Review and Game Analysis of

Resident Evil (1996)

The beginning of a classic or a clone?

In the nineties, there was a game that started a new concept of survival horror, which was very intelligent and innovative for its time. With scary scenarios, a well-crafted plot, difficult monsters to face, a vast arsenal of weapons to use and key items in the form of puzzles to solve throughout the game. The name of this masterpiece was Alone in the Dark, then CAPCOM came along and did what they do best, reverse engineering a successful game, thus giving birth to BioHazard or Resident Evil as it became known in the West.

Although this is not the most original game in the world, it was through it that the horror game genre became popular, also defining the standards of the video game industry, thus marking the lives of many gamers, including myself.

This was the game that popularized zombies in video games, breaking sales records and becoming coveted by practically all consoles, Resident Evil became a respected franchise and its success continues even today.

Alone in the Dark (1992)

Plot

In this game, the protagonists are newcomers Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, who are members of STARS, the tactical police force of Raccoon City. These two are part of the Alpha team and they are on a mission to find out where the Bravo team went, which got lost in the middle of the city's forests on a mission to find the cause of a series of murders in this region.

After suffering unexpected attacks from monstrous dogs, they end up fleeing to an abandoned mansion and it is there that the entire game takes place, creating an atmosphere of suspense, terror and mystery that the protagonists try to unravel while trying to survive in the terrible mansion.

About the game

You can choose between Chris and Jill. The plots are similar, but some situations in the game are very different for each protagonist. There are also alternative endings. It all depends on your exploration skills and how much of the mysterious plot you can discover.

In addition to the plots, there are many other differences between the gameplay of the protagonists. Chris has more physical resistance against damage caused by enemies, but only has 6 item slots in his inventory, while Jill has 8 inventory slots and can also use the Lockpick, which opens drawers and some doors in the game.

With Jill, there are fewer monsters to face, as if it were Normal mode. Chris has more enemies to face, resembling something similar to Hard mode, although this definition does not exist in this version of the game.

The camera angle is in third person. It takes some time to get used to controlling your character in this view, because in addition to movement, you need to estimate the location of your enemies' attacks and the direction of the shots from the weapons you use.

During the game, there is no information displayed on the screen, which at first glance seems strange, but it adds a touch of realism to the game.

In addition to weapons and key items, we also have medicines, which are basically Sprays and medicinal plants. There are different types of plants and they can even be mixed to create different combinations, an excellent way to treat injuries. The use of plants has always been one of the classic elements of the BioHazard/Resident Evil series.

Weapons

The weapons are quite varied, ranging from a simple knife to an exaggerated missile launcher. The main weapons are the hand gun, shooting gun and magnum, but we have two exclusive weapons here, Jill has the Bazooka, which has three types of shots, while Chris has access to the Flamethrower for a very short part of the game.

Monsters

In addition to the traditional zombies, we also have other monsters, such as dogs, snakes, bees, giant spiders, sharks, giant plants, Hunters, among others.

Some monsters have weaknesses to certain weapons, and there is always an easier and more objective way to destroy each of them in the game, whether they are standard enemies or even bosses.