When asked what my favorite PS1 Final Fantasy is, I always respond “Tactics.” I’ll be told it doesn’t count, or accused of being contrarian, but it’s true.
With a few exceptions, the Resident Evil 4 remake isn’t terribly scary. It’s a bit more moody than the original, but not really a game I’d recommend for Halloween. The Separate Ways DLC has even less of a horror-focus, but some extremely good autumn vibes.
Horror is a year-long love of mine, but it’s best in the fall, aka “spooky season.” This is when everyone is in the spirit, and when a ton of horror films and games are released.
First of all, what do I mean by “no spoilers?” Well, I won’t be discussing story beats, themes, characters, or mechanics that are not in the official pre-release materials. The screenshots in this post will all be from the first hour or two of play.
That said, the less you know about SHf going in, the better your experience will be. If you are a fan of the series, horror, and/or interesting video game storytelling, I think you’ll enjoy this, despite some frustrating elements. So go play it. If you want to know more, read on…
One of the few complaints about the original Resident Evil 4 is that it isn’t as scary as other games in the series. This is mostly due to the copious action and frequent silly moments. The remake keeps the action intact, but also ups the tension and atmosphere. The horror is arguably at its best when the player is put in control of Ashley as she tries to rescue Leon in the castle.
As I planned last week, I watched season one of Interview With The Vampire. It’s an absolutely incredible adaptation; it takes the plot, characters, and themes of the original novel and remixes them in a way that’s both surprising to fans and more relevant to modern society. It’s also grimly funny. Looking forward to checking out season 2 when it drops on Netflix at the end of the month.
I have loved the Resident Evil series ever since I played the first game on PS1 in the late-90s (the Director’s Cut to be exact). I tend to think of the mainline games as distinct eras: original (the first game through Zero), action (4 through Revelations 2), and RE Engine (VII, VIII, and the recent remakes). Even with nostalgia intact and despite a couple of small missteps, I believe the RE Engine era is the best Resident Evil has ever been.
