Resident Evilremains one of the most popular and influential horror series of all time. What began in 1996 with the release of the original Resident Evil on the Playstation has gone on to spawn a media franchise encompassing books, films, manga, and numerous stage plays.
Since its initial release Resident Evil has been heralded with reviving the beleaguered zombie genre, and has continued to inspire creators around the world, from films like Shaun of the Dead and 28 Days Later to The Walking Dead series of comics. Here are a few of the games with connections to Resident Evil.
10Devil May Cry
Devil May Cryis a hack-and-slash game released by Capcom in 2001 and directed by Hideki Kamiya, himself the previous director of Resident Evil 2. Originally conceived as one of the many early versions of Resident Evil 4, Devil May Cry would go on to move in an increasingly action-oriented approach.
With a focus on style and acrobatic combat, the first Devil May Cry game still bears many of the hallmarks of the Resident Evil series, from fixed camera locations, environmental flavor text, and a remote castle setting.
9Dino Crisis
Dino Crisis, created by Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, can best, if perhaps uncharitably, be described as “Resident Evil with dinosaurs.” The Dino Crisis games, however, feature some references to Resident Evil beyond the superficial similarities the two series share.
In the light gun spin-off game Dino Stalker, you can find a building marked with the name of Resident Evil’s iconic Umbrella Corporation, the pharmaceutical company behind many of the series' foes. Additionally, the statue from the first Resident Evil’s exhibition room can be found.
As with many titles that were released in the years following 2005,Dead Spacetakes a great deal of inspiration from the fourth entry in the Resident Evil series. Resident Evil 4 defined the control scheme of third-person shooters for years to come, standardizing the gameplay and creating a template that many would follow.
Dead Space draws heavily from the groundwork laid down by Resident Evil 4, being described by series creator Glen Schofield as “Resident Evil in space.” Careful consideration was given to the pacing of combat, and protagonist Isaac Clarke’s ability to dictate the flow of battle with his tools.
7Killer7
Killer7began life as part of the Capcom 5, a group of five games in development for the GameCube that included Resident Evil 4. Killer7 is a unique on-rails shooter developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and helmed by Suda51.
Resident Evil 4 features a handgun named in reference to this title, and modeled on one used by a character in the game. Suda51 would later go on to create theNo More Heroesseries of games, which itself features many references and callbacks to Killer7.
6Left 4 Dead
In 2013 a series of crossover content was released for both Resident Evil 6 and Valve Software’sLeft 4 Dead 2. Resident Evil 6 saw the inclusion of the No Mercy mode, a variation on The Mercenaries with the cast of Left 4 Dead 2 being playable along with the addition of new enemies and music tracks.
In Left 4 Dead 2, a series of skins were released onto the Steam Workshop featuring enemies from Resident Evil 6, replacing the Tank, Charger, and Boomer.
5BioShock
BioShock, released in 2006, was something of a popular rebirth for the immersive sim genre. Lighter on gameplay and heavier on atmosphere, BioShock continued to pattern of its predecessor, System Shock 2, in furthering the horror themes of that game.
BioShock’s lead level designer, Bill Gardner, has named Resident Evil as an inspiration in this regard in terms of unifying gameplay with story. Both games feature a sense of constant vulnerability on the part of the player, whether fostered by their oppressive environments or their game design.
4Onimusha
Capcom’s Onimusha is a series of supernatural hack-and-slash games centered around Japan’s historical past, being set in the Sengoku period. Onimusha was originally conceived as a ninja-themed version of the original Resident Evil, complete with a house filled to the brim with deadly traps and puzzles.
In their final form, the games still carry on much of the DNA of the Resident Evil series, and many of the enemies resemble those found in Resident Evil, such as zombie foot soldiers and other mutated creatures.
3P.N.03
P.N.03, another member of the Capcom 5, was, in many ways, designed as an intentional opposite of the Resident Evil franchise. The minimalist aesthetic, robotic enemies, and defense-oriented gameplay all serve to further this distinction.
In its most notable connection to the series, many of the tracks recorded for P.N.03’s original soundtrack would end up being reused for Resident Evil 4’s Mercenaries game mode. This decision set the tone of the minigame going forward, with most versions in later games featuring a pumping electronic score.
2Haunting Ground
The survival horror game Haunting Ground shares many connections with Resident Evil. A spiritual successor to the Clock Tower series, many of the concepts found in Haunting Ground share a common origin with earlier, scrapped drafts for Resident Evil 4. These include a castle location, a canine companion, and imagery featuring dolls.
These ancillary connections result in a great deal of commonality between the two, from the setting to the tone of the game. Noboru Sugimura, one of the writers for the game, had previously worked on the Resident Evil series and Devil May Cry, among others.
1Dragonseeds
Dragonseeds, developed and released by Jaleco, is a Playstation title released in 1998. Dragonseed is comparable in some ways to other games such as Monster Rancher, where the goal is to raise your dragon and compete in battles.
One of the conceits of Dragonseed, however, is the ability to generate additional dragons through the use of save files for other games, much as Monster Rancher utilizes CDs. The presence of Resident Evil 2 save data on a memory card will enable the creation of a Zombie dragon.
