Resident Evil HD: 10 Essential Lessons Capcom Must Relearn
7. Keep It Simple
With each new entry in the series the story of Resident Evil continues to grow more ridiculously convoluted and over the top to the point of being nearly incomprehensible. This trajectory reached an extreme in Resident Evil 6, which followed three separate but intertwining stories over many years. In comparison, the first few games tell very simple tales. This is especially true for the original and the remake, the story of which takes place in one location where you must survive the night and figure out whats going on. It still remains the most compelling story in the franchise, and that is because it has a simple set up. Its small scale makes it very relatable and personal, and thus more frightening. The idea of inflating the scale of the story with each installment makes sense in theory, but its evident that Resident Evil starts to lose focus when it does this. Its gotten to the point now where youre not even sure what its about anymore. The bigger the scale, the less scary it gets on a visceral level. The series needs to go back to the basics of what makes that first adventure in the Spencer Mansion so memorable. A daunting task for sure, but one that Capcom can surely overcome if they put their minds to it.
