Ah, the original Resident Evil. I still remember getting our very first PS1 second-hand, with a handful of games such as Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Tomb Raider, and this, among a few other forgettable titles. While I played through all of those games eagerly at first, it was only Resident Evil that grabbed my attention from the bunch and has made me a fan of the series ever since that inception. Along with its companions in the original trilogy, this remains one of my favorite games of the generation and I think given it was my gateway to one of my most beloved genres, you could say that it's one of the more important games in my early history as a gamer. Even today, I can still recite the entire opening cutscene along with the game and I maintain that no game then or since has scared me as much as this game did (which okay, I'll admit, is MOSTLY because I was only like 9 at the time). I've played several versions and iterations of it now, including the 2002 remake (REmake). While there are ways in which I must admit those later iterations mostly only improved on the underlying game, the original 1996 Resident Evil is what I think of first when you ask me about the core of what the series means to me. While I'm tempted to write a 10,000-word essay on just why that is, I'll try to keep things a little briefer here. I primarily add this important preface to note that I can't pretend nostalgia and rosy glasses aren't at play when I assess this game. However, I think especially for its role in the history of gaming and its accomplishments for its time, I still think it stands on its own as pretty incredible.

Note: my most recent playthrough was of the Director's Cut on PSN which featured some goofy costumes so pardon the awkward screenshots since those are the only shots of my own I've got on-hand

Especially considering it was essentially one of the first games of its kind in the true Survival Horror genre, Resident Evil is surprising in its thorough and clever game design throughout. Not only does it establish the genre staples of resource/inventory management, puzzle-solving (including a wealth of item puzzles), file-based lore, and a maze of corridors you'll need to backtrack (carefully) through, it does all these things shockingly well. While I of course just prefaced my biased opinion toward this game, I really feel much of its design feels like a game built off lessons learned from previous iterations when its inspirations were in fact rather limited. The puzzles are interesting and clever, using dark and dreary themes to drive home the plot and atmosphere while still offering a fun reward for thinking things through. There isn't a huge variety of enemies, but there are surprisingly quite a few—even featuring multiple zombie models and variations—considering the game isn't all that long. There is a handful of weapons, each of which manages to feel unique and like a godsend when you obtain a new one. The maps are interestingly laid out, requiring backtracking through enemies you actually fear having to deal with and the settings themselves are varied and intriguing, encouraging the very exploration the threats of the mansion make a frightening prospect. I wouldn't say the game is perfect in all of these respects. For instance, even the game's greatest champions will admit that the hunters are absolutely bullshit. But for a game that was testing the waters as one of the first of its time, I have always found it very impressive.

The story of the game is one of the things REmake improved and expanded upon most and for good reason considering it is fairly barebones in a lot of ways. I give the game a pass considering that, aside from RPGs with lots of text, very few PS1 games had long and detailed story to them, especially with voice-acting. But even still, I thoroughly enjoyed the story as a lot as a kid and still do to this day. The voice-acting is hilarious, but the world and characters are surprisingly easy to follow through the slowly-spoken dialogue and text files. While some elements are baffling in their implausibility, I still find much of the plot and world-building to be quite good for what it is. The cartoonishly evil Umbrella presents a potent villainous force that is weirdly exciting to learn about because of its quirkily elaborate bases of operations and greed-justifies-the-means corporate values. Further, the game has a plot that is far more mystery-based than the survival emphasis of later entries. While the characters are still trying to find a way to safely escape, your mission is to investigate a series of bizarre murders and uncovering Umbrella's hand in it and the identity of a traitor among you take center stage. Despite the many other things the game is juggling, I actually found its story beats to be pretty well-executed with cutscenes that were numerous enough to keep me engaged, but not so common as to interrupt my exploration and gameplay flow. It's hard for me to say if the twist would still be surprising to me had I played it for the first time today (and even people with a general knowledge of the games will likely see a lot of it coming), but I found the twists and developments effective and potently shocking, at least as a kid.

