Every Resident Evil Game With Dual Protagonists, Ranked

Summary

• Dual protagonists in Resident Evil games offer unique gameplay experiences and expand storytelling with heartfelt moments and challenging scenarios.
• Resident Evil 5 creates a thrilling co-op horror experience with two main characters, showcasing a great balance of action and puzzles.
• Resident Evil 2 remake and original effectively develop both protagonists’ stories, allowing them to shine individually while sharing the spotlight.

Resident Evil has always been a series known for its willingness to experiment and try out new things, which has been a trend ever since the first game in the series. While that original game certainly introduced a lot of new ideas that future survival horror games would mimic, including the purposeful camera angles and large explorable environments, it also featured dual protagonists.

Being able to have two characters play the leading role can allow players to experience the game in unique ways for a different playthrough while also expanding upon the story and lore. Therefore, while Capcom hasn’t decided to implement dual protagonists into every game, there are plenty that have taken the approach first seen in 1996’s Resident Evil, but how well has it worked out for each one?

6 Resident Evil: Code Veronica

Code Veronica Handles Its Dual Protagonists In A Pretty Bizarre Way

Resident Evil Code Veronica does a lot of things right, including its eerie environments and memorable villains, but the way it handles its dual protagonists is admittedly one of its weaker aspects. While players can see the Redfield siblings together on the front cover of the game, they will only be able to control Claire for the majority of the story, before they will then unexpectedly jump to Chris during the Antarctica section.

If players haven’t left a few supplies in the item box for Chris to pick up, they’ll also be left at a disadvantage, making the next few hours extremely difficult. With that being said though, having the two of them play the role of protagonist does allow for some heartfelt moments between these classic characters, including an epic final few hours, but it does feel as though just focusing on Claire may have been the better move here.

5 Resident Evil 5

The Inclusion Of A Second Main Character Turns Resident Evil 5 Into A Thrilling Co-Op Horror Experience

In the very first trailer for Resident Evil 5, Chris Redfield was shown to be the only protagonist on screen, causing fans to theorize this game would be a solo mission for the series icon. However, at some point in development, Capcom decided to add Sheva into the mix, turning Resident Evil 5 into a co-op horror experience featuring two protagonists.

This resulted in one of the greatest horror co-op games ever made that takes the action-oriented gameplay of Resident Evil 4 and adds in a few extra puzzles and challenges that can only be completed with the help of a buddy. While this game is one of the best showcases of Chris as a character, Sheva also pulls her weight in the story, harboring her own personal reasons for tracking down Wesker and Excella, with the two experiencing a compelling arc throughout their journey in Kijuju which sees them learn what it means to be a true “partner”.

4 Resident Evil 0

An Ambitious, But Ultimately Satisfying Dual Protagonist Gameplay Formula

Resident Evil 0 is pretty ambitious in the way it integrates the dual protagonists, Rebecca and Billy, into its gameplay. With the press of a button, players will seamlessly switch over to the other character, even if they’re in an entirely different room, which allows players to be more strategic in how they play, especially since the two of them have their own pros and cons.

The game also integrates some satisfying puzzles that make good use of this system, and since controlling them can be done with each thumbstick, it’s surprisingly easy to play when they are both on screen. Story-wise, Resident Evil 0 is one of the more outlandish games in the series, and both Rebecca and Billy don’t get all that much development, but from a gameplay standpoint, Capcom really did manage to pull off something special here which still holds up to this very day, and is an example of how experimental this series can be when using two protagonists.

3 Resident Evil 2 Remake

The Character Writing In This Remake Allows Both Leon And Claire to Shine In Their Respective Stories

The remake of the iconic Resident Evil 2 managed to perfectly replicate the fear factor of the original thanks to the RE engine which allowed the monsters to look absolutely terrifying and for the environments to feel incredibly immersive and realistic. It also brought back the two protagonists, Leon and Claire, and while they unfortunately don’t interact anywhere near as much as they did originally, they do still have their own respective stories that make them both worth trying out.

Capcom also went quite a bit deeper with the storytelling this time around, and more specifically, the character writing. Both Leon and Claire feel much more believable and natural as individuals, and the core components of their personalities shine through a lot more, such as Claire’s insistence to save Sherry no matter what, or Leon’s determination to get to the truth of who was behind the outbreak. Not every fan was pleased with how little Leon and Claire actually speak with one another, but at the same time, the amount of care and attention that has gone into their own character arcs still makes them both intriguing to follow as part of this amazing game.

2 Resident Evil

Using Dual Protagonists As A Way To Incentivize Players To Dive Back Into The Spencer Mansion

Upon booting up the original Resident Evil or its remake, players will be asked to pick between one of the two main characters: Chris or Jill. While both will have slight alterations to their respective stories, they also differ in gameplay, with Chris being seen as the harder character to play since he can’t unlock specific locked doors like Jill can.

On the other hand, Chris has more health, which can be a big help when taking on ferocious Crimson Heads and Hunters, but also lacks the sizable inventory space Jill has. This was a clever way to ensure both the protagonists weren’t just reskins of one another, incentivizing players to dive back into the Spencer Mansion after they finished a playthrough to experience the game through a fresh lens. Since both Chris and Jill also run into different characters in their own campaigns, it’s a neat way to make them both feel distinct, giving them their own stories which are still part of the same conjoined narrative.

1 Resident Evil 2

Resident Evil 2 Manages To Allow Both Leon And Claire To Share The Spotlight, While Also Embarking On Individual Journeys

Many games that feature dual protagonists will often struggle to make both of their main characters feel relevant or developed enough as a result of the game stretching itself out too thin. The original Resident Evil 2 doesn’t share this problem, as it contains a unique system that expands upon what was seen in the first game. Similar to its predecessor, Resident Evil 2 allows players to pick from two characters, Leon or Claire, but regardless of who they pick, these two survivors will still be able to interact with one another in-game as they explore the R.P.D.

While they cross paths multiple times early on in the story, Leon and Claire still go on to have their own unique journeys as Leon comes across a mysterious agent known as Ada, and Claire attempts to rescue a young girl called Sherry. This way, characters are able to explore the Raccoon City Incident through the eyes of two separate protagonists and can witness how they grow and adapt to the nightmarish scenario individually, prompting both Leon and Claire to become fan favorites not long after the game dropped.