Part of why the Resident Evil series may be so captivating is the fact that its mainline cast is typically composed of characters who are fully capable of confronting and battling whatever monstrous and abhorrent bioweapons they come across. If nothing else, such characters being backed into a corner and overwhelmed never forces them to relent from issuing one-liners or being cheeky. Resident Evil’s degree of survival-horror severity varies from game to game, to be fair, but characters’ bravado and skill being unmatched in any scenario made the segue to action-heavy titles smooth if not inevitable.
Even in the earliest Resident Evil games—or at least the entries where a new protagonist was being introduced to the franchise’s peculiar horrors—the series mascots have had a relatively easy time dealing with whatever came their way. That atmosphere changed when Ethan Winters debuted in Resident Evil 7 as an everyman archetype, but he spoke a bit too much and ended up being perceived as lackadaisical or uninteresting between bouts of fear. Resident Evil 2’s remake is arguably the perfect blend of repulsion, anxiety, and steadfastness the franchise has ever achieved with its protagonists, and it’d be wonderful if mainline games could do the same.
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Resident Evil 2’s Remake Represents the Franchise’s Humble Beginnings
Between expletives and shouts of disgust, Resident Evil 2’s remake is fantastic for how it showcases Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield’s equally palpable fear despite their courageousness. Their compassionate natures compel them forward and to help whomever they can, but as individuals who are as dumbfounded and alarmed by the horrific science-fiction experiments they’re encountering it is wholly realistic and refreshing to see Leon and Claire react like human beings would in such a bizarre and terrible circumstance.
Leon and Claire’s sarcasm and wit remain intact throughout the remake of Resident Evil 2 without sacrificing the tonality of the game, and each character contributes to an overall atmosphere of whimsy—the trenchcoat- and fedora-wearing Mr. X most of all. Therefore, while Leon and Claire are calm and collected when speaking with Ada Wong or Sherry Birkin, respectively, they’re constantly lamenting in response to a revolting enemy’s actions or refusal to die.
Resident Evil 7 and Village Demonstrate That the Series is at a Significant Boiling Point
Ethan Winters certainly expresses fear in both Resident Evil 7 and Village while remaining vigilant in his personal motivation to rescue Mia in the former and their baby, Rosemary, in the latter. Unfortunately, while undoubtedly one of the more emotionally driven protagonists the series has featured, Ethan’s temperament was more comedic than anything. It is debatable that Ethan only becomes an intriguing character at the end of Village, where it’s learned that he’s been dead since the beginning of Resident Evil 7 and sustained as a Molded entity, and he was always too well-equipped with a variety of firearms to ever suggest that he was truly a fish out of water in a combat scenario.
Resident Evil struck gold with Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield as either character could conceivably handle themselves in a fight but also be so inexperienced during Resident Evil 2 that they’d still respond to terrifying occurrences with heightened stress. That same fear seems completely abandoned by Resident Evil 4’s Leon, who is much more experienced by that point and has now trained to perform backflips and suplexes rather than simply interrupting an enemy’s attack with a defensive item.
Resident Evil has never stuck with the same formula for too long, and it’ll be exciting to see what direction Resident Evil 9 takes. That said, having the same blend of charisma and horror that the remake of Resident Evil 2 possesses may be nearly impossible.
- Released
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January 25, 2019
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Intense Violence