Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Resident Evil’s core gameplay remains a hallmark of the survival-horror genre, combining exploration, puzzle solving, and resource management in a claustrophobic mansion setting. You step into the shoes of either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, each with unique strengths and access to different weapons and areas. As you navigate the dimly lit corridors, you must conserve ammunition, balance inventory space, and decide when to retreat or stand your ground against relentless undead foes.

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The mansion’s floorplan will feel familiar to veterans of the original PlayStation release, but the GameCube/Wii remakes introduce several new wings and hidden passages that enrich the castle’s Gothic maze. Traps, locked doors, and cryptic riddles force players to retrace steps and piece together clues—encouraging careful note-taking and methodical backtracking. The split between Chris and Jill also changes puzzle availability, offering distinct routes and collectibles depending on your chosen character.

Combat is deliberate and tense. Standard zombies can be put down only to a point: unless you finish them off with fire, they’ll rise faster and more ferocious than before. The addition of Lisa, a knife-wielding specter stalking the grounds outside the mansion, ratchets up the pressure and forces you to think twice about detours into the courtyard. Whether you’re scrounging for herbs or lining up headshots, every encounter demands strategy—fleeing often being as valid a tactic as fighting.

For newcomers and returning players alike, the HD Remaster on PS3, PS4, Xbox One, and Windows adds an optional modern control scheme alongside the classic tank controls, smoothing out movement and aiming woes of the original. You can also toggle between the original character models and those from Resident Evil 5, giving the gameplay both a nostalgic and fresh coat of paint without altering the mansion’s ominous layout.

Graphics

Visually, Resident Evil has come a long way from its polygon-lit PlayStation roots. The GameCube remake already boasted richer textures, sharper character models, and dynamic lighting that amplified every flickering candle and ominous shadow. On the Wii, these enhancements carried over seamlessly, with motion controls for aiming adding a tactile layer to each tense firefight.

The Biohazard: HD Remaster further elevates the experience with widescreen support, 1080p resolution, and overhauled textures that bring every peeling wallpaper and blood-smeared floor to vivid life. Character animations have been refined, making zombie movements more unsettling, while environmental details such as cobwebs, shattered glass, and antique furniture cast realistic shadows that underscore the mansion’s gothic horror.

True to its survival-horror lineage, Resident Evil employs a muted color palette punctuated by sudden bursts of crimson. This design choice not only conserves system resources on older hardware but also reinforces the game’s oppressive atmosphere. Whether you’re peering through a crack in a boarded-up door or descending into the dank wine cellar, the visuals work in concert with the sound design to keep you on edge.

Story

Resident Evil’s plot picks up in the immediate aftermath of the Bravo team’s ill-fated mission in the Arklay Mountains, as detailed in Resident Evil Zero. When Bravo’s chopper goes down, Alpha team is dispatched to investigate a series of gruesome murders encircling Raccoon Forest. Early in their search, you stumble upon the wreckage and a pack of feral Dobermans, setting the stage for the nightmare that awaits inside the mansion.

Inside those heavy wooden doors lies a web of corporate conspiracy and biological horror. As Chris or Jill, you unravel the Umbrella Corporation’s experiments with the T-Virus, pick through personal journals for clues, and witness flashbacks that deepen the tragedy of the Bravo squad. Encounters with surviving team members, like the resourceful Rebecca Chambers in Zero, tie the various narrative threads together, offering context to every encounter with shambling undead or mutated monstrosities.

The story unfolds at a deliberate pace, with each room revealing fragments of backstory: taped messages, frantic diary entries, and hidden laboratories chart the downfall of everyone who dared enter. The mansion itself feels like a character—its secret passages and sudden tremors hinting at underground labs where the true horror of Umbrella’s machinations comes to light. By the time you face the final bioweapon, the tragedy, betrayal, and desperation woven into the tale hit home.

Overall Experience

Resident Evil remains a masterclass in crafting palpable dread and measured pacing. Every creak, footstep, and distant groan is designed to ratchet up tension. The balance of exploration, limited resources, and unpredictable enemies creates a constant sense of vulnerability, ensuring that even well-worn areas feel threatening on subsequent playthroughs.

The addition of new areas in the remakes, the relentless presence of Lisa, and the requirement to immolate fallen zombies breathe fresh life into a classic formula. The HD Remaster’s graphical enhancements and optional control schemes make this the definitive version for both series veterans and first-time survivors. Replay value is high, with unlockable costumes, weapons, and alternate scenarios rewarding thorough exploration and skillful play.

Whether you seek atmospheric puzzles, heart-pounding encounters, or a glimpse into the origins of one of gaming’s most iconic villains, Resident Evil delivers. It stands not only as a piece of horror gaming history but as a timeless challenge that continues to influence and terrify players decades after its debut.

Retro Replay Score

8.5/10