The Real Scariest Resident Evil Game

If you look online at the moment, one of the big things you might notice is a debate over just how scary Resident Evil Requiemreally is. It’s a pretty relevant question, especially as the game does make you hypercompetent when controlling Leon compared to series newbie Grace. This got me thinking: just how scary are the Resident Evil games really?

Here’s the thing: Resident Evil, as a series, has many of the elements of the horror genre (the main enemies are zombies after all), but at the same time, it’s never really been the main focus. Arguably, the most horror-focused titles are the original ones up to Resident Evil 4. The issue I always had was that, while the atmosphere was certainly good in the original games, the horror was more due to their forced perspective. The simple fact is that making it so you can’t see the whole room will always make it easy to add tension.

Personally, I would say that the real “horror” aspect didn’t really come about until RESIDENT EVIL 7. The game uses a small environment, lighting, and disturbing imagery to great effect… for about 30% of its duration, at least. See, while being chased around the house by Jack is certainly intimidating, the mould monsters really are anything but. Meanwhile, Resident Evil Village is really only scary for one section: the bit with the dolls.

So, this raises an interesting question: Is Resident Evil Requiem actually scarier than the other two? The reality is that, in some ways, it is, but in others, it really falls short of being the “scariest”. Let me explain: the first thing to note is that in Resident Evil 7, the horror really only comes from Jack stalking you around. Once he is gone, there’s really no prevailing sense of threat from the mould, and even the other bosses tend to be more unsettling than really scary. Meanwhile, while playing as Grace in the hospital, you are surrounded by a host of different and unsettling creatures. 

However, both games suffer from the fact that the horror atmosphere is soon removed as you progress. In terms of Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, this is because Jack only follows you for a short time before the plot removes this as an issue. Meanwhile, Grace is soon replaced by Leon, and when players are eventually back in control of her, it’s in a much less tense situation. So, are these two titles in the running for the scariest Resident Evil game? Well… no, not really. 

I have played every Resident Evil game in the series, and personally, I find Resident Evil Revelations to be the most unsettling. Now, before you grab your torches and pitchforks, let me explain.

At its core, fear in a game is created by several factors, including environment, gameplay, and the enemies. You can create a sense of tension with any one of these, but you really need them all together to make it work. In my personal opinion, Resident Evil Revelations offers all three in spades.

Firstly, the environment is an abandoned ship in the middle of the ocean: it’s creepy, gross, and honestly, incredibly thematic; plus it offers lots of tight, hard-to-navigate corridors for the player to traverse. When it comes to gameplay, Capcom took the best of both the older games in the series and the more action-focused Resident Evil 4. It isn’t perfect, but it helps to create a constant sense of tension and pressure, while never making the enemies feel trivial.

Speaking of the enemies: you know what’s creepy? The ocean and all the weird things that live in it. The enemies in Resident Evil Revelations are an amalgamation of deep-sea fish and humans, which are generally unpleasant to look at. It makes every fight less enjoyable, in a good way, and you honestly want to run away from some of them. 

With that said, the game is certainly a bit dated now, especially the graphics and controls. So, what I would want to see is a proper remake of the title, using modern graphics to really hit home how horrifying being stuck on a ghost ship would be. That’s right, this was all to preach about the want of a new remake, that is the horror I bestow upon you.

Until that happens, if it does, let me know what Resident Evil game you find to be most horrifying and why.