Resident Evil

PRESS START

An Introduction To Today’s Game

We are starting off Retro October Fest with a classic. 

March 1996. The PlayStation was barely a year old in North America when Capcom opened the doors to Spencer Mansion and I had no idea what I was getting into. Inside those walls, Resident Evil created something the industry hadn't quite seen before. 

Not just a horror game, but a survival horror game where your biggest enemy wasn't just the zombies, it was also your own dwindling resources. Ink ribbons became precious commodities. Bullets turned into currency. Every room you entered could be your last. And the spiders… for someone who has arachnophobia, that section freaked me out.

The game spawned a multimedia empire. Eight main sequels and countless spinoffs. A film franchise that somehow kept going. Remakes of remakes. But before all that came this, a comparatively modest PlayStation game where the voice acting was legendarily bad and the camera angles made you feel like a character in an actual horror film. The mansion wasn't just a setting. It was a puzzle box wrapped in nightmares, and in 1996 we couldn't get enough of it.

BEHIND THE PIXELS

Let’s Dive Into The Game

After a live-action intro featuring a '90s low-budget action show title sequence with character introductions, Resident Evil drops you into the boots of either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, members of the Special Tactics and Rescue Service investigating a series of cannibalistic murders near Raccoon City.

After your team gets attacked by mutated dogs in the forest, you flee into a seemingly abandoned mansion. That's where the real game begins.

This is a survival horror game built on exploration, puzzle solving, and extremely limited resources. You navigate Spencer Mansion from a third-person perspective using fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds.

The controls use what's called "tank controls," meaning you move forward and backward while turning left or right, regardless of which direction the camera is pointing. It takes adjustment, but it's intentional. The awkwardness adds to the tension.

The game constantly forces you to decide whether to fight or flee. Zombies take multiple headshots to drop permanently. This was something I didn’t realize during the first time I played this back in 96. If I saw something move, I shot it.

Today, I know sometimes the smart play is to just run past them, accepting minor damage to preserve your precious bullets for tougher encounters ahead.

The two characters offer genuinely different experiences, encouraging multiple playthroughs. Both characters get support from teammates, Rebecca Chambers for Chris and Barry Burton for Jill, whose survival depends on your choices throughout the game.

The save system was also unique. Typewriters let you save your progress, but only if you have ink ribbons. The game forces you to decide even if saving is worth the resources.

The mansion itself functions as an elaborate puzzle. You'll find keys, crests, and various objects needed to unlock new areas. Some puzzles require combining items. Herbs can be mixed to create more potent healing items. Certain rooms are safe zones with no enemies, providing brief respite from the constant tension.

The pre-rendered backgrounds still look impressive, creating a gothic atmosphere that holds up surprisingly well. The character models have also aged better than expected, in my head, they were far more blocky before I started my replay.

What holds up best for me is the core loop. Resource management, spatial awareness, risk assessment. These mechanics influenced countless games across multiple genres.

As I was grabbing footage for my article, I lost track of time and got lost within the game as I did 30 years ago. While I appreciate the remakes and quality-of-life changes they brought, I found myself appreciating the original in a new way.

WHERE TO PLAY

• The original copy or emulation will be your best bet for playing this original version without any changes.

• GOG does have a version with some minor changes under the hood, mainly performance upgrades and controller support.

• The Director’s Cut, with some minor changes and analogue support, is on PSN.

• There’s also an HD Remastered version available on Steam and PSN.

• Original Copies of the Game (All prices in USD)

  • Longbox Version

    • Loose: $40 

    • Complete: $150

    • New/Sealed: $390

  • Jewel Case

    • Loose: $35 

    • Complete: $90

    • New/Sealed: $2,200

GAME INFORMATION

Cover Art

Game Audio

RETRO NEWS

Here’s a quick roundup of the latest retro gaming news we’ve dug up.

• Bitmap Books Opens Pre-Orders for Definitive SNES RPG Volume 1
  The first volume of a comprehensive book series celebrating SNES role-playing games is now available for pre-order.
  Read more at Time Extension

• LEGO Game Boy Launches, Already Modded to Play Real Games
  A LEGO Game Boy just hit the market, and fans have wasted no time turning it into a working handheld.
  Read more at IGN

• Mole Mania DX: Miyamoto’s Overlooked Gem Gets an Upgrade
  A fan-made “DX” version breathes new life into Nintendo’s forgotten Game Boy puzzler from Shigeru Miyamoto.
  Read more at Time Extension

GAME OVER

Why You Should Play This

Nearly 30 years later, Resident Evil remains a landmark achievement. The tank controls and fixed cameras feel dated, absolutely. Modern players weaned on third-person shooters might find the deliberately sluggish movement frustrating.

But those limitations were design choices, not technical shortcomings. They create vulnerability. They make you feel powerless in ways modern horror games often struggle to replicate.

The voice acting earned a spot in the Guinness World Records for worst game dialogue ever. Lines like the infamous "Jill sandwich" and "master of unlocking" became memes before memes were really a thing.

But somehow, the campy performances work for me. They give the game a B-movie charm that makes it more endearing than embarrassing.

You can experience Resident Evil today through multiple avenues. The 2002 GameCube remake, remastered for modern platforms, is probably the best entry point. But the original has its own appeal.

The pre-rendered backgrounds have aged better than early 3D models. The atmosphere still works. And experiencing gaming history in its original form has value beyond just nostalgia.

This is the game that brought zombies back to popular culture, that defined survival horror, that proved horror games could be massive commercial successes. Spencer Mansion opened its doors in 1996. Almost three decades later, I’m still exploring its halls and loving every second of it.

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We post daily under the following social media links. Retro game ads and magazines, updates, behind the scenes work on the newsletter, photos and more! Feel free to share the site and the socials with any friends you think would like to join us.