Resident Evil

Synopsis

by Scott Alan Marriott

Combining elements of action, adventure, and horror, Resident Evil has you controlling one of two Raccoon City task force members searching for their missing squad mates. As either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, you must explore a seemingly abandoned mansion while tracking your team's last known whereabouts. Unlike traditional action games, movement in Resident Evil is deliberately paced to create tension. Environments consist of static, pre-rendered backgrounds, each viewed from a fixed camera angle. Chris and Jill will soon discover they are not alone: zombies and mutated monstrosities have overrun the surrounding area.

Though each protagonist has distinct advantages and follows a slightly different path through the mansion and its grounds, your objective is the same: discover who or what is behind this creature feature while doing whatever it takes to survive. Rooms in the ornate mansion feature puzzles to solve, items to collect, and enemies to either avoid or attack with weapons found along the way. Acquired items are stored and manipulated on a separate inventory screen, where you can combine objects and monitor health levels. Save your progress on typewriters scattered throughout the game, but only after finding the ink ribbons needed to "activate" them.

Features

• Play as S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics and Rescue Service) operatives Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine
• Use weapons ranging from a knife and 9mm handgun to a shotgun and flamethrower
• Complete the game multiple times to unlock all eight endings

Extra Credits

by Brad Penniment

Resident Evil is based and inspired on two notable things. One of them is the PC classic Alone in the Dark. That was the first game in which players were thrown into a creepy house filled with dangerous, undead ghosts. Resident Evil, of course, expands on the idea and opts for a truly frightening experience.

Second, a lot of the various rooms of the house resemble those in Night of the Living Dead (both the original and remake). Resident Evil almost feels like a homage to George Romero -- his ideas inspired a lot of events found within this game.

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