Resident Evilhasn’t always stayed true to its roots as a survival-horror franchise, but that ebb and flow has given it a certain flexibility that allows it to be consistently relevant. IfResident Evil 4never brought the series to an over-the-shoulder perspective with arcade-shooter controls, for example, other games may not have been able to draw from its seminal influence. Likewise, returning to horror withResident Evil 7’s first-person perspectivegave it renewed vigor, while some features, references, and gameplay trademarks have remained the same throughout.
Resident Evil’s remake continuityis reminding fans what they appreciated about the originals, as well as what they were happy to leave in the past. Some fans may adore a particular gameplay approach that oneResident Evilgame took over another, but each modern remake seems to homogenize them with the same third-person approach to contemporary survival horror. Still, one feature that has never truly gone out of style forResident Evilis its ambush encounters, which have managed to play a role in many important titles regardless of their distinct gameplay.
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Resident Evil’s Enemy Ambushes Have Become a Renewed Staple
Enemy ambushes are not uncommon in many games, butResident Evilhas made some fairly iconic moments out of its own in the way that it chooses to frame them. Hailing back toResident Evil 4’s influence, the ambush is one of its most memorable moments in the opening minutes as players enter the village and are met by its Ganado residents.
In this instance, players must survive an endless horde of Ganados and have multiple areas to navigate in order to flee from them. The most significant distinction ofResident Evil’s ambushes usually involve some sort of barricading mechanic that stalls enemies from being able to immediately pursue the player, which is introduced in the village when Leon is able to push furniture in front of a door.
Resident Evil 5opens with its own elaborate ambush sequence, for example, where Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar defend themselves against Kijuju’s infected locals and have barricading opportunities themselves.Resident Evil 3’s remake has its own iteration of an ambush sequence with Carlos in the hospital, though he has already barricaded Jill and Tyrell to keep them safe. Carlos’ goal is to then defend them while zombies come pouring through each window and eventually shutter the windows.
Resident Evil Villagereintroduced the idea of ambushes within its first-person perspective, which played out similarly to the original barricading mechanic as players could shove furniture in front of doorways. Now, it only makes sense that theResident Evil 4remake would come full circle and present its ambush encounters again.
This is particularly tense during the ambush where Leon Kennedy and Luis Serra barricade themselves in a cramped villa, demonstrating that it is a trend inResident Evilthat may not be going anywhere anytime soon. That would be good news since ambushes such as these create dramatic tension in survival-horror, which would quell any concerns fans have aboutResident Evilabandoning its horror roots again. Indeed, withChris asResident Evil 9’s potential protagonist, it would be easy to assume that the mainline continuity is taking a sharp turn back to action-oriented gameplay.
However, each new installment fromResident Evilin the recent past shows a dedication to horror tropes that are now incredibly influential. It will be interesting to see how much fromResident Evil 4’s remake will be adopted in the future, and its same direction will hopefully be applied to whateverResident Evilgame is slated to release next, whether it be aResident Evil 9oraResident Evil 5remake.
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