Hand in hand with the story, one cannot ignore the game's unique tone, for better or for worse. This is an area that's really going to vary a lot from person to person, even in defining what the game's tone is. The series since has been happy to lampshade and put at the forefront how ridiculous it is. Even the recent series of remakes, though a bit more serious and grounded, have no issue with cheesy one-liners and goofy dialogue as a bit of respite from the tension. This game is sometimes considered the origin of that trend, but weirdly, it kind of isn't at all? The voice-acting is notorious for how awful it is and several lines are still quoted from it today, even several times in the games themselves solely because they sound silly as hell. But when you look at it, the game itself is playing everything pretty straight-faced and serious. You witness some pretty horrible things and the mansion is an extremely oppressive environment constantly reinforcing its air of decay and impassive violence. The awkward jokes and dialogue the characters engage in are there for moments of respite, but the characters themselves are constantly confronting terrors they never could have imagined against near unbeatable odds. Now, for a lot of people, the goofy execution of the game is going to make it so that this tone never really takes off and that's fair. I'd probably struggle with it more if I hadn't played it first well-before much better voice-acting in games was common. But for me, some of the awkwardness and confusing phrasing somehow adds to the horror in a way that's hard to explain. It almost feels like the game is operating on some kind of nightmare logic where the fact that the characters aren't making a ton of sense in their articulation just adds a layer of uncanniness that is all the more unsettling. Perhaps this is another symptom of my aforementioned rose-tinted glasses, considering I'm talking about how the games goofiness paradoxically adds to its horror, but this has always been one of the most striking things about this game. Even as a kid, I'd joke with my friends about some of Barry's stilted lines, but thoughts of the game itself still kept me up more nights than I'd like to admit.

Okay, so I won't pretend the game still looks amazing today. Beyond character models and set pieces, a good deal of the pre-rendered backgrounds have aged pretty poorly—even compared to the game's mainline PS1 sequels that came just a few years later—though the game's never quite graphically "hideous." All that said, I still would argue that the game has outstanding atmosphere. The soundtrack is awesome (as long as you aren't playing the Dualshock version) with some of the best haunting ambience I've heard in a game and it aligns so well with the environments and spooky exploration throughout. I can still hum along from memory with so many of the iconic songs that go with most of the rooms. While they could definitely use some touch-up, the enemies have unique and decipherable appearances and sound design. You can tell what's in a room simply by the sounds you hear, which is all the more important given you often can't see the whole room you're in from a single camera angle. Touching back on things that are impressive about this game being the progenitor of its genre, I love how detailed and unique the many rooms are. Even before my first replay in a very long time, I still had very vivid images in my mind of many of the rooms throughout the game. Some of them feel a little pointless or unrealistic as features of an actual mansion, but I still appreciate the attention paid to making the rooms unique. It's one reason the mansion's layout has remained fresh in my memory for a good 25 years.

Y'all remember when caves in games had this crazy texture?

So okay, at this point, it's pretty clear from my gushing that I've always loved this game a lot, but I have to address the elephant in the room of how the game holds up in 2024, as a replay or a first time play. I've struggled with reviews of replays as to whether I should rate the game based on my initial experience or the most recent and I've kind of settled on a mixture of both. Thankfully with this game, it's an easy 5 stars either way. I will say that my memory of the game was pretty spot-on and I don't feel like it was one of those experiences where you go back and realize the game was never all that good to begin with; it at least "holds up" in that respect. Further, when I played it for the first time after probably the biggest gap (not counting the Remake), it was in February 2022 when I played the 3DS version, Deadly Silence (which I'll briefly review at a later date for its differences), and I was immediately addicted, falling back into paradoxical love with the dreary mansion's horrors and blasting through much of the game until 3AM that first night. I've played it a few times since then and while I've still enjoyed it, I think this last playthrough was when I finally felt it was time to set it aside for a bit. It was still fun, but I think the sledgehammer of nostalgia has been chipped some with just how much I've played it the last couple years. Even looking back just now at when I played Deadly Silence, I was a little shocked it's only been a couple years since I picked it back up.

