played and enjoyed this game in both iterations. For the uninitiated, the quick synopsis: a special forces team (S.T.A.R.S.) has been tasked with investigating bizarre happenings on the outskirts of a Midwestern city. Shit goes south real quick, and the remaining survivors take refuge in the Spencer Mansion, where the majority of the game takes place. You have the option to play as either Chris Redfield, who can take more damage but carry less items, or Jill Valentine, with the opposite benefit. Players will be expected to solve moderately difficult puzzles, combat head-on or flee from grotesque abominations, which include zombies, infected dogs, colossal tarantulas, and amphibious-like brutes nicknamed Hunters, and endure dozens of cheesy B-movie one liners. Story has never been the focus of the Resident Evil saga, but there is still an undeniable charm in its camp (and the writing is a VAST improvement on the original game).
