The daddy of survival horror, Resident Evil, is soon to release its ninth entry, Requiem, upon the world. This franchise has been at the top of the horror genre for almost 3 decades since its 1996 launch. Before we join Grace Ashcroft and Leon in the ruins of Racoon City, it's time we looked back at the series to decide which one is king of survival horror.
Without further ado, let's get to the ranking. I will only be doing the numbered entries 0-8, so no Code Veronica or Revelations to be found here. I will also be counting remakes and originals as one and the same entry, as I don't feel the remakes altered too much (except perhaps Resident Evil 3).
This is my personal ranking of Resident Evil from 'worst' to best - so please don't shout too much when you see where I have placed Resident Evil 4!
Resident Evil 0
The weirdest of the mainline games, Resident Evil 0 is a prequel to the original game starring Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen. Multiple playable characters have been a series trope from the first game, but Zero took it to a whole new level. Puzzles would be solved by swapping between Billy and Rebecca on the fly, and for me, it became tedious very quickly.
Conceptually, playing as S.T.A.R.S Bravo Team, as mentioned in the original, was a great idea; sadly, the execution fell short of expectations. Still a game to try out if you have exhausted all other options, but I would say the 2 Revelations titles are worthy of your attention before this one. Often on sale and in bad need of a remake, Resident Evil 0 comes in dead last in this list because of its sheer awkwardness compared to playing any of the other games in the franchise.
Resident Evil 6
What happens when you release a successful shakeup to the formula of an established franchise (Resident Evil 4) and lean in too heavily? Resident Evil 6. While not a terrible game in execution, Resident Evil 6 missed the mark, going full-on with action-based gameplay and overdoing the QTEs and cutscenes.
Both Resident Evil 4 and 5 strayed from the slower-paced survival horror to varying degrees, but Resident Evil 6 failed to understand what the audience loved and wanted from the franchise and completely went off the deep end. The mini campaigns, where you get to play as favorites such as Leon and Chris, were a great idea and were supposed to have distinctive styles - but in reality, every character felt like a superpowered god with no real threat or horror being presented while battling through the apocalyptic events going on around them. Not the worst in the series, but very close.
Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil 8 (Village) is the second part of Ethan Winters' story that began as a soft reboot of the franchise. Taking things seemingly more into the supernatural horror route, Village for me didn't hit the mark that 7 did. While placing the action in a setting that evoked nostalgia for fan-favorite Resident Evil 4 was a smart idea, taking the action up a notch and still using the first-person camera (at launch) just did not pay off.
For me, the game only became playable once the DLC launched and added third-person mode. Having you see through Ethan's eyes in Resident Evil 7 worked really well, as there was less combat in that game, while Resident Evil 8 was more action-heavy, and their first-person viewpoint just doesn't gel well with that type of gameplay. Story-wise, I think Village also fell flat. Resident Evil can take things into the realms of goofiness, but the junkyard fight with the tank felt out of place badly, and the "Is Chris a bad guy ?" moment was an intriguing premise without the payoff. Thankfully, Resident Evil 9: Requiem allows players to choose a viewpoint from the start.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
This one has probably the coolest villain in all of Resident Evil - Nemesis. The lumbering tyrant stalker with a taste for killing S.T.A.R.S members is what really made this game stand out for me as a kid. Set alongside Resident Evil 2, we get to play as Jill in Raccoon City right when everything goes balls up. While Code Veronica may have been the numbered entry in an alternate timeline, Nemesis got its place in the mainline series due to contracts and business agreements.
The game has never been the fans' top choice in the franchise, but for a period, it was my personal favorite. It used the rumble features really well back then, and I just loved the threat of Nemesis scaring the heck out of me as I tried to escape the city. The remake, while lovely to look at, sadly removed the Clock Tower section and many puzzles, which were a series staple at the time. A short yet essential entry that is still worth a play through despite its flaws.
Resident Evil 4
Now, here is where you head to the comment section with pitchforks, I get it. For most, Resi 4 is not just the best in the franchise, but is one of the best games of all time. However, I just never got the hype for this one and believe it is the catalyst for Resident Evil almost dying completely. If it weren't for the extreme changes found here, we would never have made it to 6. Whilst the action was implemented with restraint here, the fans' praise led Capcom to think they now hated the survival and puzzle aspects of the original trilogy, so they leaned in way too hard after this.