So to round out this lengthy discussion, would I recommend this game for first-time players today? That's a tough question and I think it will depend on the person. In general, I think someone wanting to try out the series close to the beginning would do best going with the 2002 REmake of this game. However, I think especially those with a taste for more retro games would do well to at least give this one a try, if only to see how much it accomplishes for its time (though as a caveat, if Deadly Silence is an option, it is mostly the same but adds a bit that I think captures the original but is probably a slightly better experience). Now which one do I like more, original or remake? Oof, that's a tough question, but if I must answer: REmake is almost definitely a better game in most respects, but this game will always hold a special place for me that it never will.

While I've yet to decide where this game ranks within the series, I think its safe to say that this game would be pretty high up there. I don't think I'll ever forget my first few times exploring its spooky claustrophic corridors and solving its ridiculous puzzles. I certainly won't forget the many iconic lines and moments. It feels weird that all that said, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to many people and expect them to actually like it. But I'm glad that on a personal level, I'll always have my next playthrough to look forward to.

If you've made it this far, thanks so much for reading! I know it was long, but this was a fun review to write and truthfully, it could've been much longer. I usually struggle more writing reviews for games I really liked (the critical voice is so much easier), but for whatever reason, this was a fun one to gush about!

My other Resident Evil reviews:

• Resident Evil 2 (1998) - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil 3 (1999) - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil: Survivor - ★★★
• Resident Evil: Survivor 2 – Code Veronica - ★★
• Resident Evil Remake - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil 2 Remake - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil 3 Remake - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil 4 VR - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil 4 Remake - ★★★★★

Resident Evil for the Playstation instantly changed my life. A friend told me about this new horror game he had so we closed the blinds and booted it up. That 'Resident. Evillll' voice echoing through his living room solidified a core memory right there, and my love for horror and games grew even stronger that day. It's been analysed and reviewed endlessly, but for me its not only a great game with great atmosphere, it's something cult classic and unreplicable about it, although it ironically got replicated like crazy for decades to come.

Its rewarding puzzles and ways to advance the story is cool and adds replay value many times over- another well known trait of the RE franchise. Camera and game mechanics is actually something that adds to the game imo, as it cripples you and scares you even more, like when you can't walk properly in a nightmare. I love this game but it has some flaws, like the amazingly bad voice acting that became legendary, and some overall mechanics that make it difficult, but I welcome all these in a way. Some of it got fixed and tweaked for the amazing 2002 remake that I definitely recommend if you're looking to get in to the series.

Despite being a pretty popular franchise, having countless adaptations in many different mediums, not many people talk about the original entry, especially when the 2002 remake is the same thing, but with more content and better graphics. Which is a shame, because it's a unique experience that could only exist in the 90's era of gaming.

Many elements are present that you rarely see in other video games nowadays. Live-action cutscenes, tank controls, awful but charming voice acting, low-quality CGI, puzzles reminiscent of adventure games, limited inventory and saves, a short length time that is alleviated with its fantastic replay value, fixed camera angles, and so on.

Playing Resident Evil is like a time capsule to simpler times, when 3D video games were still new and developers could try anything they wanted with the gameplay without trying to copy more successful projects. However, this can be a huge turnoff for people that are used to the commodities of current technology. Tank controls can be a nightmare to understand if you have never tried them, the map can feel really archaic with how little info it has, backtracking can be tedious if you hate exploring the same room over and over again, and the shooting is totally different from the one present since the fourth entry, which revolutionized not only the franchise, but the whole third-person shooter genre.

This is the reason most of the fans of classic RE are people that played them when they were new, so nobody complained about them having aged badly or needing a remake to be playable. But if you have the patience and ability to appreciate classic video games and aren't bothered with the limitations of older technology, you'll have a really good time, as Resident Evil 1 is a masterpiece in game design.

