Thirty Years of Terror: Why Resident Evil Still Works

Low on ammo and facing a hallway filled with monsters is bad. Multiple windows that zombies are about to break, allowing even more to pour in, is even worse. All of this happening while hearing the rhythmic footsteps of Mr. X before he bursts through the door, ready to kill you, perfectly encapsulates the typical experience in one of the longest-running horror franchises in video games.

It has been 30 years since we heard the iconic, “RESIDENT EVIL!” when booting up the game, and boy, has it been a wild ride. From Jill Sandwiches to being stalked by various hulking creatures, punching boulders into a volcano, and even playing hide-and-seek with a homicidal doll, this series has run a terrifying gauntlet. 

With the release of the newest entry, Resident Evil: Requiem, I wanted to reflect on how this franchise has remained relevant for multiple decades. How does Resident Evil not only manage to stay popular enough to make new games but thrive? The newest game sold 5 million copies in five days, making it the fastest-selling title in the entire series. Resident Evil 5, the previous record holder, sold 5 million copies in two months! Between that and breaking the franchise record for most concurrent players on Steam, you can argue the franchise is more popular than ever.

One of the most interesting aspects of Leon’s story is his effect on others, as his selflessness and dedication to his morals literally shape those around him for the better.

I believe the success comes down to a core difference in perspective that has been at play since the members of S.T.A.R.S first entered the Spencer Mansion. As my pastor says, the difference between heroes and villains is how they respond to suffering. Heroes want to prevent others from suffering as they have suffered, while villains want everyone to feel their pain. 

Leon Kennedy is a rookie cop in Resident Evil 2, having the worst first day ever, but at no point does he fall into despair. Raccoon City is falling apart from the zombie outbreak, pushing him to his limit both physically and mentally.

At the same time, he’s dealing with the spy Ada Wong, who is clearly using him (as spies tend to do). Despite all of this, he doesn’t hesitate to help others, no matter how dire. This comes into play when he helps senior police officer Marvin, who gets bitten and clearly isn’t going to make it. Leon doesn’t just aim to survive Raccoon City. He wants to find answers so people are brought to justice because he believes that good will always defeat evil.

In the same game, Annette and William Birkin, two Umbrella scientists who played a role in the outbreak, have delusions of grandeur and don’t care who has to be sacrificed to achieve it. This includes their own daughter, Sherry. 

They have an “ends justify the means” mentality, and it isn’t until William injects himself with the G-Virus and becomes a monster that Annette realizes their mistakes. Even then, it isn’t guilt she feels, though, but a “we miscalculated.” Their selfishness kills thousands of people (and that’s a VERY low estimate) in Raccoon City alone. Williams turns into a monster that nearly kills Sherry multiple times, and Annette dies while helping to defeat her husband.

Years later, in Resident Evil 4, Leon is an agent assigned to rescue the President’s daughter from a cult. His virtuous traits are on display again, but the foe this time isn’t a virus, but a parasite. Once infected, the host (the villain Saddler) slowly takes over your mind to make you his servant. Even when infected, Leon doesn’t compromise his morals and actively fights against the control, which surprises Saddler. This inspires other characters, like Ada and newcomer Luis.

Having heroes that stand up to that evil and win is inspiring, even in a fictional universe.In fact, one of the most interesting aspects of Leon’s story is his effect on others, as his selflessness and dedication to his morals literally shape those around him for the better. Ada questions her morals, and Luis (who used to work for Umbrella and made nightmare creatures himself) embraces a chance to redeem himself by helping Leon.

This paints a stark contrast with the villain from Resident Evil Village (the eighth game), Mother Miranda. She loses her daughter to the Spanish Flu and stumbles into a mold/fungus that seems to have the ability to bring her back with the proper vessel. It grants her amazing powers (and long life since the game takes place in the 2020s). 

She spends the next century using the nearby village as a giant experiment to find the perfect vessel. She even takes in four “children” (via kidnapping and experimentation) who showed promise to be a vessel, but failed. Where Leon brought out the best in people, Miranda made them worse. This is seen with the journal entries her children write. They range from complete dependency and desire to please their “mother” to extreme hatred resulting in a  planned coup after decades of forced servitude.

Although the story of the selfless and sacrificial hero who defeats evil goes in and out of fashion, there’s a reason it never goes away entirely. There’s a quote from Halo 2, “folks need heroes, Chief. It gives them hope.” You don’t have to scroll long to see the many problems the world has at any given moment. In fact, there’s a reason people say Resident Evil was ahead of the curve with evil pharmaceutical companies and powerful elites with delusions of grandeur. Having heroes that stand up to that evil and win is inspiring, even in a fictional universe.

While there are more examples, this pattern of heroes like Leon who fight through their own hardships to inspire and help others, while compelling villains dig deeper into selfishness, harm people and treat others as expendable throughout the series. This is why the franchise has done so well. When you have a well-defined conflict of viewpoints, it will naturally create stories and characters people care about. So here’s to Resident Evil and thirty years of corny one-liners, thrilling moments, and never quite explaining why colored herbs can heal nearly any wound. I wouldn’t have it any other way.