Enter the world of survival horror...

...is a quote straight from the original 1996 Resident Evil on the Sony PlayStation, the game that, from that one line, coined a brand new genre of digital gaming. Even though there were games beforehand which set the foundations of Capcom's ground-breaking title, it wasn't until then that the genre entered the mainstream. Since then the Resi franchise has gone on to sell in excess of 34 million copies worldwide and with such commercial and critical success over the years, the survival horror genre must have sank its teeth into the public's neck pretty firmly as even today the genre is still going strong [1]. 

Even though Alone in the Dark and Sweet Home created many of the conventions that Resident Evil would then use, notably the lone main characters and spooky environments, Resi would then take these much further. The gameplay has a direct link to Alone in the Dark's puzzle and combat combination. Characters have to roam around the Arklay Mansion to complete puzzles to progress further in the game, while having to fend off the zombies and various other creatures which clog the corridors. The inventory system was much more of a new feature however, and introduced the ideas of item collection. When the player found a new item, they may not have enough to space to store it, even if they need it for a puzzle they are currently completing on the other side of the mansion. Also, Resident Evil would allow the player to combine certain items together to create new ones, adding many more possibilities to the puzzle process. Maybe you need combine those plate pieces together so they fit in the indentation?

The opening scene from Resident Evil. Note the pre-rendered backgrounds and static camera angle.

 

Combat is restricted by a distinct lack of ammunition for guns, the most useful weapons for zombie disposal. When this dries up, the player will have to resort to very weak knife attacks, leaving them extremely vulnerable to attack themselves, or flee altogether. This leads to a much more frightening experience when you come across an enemy and you can't defend yourself appropriately. Zombies can be outran quite easily, except at close quarters, and the later enemies are much more proficient. When you've been attacked many times your running speed decreases, you are more vulnerable, heightening the tension. When this happens, it's much like a game of cat and mouse, and you are the mouse. In addition to this, the plot elements of the game can be furthered by finding documents around the mansion, reminiscent of Alone in the Dark, while the game also restricts the use of saving the player's game progress by only allowing them to save when they find a typewriter. Placed in a variety of places, they can only be used with an ink ribbon. When you've run out of ink ribbons, you can't save your progress. If you die you go straight back to where you started from previously, furthering heightening the fear and tension of the game. 

Now, I will analyse the audio and visual elements of the original Resident Evil and assess just why it became so popular at the time from the scares it produced, and how they managed it. Also, I will look into whether it's still frightening now and whether we can still become so immersed in the game that we forget where we are and become scared silly. 

[1] Capcom Press Release. Retrieved 01/04/2009