The mansion you explore, the way your choices affect the story, the differences between both characters, the sense of horror when you enter a room for the first time and don't know what lies ahead, the satisfaction of solving a puzzle using cryptic clues, the adrenaline of using a healing item or shooting a gun knowing that resources are limited and every bullet is valuable, avoiding enemies so you can save your health and ammo when you really need them, saving only after important events so you don't waste ink ribbons... All of these elements are crafted masterfully, and no matter how much technology advances or time passes, the passion and dedication behind the game will never disappear.

And of course, the remake is overall a better experience, as well as the easiest way to get the game, as Capcom isn't known for caring about preservation, but if you want to understand why the franchise became so popular and many people fell in love with the simple premise of random special forces units being stuck in a mansion surrounded by zombies, you'll need to give this relic of the past an opportunity.

To continue my Resident Evil exploration, I decided to replay the first game in the series on my Saturn. Typically, the first RE game is said to have aged badly. In some ways, I have to agree. The tank controls and static camera angles are the usual sore point for players. For me, battles with anything other than zombies were often the low point. Especially Hunters were horrible because they get i-frames for the whole duration of their long-ish jump attack.

However, the overall charm of the original game is hard to deny. From the "iconic" puzzles to the clumsiest, cheesiest voice acting pretty much anywhere, the game is a fun relic of its time. The game design is solid (if you tolerate ink ribbons), the atmosphere is good and beating the game feels rewarding. And damn that sweet guitar-shredding end credits song feels good.

I was about to give 3 stars because I got pretty annoyed at the game in the end. However, my worst moments with the game were largely my fault. For one, I initially missed the grenade launcher, which led to a 2-hour die-and-retry extravaganza where I had a 30 mins runback to the boss that I didn't have enough ammo to kill – until I had the grenade launcher. Secondly, I played the game during the course of two days. So anything that annoyed me, started to annoy me more during long play sessions.

I recently was talking with friends about what games we have nostalgia for. Namely, nostalgia that is not related to childhood. Well, this is one such game for me. Last time I beat the game, I played it with a friend in my student apartment. We drank beer, listened to italo disco and played Resident Evil. Good, carefree times.

Resident Evil, in a nutshell is the pioneer of survival horror games. Capcom's classic Resident Evil may not be the first horror game (that title belongs to Alone in the Dark on the SNES) it truly captivated gamers with the claustrophobic hallways, limited ammunition, limited healing items, and extremely dangerous enemies. Like most games of its time, Resident Evil used camera angles to accent the atmosphere visually. Multiple rereleases of the game since then have kept the camera aesthetic for the most part, even the PS4 release of Resident Evil HD.

The story starts out with an introductory cutscene explaining the mission of Chris Redfield/Jill Valentine and the rest of Alpha Team known as S.T.A.R.S. an elite unit of the military off in the forest of Raccoon City to find Bravo Team, who disappeared in the middle of their mission. What happens eventually leads to you being trapped in the (not really) abandoned Spencer Mansion, home to genetic abominations that you must survive to get away from the mansion and reveal the horrible experiments that went on.

The gameplay is unique, with claustrohphobic areas and cleverly placed camera angles making it tense as you walk around every corner, open every door or container and move around even open areas like the Lobby of the mansion. Ammo is very limited, with healing items even more scarce. Avoiding combat in order to not be eaten on several instances is key to survival. In the beginning you can choose to play as Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, each carrying their own specific set of skills that come in handy in certain places. There are also puzzles to solve, each quite clever in their own right giving the game more diversity than simply killing zombies and finding keys to unlock doors.

