Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Resident Evil delivers a tense, methodical gameplay loop that defined the survival horror genre. Players choose between Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, each offering distinct attributes—Jill excels in inventory space while Chris boasts greater strength. Exploring the sprawling mansion, you must examine every room, solve environmental puzzles, and piece together key items to progress. The deliberate pace and limited resources ensure each decision carries weight, reinforcing the game’s signature feeling of vulnerability.

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Combat is a careful balance of conservation and urgency. Ammunition is scarce, forcing you to decide whether to engage lurking zombies or conserve bullets for more formidable foes. Melee attacks provide a last-resort option, but taking damage is often a risk you can’t afford. Enemies occasionally block your escape routes, creating nail-biting encounters that heighten tension. The inclusion of the exclusive Battle Mode in the SEGA Saturn version further tests your survival skills under time and ammo constraints, adding replay value for completionists.

Puzzle solving is woven seamlessly into exploration. From cryptic riddles to labyrinthine key hunts, each puzzle leverages environmental storytelling, urging players to examine notes, ephemera, and machinery scattered throughout the mansion. Certain tasks, like aligning statues or deciphering ciphers, require patience and attention to detail. These cerebral challenges provide welcome breaks from zombie combat, preserving a sense of momentum while deepening immersion.

Graphics

The original Resident Evil stunned audiences with its groundbreaking pre-rendered backgrounds, offering high-fidelity detail that belied the hardware limitations of the time. Hallways glisten with ambient light, cobwebs hang in dusty corners, and splatters of blood foreshadow lurking horrors. Character models, while polygonal, are meticulously animated; the shuffling gait of zombies and the snapping jaws of Cerberus dogs remain memorable to this day.

Dynamic camera angles and fixed perspectives enhance cinematic tension. Each room’s vantage point is carefully chosen to obscure threats just off-screen, prompting players to proceed cautiously. This deliberate design imbues every corridor with suspense, making even routine exploration feel like a potential deathtrap. The SEGA Saturn version maintains these visuals with minimal downgrades, ensuring the atmosphere remains as oppressive and engaging as the original release.

Sound design complements the visuals with chilling effectiveness. Creeping footsteps, distant moans, and the echo of gunfire reverberate through the mansion’s labyrinthine halls. Occasional musical stingers ratchet up tension during boss encounters and puzzle reveals. Subtle ambient effects—like wind howling outside or the scuttling of unseen creatures—deepen immersion, making the game’s visual scars feel all the more real.

Story

Resident Evil’s narrative kicks off with the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team’s mysterious murders near Raccoon City. As tensions mount in the surrounding forests, the surviving Alpha Team members retreat to a foreboding mansion, only to discover it’s a macabre playground for the undead. This opening premise immediately hooks players, blending police procedural intrigue with supernatural terror.

Unraveling the mansion’s secrets reveals Umbrella Corporation’s sinister bioengineering experiments. Through collectible documents—letters, memos, and research logs—you piece together a story of corporate malfeasance and scientific hubris. The interplay between Jill’s and Chris’s scenarios offers slight variations in dialogue and scene order, encouraging multiple playthroughs to fully appreciate the narrative depth.

The game’s pacing expertly balances quiet exploration with adrenaline-fueled set pieces. Character interactions, though occasional, humanize the protagonists, underscoring the stakes of their survival. Climactic encounters with mutated monstrosities test both skill and nerve, driving the story toward its explosive finale. Resident Evil’s plot may be straightforward by modern standards, but its careful layering of mystery and horror laid the groundwork for countless successors in the genre.

Overall Experience

Resident Evil remains a landmark achievement in gaming history. Its blend of atmospheric exploration, resource-scarce combat, and brain-teasing puzzles creates a cohesive, immersive experience that still thrills. Players seeking genuine suspense and strategic challenge will find its deliberate pacing both rewarding and memorable.

The SEGA Saturn version’s exclusive Battle Mode is a welcome bonus for genre enthusiasts. This timed survival trial, with constrained ammo and escalating monster waves, extends playtime and tests mastery of movement and shooting under pressure. It’s the kind of extra challenge that hardcore fans will appreciate long after the main story is complete.

While modern gamers accustomed to free-aim shooting and open-world maps may find the controls and fixed cameras archaic, Resident Evil’s influence is undeniable. Its design principles echo in contemporary horror titles, and experiencing the original offers valuable insight into the genre’s evolution. For potential buyers, this definitive edition on SEGA Saturn stands as both a historic artifact and a still-compelling horror adventure.

Retro Replay Score

8/10