Resident Evil HD: 10 Essential Lessons Capcom Must Relearn

4. Make The Player Feel Vulnerable

The Resident Evil remake is true survival horror in that it severely limits you. You can only carry a small number of items, only save in specific areas, and are lacking any abundance of firepower. All this makes you feel very vulnerable, which makes encounters with even the weakest of enemies a stressful high-stakes situation. Modern Resident Evil games are the exact opposite. They arm you to the teeth with a diverse set of high-tech weaponry and enough ammo that you never run out. And even if you do find yourself empty, you can punch and kick your way through your enemies. Resources in general are abundant, so you'll rarely have to worry about a lack of healing herbs. All this makes you feel very powerful, which undermines the fear you should be feeling when playing these games. It feels wrong. Vulnerability through limitations is an extremely important element to the Resident Evil series. It's at its best when it applies pressure on you and makes you afraid to turn the next corner. This makes you feel severely underprepared for what might lie ahead; that you could die at any moment. Reception of recent games makes it extremely evident that Capcom needs to return to this style, but update it for the modern age.