Preliminary: Now I may be biased because I grew up with this (well, Directors Cut), but this was absolutely so revolutionary. Yes there had been Alone in the Dark, yes there had been 3D action-adventures, but none came together like this and so clearly set the precedent for both survival horror and action-adventure games. I spent so many hours as a kid playing the Directors Cut and being so proud when I got to late game (the Hunters were so brutal!). This took the Alone in the Dark controls and puzzles and made them soooo much more palatable (tho yes, I recognize the controls and puzzles are easily criticized. as is the brutal difficulty/number of shots needed for enemies/etc). Perhaps the only reason I'm so open to all this is because I had access to it as a kid. But ah! I'm so excited

I always found Chris hot, well in RE Veronica I did, (lol), but I always preferred to play as Jill then as Claire in RE2. Well now that I think of it I did play as Chris in RE1, it really was more so Claire vs Leon. Was never a fan of Leon. Especially his hair lol. Plus, his backstory/new cop vibe. Who knows. I was 10 lol.

Here goes nothing!

Day 1

Gosh I remember all teh cheesy lines lol. And that beginning FMV lol. Even back thetn I knew it was super cheesy. I will always love Wesker (esp RE Code Veronica version ;) )

The pillars and 3d graphics really are beautiful even if the characters are quite pixelated lol. I'm not gonna 100% or speedrun it but I do want to try for my best time and rating yet. (Oh boo I guess there's not a ranking/rating in this one? Just if you finish within 3 hours you get the Rocket Launcher? Also if I'm seeing correctly there really wont be a reason to play separately as Chris, cuz there isn't a hueg difference and there aren't multiple scenarios to unlock etc (I've played RE2 SO much as a kid but never did finish it and never got to see the other scenarios and re-experience the same rooms with new goals). I wonder if it were the lockpick/small key factor that turned me off from playing as the guys.

The controls came right back to me! The dialog continues to be hilariously great. Boo the quick turnaround msut be a feature of the later REs. And yessss this dramatic stationary pose that Jill does with her hands on her hips. And that first zombie cutscene <3 Looking like a pale zombie with messed up lipstick. And I know Alone in the Dark did this too but I love the footstep sound lol, especially with Barret following me. I love this so far. I think my Favorites shelf is gonna start getting crowded now that I'm in my childhood era.

Lol

I never really paid much attention to the music and tho I never like "creepy" or dungeony music, this is a nice dark ambient vibe so far.

Day 3

Something about this room is beautiful

I really do love this game and series. Sure, the door openings take way too long. Sure the inventory management is obnoxious. Sure, the enemies take way too many bullets, even simple zombies. But there's something so inimitable and great about it. I love the feeling of being chased by dogs and just barely making it to a door etc. At first I was playing completionist style, referencing a guide to make sure I get all the items use all keys to their fullest etc, but I'm starting to revert to my cihldhood method of chaos and just embracing the wander/scream/tension. Now, I still think RE2 is my most beloved, something about the increased conversation in that one (and better dialog), the way you could go behind the diner counter, little things like that

Wesker is still hot :-X And it's wild, I have the same hook I have with RPGs etc where I just can't put this down.

Day 4

The intro of the first Hunter is so cool. But gosh were they hard.

Wait... there's no way to discard items... nor use them when they are useless. Smh.

The camer aangles and wonkiness of collision masks/aiming is frustrating during battles like this second time with the Snake/Yawn.

Day 5

The collision masks of these zombies on the groudn etc is a bit... wonky.

I will say, the length is slightly overstaying its welcome. Still love this game and this series, but I bet I would've dropped this if it weren't for the nostalgia and love for the series. I've had that hook that I get, and it sure does fill up my nights! Ugh okay yea and how is there no Discard option...

Day 6

Yessss finally at the Lab! It's my calm night so I can't play much but ahhh. Great creepy music, I was starting to burn out with the music but the Lab music is enlivening.

Day 7

Welp I'm at end game! I wish I wanted ot play as Chris but there's just too much wasted time with bad dialog/cutscenes and slow processes/doors opening/etc. And there is some tedium. (And as much as I love tank controls, they do get real frustrating at times esp with meh collision masks for opening doors etc) Still, this started a style, genre, and series I so love and is so important to me.

