Best Resident Evil Games For An Over-The-Top Story, Ranked

While the core survival horror gameplay loop of the Resident Evil games has been retained for most entries, the stories can vary wildly in their quality, tone, and how over-the-top they are. It’s no secret by now that the Resident Evil series has conjured up plenty of bizarre and exaggerated narratives as part of the games, but while some are still somewhat grounded and realistic, there are others that stand out for how experimental and out-there they end up becoming.

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However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since these kinds of unorthodox stories can add a lot of memorability to the game, making for a horror experience that will linger in the brain long after the credits roll. For anyone out there who wants to know how over-the-top Resident Evil can really get, these are the games that have some of the most unexpected and outlandish stories in the franchise. Before jumping in, this list will contain partial spoilers for each game mentioned.

7

Resident Evil: Code Veronica

Code Veronica Gives Players A Taste Of The Whacky And Wild Adventure They Are In For With The Very First Cutscene

Code Veronica’s intro is a stark contrast to the slow and suspense-filled opening scenes that came before it. Instead, it shows Claire running through an Umbrella facility while being shot at by a helicopter and guards as she goes, making for an action-packed sequence that stands out for how flashy and outlandish it is. While the game does try to remain somewhat grounded after Claire escapes from Rockfort Island’s prison, Alfred and his exuberant persona ensure players never feel like the story is becoming too stale or predictable.

Of course, there’s also Steve, who can often be seen either jumping through windows and spraying machine guns at Bandersnatchers or making dad jokes to try and impress Claire. Things only get crazier once players are taken to Antarctica, where the story begins to take even more twists and turns. Needless to say, the randomness of Code Veronica and the weirdness of many of its characters grant it a story that has become acknowledged for its outlandish and over-the-top sequences.

6

Resident Evil 4

What Starts Off As A Simple Rescue Mission Becomes A Crazy, Unforgettable Adventure For Leon

Leon’s task at the beginning of Resident Evil 4 is simple; rescue the president’s daughter from a dangerous cult who are based in agricultural Spain. However, before even reaching Ashley, players already get a taste of just how outlandish the game’s story can be when they encounter a giant troll living in a nearby cave, a gigantic salamander, and a mysterious merchant who can seemingly teleport to always be ahead of Leon.

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It’s when reaching the castle though, that it becomes clear Shinji Mikami and Capcom decided to get extra creative with the story, introducing the irritating Count known as Salazar, and even throwing in characters who many thought were dead from previous games, specifically Ada and Krauser. Resident Evil 4 is a game that feels like it’s constantly trying to one-up itself with how over-the-top it can get the longer it goes on, and that goes for both its story and gameplay.

5

Resident Evil: Revelations

Revelations Goes All Out With Its Episodic Story Which Ends Up Being Much More Out-There Than Anyone Could Have Expected

Resident Evil: Revelations, a spin-off title released for the Nintendo 3DS, was promised by Capcom to be a return to the series’ survival horror roots, and while that certainly applies to the gameplay, the story is much more ambitious and larger-than-life than many would have first predicted. Revelations introduces a ton of new characters to the franchise, all of whom have their own motives and ambitions, leading to plenty of secrecy and betrayals to keep things fresh.

From the trailers, players are led to believe the game would be a simple rescue mission to save a wounded Chris who has been kidnapped onboard a spooky ship, but in the game, this Chris turns out to be a fake, opening the floodgates to a much more exaggerated, but still fun, plotline.

4

Resident Evil 0

The Whole ‘Queen-Leech’ Idea Makes Resident Evil 0’s Story Extremely Bizarre

While the first three games felt somewhat grounded with their heavy focus on biological experimentation and the devastating impact of deadly viruses, 0 was the first time fans felt Capcom may have been getting a little too carried away with their stories. The game follows Rebecca and Billy, an unlikely duo who must first try to escape a train full of zombies, leeches, and a giant scorpion.

While this might sound pretty strange, the intro cutscene, which shows a robed figure singing opera in the background while watching the train from afar, already sets the stage for just how different this plot is going to be. Once the Queen Leech is introduced and takes the form of a younger James Marcus, things get even more insane and outlandish, which is admittedly all part of Resident Evil 0’s charm.

3

Resident Evil: Revelations 2

A Story Which Features One Of The Wesker Children Who Tries To Control Her Victims With ‘Fear Wristbands’

At the beginning of Revelations 2, the story follows Claire and Moira, who have woken up in a prison with some kind of bracelet attached to their wrists. So far so normal for Resident Evil standards, but Revelations 2’s story shifts into high gear once Alex Wesker, one of the Wesker children, shows up out of nowhere and explains the bracelets will immediately forcibly mutate anyone who feels fear.

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That’s not all though, as soon after, Natalia, a little girl with superhuman powers, also joins the fray, and is protected by none other than Barry Burton from the very first game. Revelations 2’s story is packed full of bizarre reveals and shocking moments that make the game ideal for those looking for a wild and unpredictable story to complement the gameplay.

2

Resident Evil 6 (Leon’s Campaign)

From Sneaking Around Catacombs To Crash Landing A Plane In The Middle Of China, Leon’s Campaign Gets Pretty Crazy Very Quickly

Ironically, despite being touted as the most ‘grounded’ and survival horror-esque campaign of the bunch leading up to Resident Evil 6’s release, Leon’s campaign is by far the most outlandish of all four. While it starts off simple enough, with Leon and his new companion Helena navigating their way through a zombie-infested campus and city, after they leave the catacombs and are chased by a ferocious shark, the story just keeps ramping up to absurd degrees.

Not only are Leon and Helena forced to land a plane where every other passenger has become a zombie, but they then also crash-land a helicopter and eventually take on the main antagonist, Simmons, whose forms include a dinosaur, a tiger, and a giant fly. If all of this sounds like some kind of chaotic fever dream, that’s exactly what it feels like, and while the other campaigns in the game also have plenty of over-the-top moments, Leon’s is packed full of them after the second chapter comes to a close.

1

Resident Evil: Village

Putting His Daughter Back Together Like A Jigsaw Puzzle Is Not Something Ethan Ever Thought He’d Be Doing

While Village is all about Ethan’s desperate attempts to rescue his daughter, Rose, after she has been kidnapped, this mission is much less straightforward than it initially sounds. Not only is it soon revealed Rose’s body parts have been literally separated into their own flasks, but the individuals holding the flasks are four creepy lords who all look like they were ripped straight out of a sick and twisted fairytale.

Whether it’s the childish fish monster known as Moreau or the fan-favorite Dimitrescu who resides in a castle alongside her vampiric daughters, it’s clear Capcom went above and beyond with the weirdness of this game to make it stand out from anything that came before. The storybook-like aesthetic that feeds into Village’s story makes it a lot less grounded and more fantastical than what fans are used to, resulting in a plot that could have been pretty basic but ends up being very over-the-top and fun to follow thanks to its vibrant enemies and unforeseen plot twists.

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