While the fresh take is indeed praiseworthy, I still feel it was a step in the wrong direction - Leon roundhouse-kicking zombies was way too much, and the location was way too brown. As I said before, most fans love this one and probably won't read the rest of my list now, but everything that was changed here was the turning point that led the franchise on a path to doom. It was also the start of Leon becoming the franchise's poster boy as we moved forward, making the likes of Jill, Chris, and Claire take a backseat in spin-offs, CGI movies, and cutscenes. #Justice4Jill
Resident Evil 5
Now, if you are still with me after the last entry, thank you. Resident Evil 5 takes the new template laid out by 4 and improves on it. Sure, there are fewer puzzles, but the 'puzzles' in 4 were hardly on the "I need a guide" level of tasking anyway. Here we have the original hero, Chris Redfield, finally back (yes, he was in Veronica, too) in a starring role. Joined by new partner Sheva Alomar, the BSAA is on a mission to investigate a new Las Plagas outbreak.
The game was the first to add 2-player co-op and was the first Resident Evil title to release on Xbox. Playing with a friend really removed the survival-horror elements that 4 began to scrub away, but it was a fresh way to experience the franchise. Playing solo was a nightmare as Sheva would fire off precious grenade rounds or rocket ammo at the most basic of foes. The best of the action-focused Resident Evil games, but a boulder-punching Chris would immortalise the downfall of the series forever, despite the improvements in the gameplay from Resident Evil 4.
Resident Evil
The founder of it all, the original. Resident Evil cemented its name in gaming history with its first entry. Iconic horror cheese, yet captivating characters and gameplay kept audiences coming back time and time again. From laying the groundwork and backbone of what would become one of gaming's legendary franchises to becoming a meme generator, without Resident Evil, horror games wouldn't be the same.
Chris and Jill were the two original characters who have been cast aside in recent entries (#Justice4Jill) in favor of new faces... and Leon. Facing off against the mansion's horrors as they investigate Bravo Team's disappearance, the puzzle-based survival was deliciously balanced. The remake of this was really good, as it changed up more than future remakes, but the original game is still ahead of its time and worth a look if you can stomach the tank controls, fixed camera angles, and now-dated graphics. If not, the remake is an acceptable replacement.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
After the franchise was nearly ended with the flop that was Resident Evil 6, along came a saviour in the form of Ethan Winters. Resi 7 is arguably the scariest entry in the whole series as we play as 'regular Joe' Ethan on a hunt for his missing wife Mia. Ethan isn't a cop or a government agent; he is a normal guy who isn't at all equipped for what he will face.
While the first-person perspective in 8 did not work thanks to the more combat-heavy experience there, in 7 it worked perfectly to encapsulate the horror through Ethan's eyes. Changing up the villains from zombies and mutants to a horror trope-filled family who took pleasure in your suffering was truly terrifying. Resi 7 has far less combat than the rest of the series, but it gave us a soft reboot that breathed new life into the all but dead series. New players can start here without feeling left out, and older players sick of action and QTEs since Resident Evil 4 will lap up the return to fear and terror. One of my favorite games of all time.
Resident Evil 2
This was arguably Resi's peak. Sure, you will get the fans of 4 singing its praises, but if you made it this far, you know how I feel about that one. Resi 2 is the king of the franchise. With a killer remake available, the second in the series took the ball from the original all the way to the endzone.
Despite not being Leon's biggest fan now, as he gets overused, he was the perfect character to let us players experience the horror on the streets of Raccoon City in his debut. Claire Redfield, sister of Chris from the first game, is the second playable protagonist here. In a stroke of genius back in 1998, Capcom spread the adventure over 2 discs and allowed players to start as either character first. The intertwined adventures had it so that one would affect your other playthrough in various ways, making the experience even more enjoyable, seeing decisions made by your first character change areas and items that your second would come across.
Genius game development, combined with a deeper dive into the world's lore, creates the experience most people conjure in their minds when they hear the words "Resident Evil."
Resident Evil 9: Requiem is just around the corner, and we can see elements of Resident Evil 2 bleeding through, such as the RCPD building, not to mention a return to the city's ruins. Showing just how much an effect Resi 2 has had on the franchise, even almost 30 years on from its launch.
I know, I know. Resident Evil 4 is at #5. Am I a visionary or just plain wrong? Drop your pitchforks (and your personal rankings) in the comments below!
Thanks for reading - I promise to revisit after playing Requiem, and I will maybe swoop back and add the spin-offs to make the ultimate list in the future.
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