Lol when you're being chased by the Chimera and it's supposed to be scary but it waddles in a cute way. And the Hutners are kinda ugly/silly looking :-p

Having to watch the timer go down as you slowly talk and move your body with Chris and Barry lol. I doubt I got the 3 hours or less award, but I did all what's needed for the best ending so that feels accomplished enough. And I had plenty of Bazooka ammo leftover, can't believe I was so stingy and always went out of my way for it. But I also had a map to reference that listed where items are (thanks, Evil Resource), which I did not have as a kid.

The ending helipad of course brigns back RE Survivor memories (quite literally) and RE Code Veronica X and , well, when I got to this point as a kid in this game. But my gosh why is she just staring and the helicopter shadow just chilling there for a good 20 seconds lol.

Yessss the nice music at teh ending and cheesy look Chris gave us (This must be the best ending) and a sunrise type lighting and positive anime rocking music for the credits

Yessss, moody light-through-the-blinds Jill

Lol it was fun playing for a bit with the infinite ammo Rocket Launcher, but it's time to move on. (Well, rest tonight. Not feeling great)

Look: 8.5/10 Great brutality, set a standard, still very pixelated and silly but I love it nonetheless. The Hunters and Chimeras could have been scarier. I loved the Hutners as a kid nonetheless though.

Sound: 8.5/10 The great ambient at the end boosted this. Overall, good mood setting music, and not as annoying as I expected.

Play: 8.5/10 Looooots of flaws, but this set the standard for my beloved series. I got frustrated, but was also hooked for about a week.

Feel: 9/10

Attachment: 9/10 I played this (well, Directors Cut) so many times as a kid and here I was finishing it despite its flaws. I didn't play as both characters and I wonder even with my belvoed RE2, if I will only play as Claire again (albeit hopefully all the Scenarios this time.. never did do any besides the first Scenario as Claire... we shall see). This also got me very excited for later REs, I never tried past RE4, and didn't play much of that either. So I'm curious, now that I don't find the sloppy tank controls so perfect (lol, oh childhood and familiarity), if I will click better with those later ones. Plus I assume there are some QoL aspects.

Overall: 8.7/10

Playtime: 6h 20m

Completion: Best Ending as Jill. 2h 29m (thanks to a map and savestates and intact memories from childhood)

This Capcom classic is a landmark survival horror game that defined the genre, set in the eerie Spencer Mansion, you control Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine as they unravel a zombie outbreak linked to the sinister Umbrella Corporation. The game combines tense atmosphere, limited resources, puzzle-solving, and tank controls to create a sense of vulnerability and dread. Despite stiff voice acting and clunky dialogue (“You were almost a Jill sandwich!”), it’s a haunting, unforgettable classic that laid the foundation for one of gaming’s most iconic franchises, a must-play for fans of horror and one of the best titles in the PlayStation platform.

I remember not being able to get past the first few rooms of this game when I played it as a teen, it was simply the most terrifying video-game ever made at the time, which was later surpassed by it's future sequels in every way, but the fear was always there. I love how Capcom manages to add replayability to their games, and make it fun enough for you to not care that the games aren't really that long, since you can always replay it afterwards to try and find more things you didn't see. On this particular one you can unlock different costumes, which was later implemented into other titles of the franchise, and also of a lot of other Capcom's franchises, a trademark of this company.

What truly elevates this game beyond its mechanics is the presentation, the pre-rendered backgrounds were stunning for the time, each camera angle carefully chosen to obscure threats and heighten tension. The infamous dog-window jump scare remains one of the most effective moments in gaming history, and the slow, deliberate door-opening loading screens cleverly masked hardware limitations while amplifying anxiety. Every creaking floorboard and distant groan contributed to an oppressive atmosphere.

Looking back, it’s remarkable how confident and fully formed the experience already felt. The branching paths between Chris and Jill, multiple endings, and ranking system encouraged mastery long before “New Game Plus” became standard. Even with modern remakes and reimaginings redefining the formula, there’s something irreplaceable about the original’s raw charm and deliberate pacing. It stands not just as a great horror game, but as a defining moment in 3D gaming history.