To become the best horror game, you must know how to scare gamers and Capcom figured it out with their Resident Evil franchise. Unlike horror movies, you’re not as safe from the monsters of a horror survival game as you may think. Horror survival games work because they force you to experience the scares personally as you can’t shield your eyes from the scares on a screen as you would in a movie.
However, this allure to horror and violence didn’t always exist. Like many trends, they often have a short self life especially with everyone jumping in to take advantage of eager fans wanting to spend their money. Still, the Resident Evil Franchise was mostly unscathed by the horror survival burnout that took hold in the early 2000s, thanks to Resident Evil 4.
The Premise of Resident Evil 4
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Released in 2005, the original Resident Evil 4 followed Leon Kennedy’s rescue mission of the president’s daughter in a rural village in Spain. Unfortunately for Leon and you, a cult who have turned the villagers into monsters will do everything they can to kill you. To make Resident Evil 4 a great horror-survival game, Capcom escalates the scares the further you continue the game. It started scary and got worse.
The success following Resident Evil 4 only cemented its place as the best horror game, but why? The original 2005 game completely reinvented the Resident Evil franchise, and even other horror-survival type games and franchises that would follow by being a breath of fresh air in a genre slowly becoming overcrowded.
How The Best Horror Game Made Horror-Survival
In addition to its new over-the-shoulder camera angle and combat system, Resident Evil 4 included a merchant and an updated inventory system so you could travel with more items. Alongside the updates and new systems, Resident Evil would take away the two most iconic enemies, the Umbrella Corporation and the zombies, which were the backbone of the Resident Evil franchise. With these changes, Resident Evil 4 became the most action-oriented game in the Resident Evil Franchise. Why would Capcom bring all these big changes to the Resident Evil franchise at the height of its popularity? The answer is simple: reinvention.
The New Era of Horror-Survival
You see, video games were transitioning to a new era where 3D action and cinematic set pieces were the new exciting trend in the gaming world. Thus, the games created during that period marked the beginning of a new era. Yet, did Capcom make the right decision to change the presentation of the Resident Evil franchise moving forward? Considering that Resident Evil 4 tops many of the best horror games list, you could say Capcom made a great decision to reinvent the Resident Evil franchise. Also, by making these changes, Capcom could address the growing fatigue surrounding the horror-survival genre that had become too old news for players.
Capcom Makes a Monster Splash with Resident Evil 4
Regardless of these changes, Capcom was far from a follower as they didn’t just borrow ideas but reimagined them for a different experience in horror survival games by centering the game around action rather than scares. While the Resident Evil franchise is known for making players feel helpless with limited ammo, dark atmosphere, and tight-enclosed spaces, Resident Evil 4 completely deviated from this gameplay.
What makes Resident Evil 4 the best horror game is its dedication to completely overwhelm you with bigger and stronger monsters. So, instead of battling zombie hordes and the occasional licker monster, you’ll be eager to face possessed villages wielding chainsaws and other weapons and terrifying cult leaders turned into giant flesh-eating monsters.
Why Remaking the Best Horror Game Was a Good Idea
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Over the last couple of years, Capcom has again jumped on the remake train by re-releasing updated versions of classic games from their Resident Evil franchise. Since Resident Evil 4 is named one of the best horror games to exist and was released over two decades ago, it’s not surprising the game got a remake as well. After successful remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3, 2023’s remake of Resident Evil 4 would continue Capcom’s streak of great remakes. By adding accessible modifications to the game, RE 4 would be fully embraced by a new generation of gamers, especially those who enjoy horror-survival games, further stamping Resident Evil 4 as the best horror game ever.
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