Resident Evil: The Game That Changed Everything

I’ll never forget the day my step-dad came home from work and changed my life forever. I know that’s a pretty heavy sentence to start things off with, but I mean every word of that. After greeting my step-dad like I do every time he comes home from work, I noticed he had a CD case in his hand. We had recently gotten a Sony Playstation and my step-dad often brought games home he either rented or borrowed from friends. But instead of showing me what he had, he walked right past me this time. I was confused by this and immediately walked after him.

“Hey, is that a new game? Can I see?”

My step-dad stopped and turned around. He held up the case and I found my eyes glued to the front of it, looking at a man holding a weapon with an unmistakable look of fear in his eyes. (Or maybe it was a look of pain having stepped on a Lego?) My eyes went to the title and I felt a tinge of excitement.

“It’s called Resident Evil. And you aren’t allowed to play it or even watch me play it.” My step dad turned around and headed downstairs. I was stunned. Confused. Slightly angry. What was this game? Why couldn’t I play it or even watch..? I had to find out.

Eventually my step-dad told me that this game was supposedly very violent and extremely scary. All that did was make me more curious. When my step-dad sat down to play the game, I was banished to my room. That didn’t stop me though, as I eventually snuck out and watched my step-dad play the game from behind the very couch he was sitting on. (I know, pretty ballsy.) I was immediately captivated by what I saw.

Released originally in 1996, I was floored to see the game’s opening play out as live action. The black and white grittiness of it all really grabbed me and the voice acting (which was a very new thing for me) was awesome, even if it is cringe by today’s standards. The story set up of grizzly murders and mutilated bodies just grabbed me even more and I was dying to see what happened next.

Soon the game started up proper. The now notorious scene where your main characters enter the main hall of a mansion after being chased by zombified hellhounds is iconic. While the graphics aren’t anything to write home about today, the blocky, polygonal designs of Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine and others looked incredible. The characters spoke, trying to figure out what had happened. That’s when a gunshot rings out, prompting you to check it out, all the while Wesker, the leader of your group, tells you to “Stay alert!”.

After entering the dining room and discovering a puddle of blood, you navigate your character into a hallway off the dining room. I remember how silent my living room became when my step-dad walked into that long hallway. He would try various doors, but all of them were locked. As the tension built, he finally went around the corner and saw a creature that would forever be burned into my memories and I’m sure has stuck with many of those who experienced this moment for the first time.

It was at this point I made enough noise that my step-dad realized I was in the room behind him. Thankfully, he didn’t shoo me back to my room, instead letting me watch. Sometimes I wonder if he let me sit with him because he was unsettled, too. I’ve never experienced a game like this and neither had he. Over time, my step-dad and I would trade off the controller and we would work together to uncover the secrets of that mansion and do our best to survive.

Resident Evil (at least in its original form) is not the most intuitive game today but it laid the groundwork for how survival horror games should be. With emphasis on resource management, puzzle solving, item hunting and clue finding, the game usually did a good job of keeping the tension up. You had to decide if using your resources to overcome a threat made sense, or do you risk taking damage to hold on to the few bullets you had. Adding to this was the game’s background music (except you, Director’s Cut) as well as the game’s decision to not use it at times. Sometimes the only noise you heard was the sound of your own footsteps as you navigated down a dark corridor. These moments are what made Resident Evil so much fun to play.

The Resident Evil series has ballooned into something huge today, but I’ll never forget my love for the original. Not only did the original Resident Evil spark my love for survival horror games in general, it was the game that put me on the path of “gamer”, a title I wear proudly today. Call it a historical game, call it a clunky mess or even an outdated relic and you’re probably right on all accounts. But to me, the original Resident Evil will always hold a special place in my heart. I’ll always think of the special memories I have with my step-dad, but more than that, I’ll never forget that first zombie, slowly turning its head to look at me, death deep within its eyes.