TheResident Evilfranchise may be the most popular survival horror series, but it isn’t technically the first survival horror game. Before the term survival horror was created, earlier games such asResident Evil’sspiritual predecessorSweet Homeand Infogrames’Alone in the Darkalready implemented and pioneered the mechanics that defined the survival horror genre.
However, it wasResident Evilthat invented the term survival horror, and ever since the launch of the first game in 1996, several other games followedResident Evil’sfootsteps. For 25 years, theResident Evilfranchise produced hit after hit, with the latest beingResident Evil Village,which isalready breaking records for the series. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for other survival horror games released around the same time asResident Evil,such asSilent Hill, Clock Tower, andFatal Frame.But how didResident Evilmanage to stay relevant for two and a half decades?
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Resident Evil Knows How To Balance Out Horror
Out of all the survival horror games out there, many would agree thatResident Evilis the most approachable, which is one of the primary reasons it remains popular among gamers. It is no secret that survival horror games are considered to be a niche genre, given that not every player can endure all the challenges and terror survival horror games offer. It is worth knowing that Capcom is very much aware of this, which is why it has always designedResident Evilgames to be just scary enough to satisfy fans of the genre while keeping them open to a wider player base.
One good example of this strategy is seen inResident Evil Village. In an interview with one of the game’s developers, it was revealed thatCapcom had to dial down the horror aspect ofResident Evil Villageafter the company received feedback from players thatResident Evil 7was too scary. True enough,Resident Evil 7is considered to be the scariest entry in theResident Evilfranchise. While the game was a success due to its return to survival horror, not everyone could play it. This is not to say thatResident EvilVillageis not scary at all, given that those who were able to play it could attest that it has its moments. But unlike its predecessor, Capcom decided to balance out the horror factor to a sweet spot that would satisfy both diehard and casual horror fans.
Resident Evil Isn’t Afraid to Step Out of the Box
Apart from knowing just how much terror most of its players can endure,Resident Evilhas been able to remain relevant for 25 yearsbecause Capcom is not afraid of changing things up as the series progressed. After the franchise’s initial success withResident EvilandResident Evil 2, things started to trend downward, beginning withResident Evil 3and the first game’s remake. Given this, Capcom decided to reinvent theResident Evilformula by ditching the traditional fixed camera and tank controls as seen inResident Evil 4.
Although many seeResident Evil 4as the game that led the franchise to lean more on action than horror, the new mechanics helped modernizeResident Evil, andRE4received critical acclaim from both players and critics. Of course, while some changes made to succeedingResident Evilgames were hit-and-miss, the risks Capcom took to innovate the franchise ensured its longevity. Fast forward toResident Evil 7,and Capcom once again took the leap of faith by transitioning the franchise from over-the-shoulder to first-person. In the end,while not every single change Capcom made was for the better, the studio’s ability to evolve theResident Evilfranchise with the times is a major contributor as to why it continues to remain popular even after 25 years.
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