How Resident Evil 4 Changed The Survival Horror Genre Forever
The revolutionary design of changed the survival horror genre forever. The franchise has long been heralded as the flagship example of survival horror dating back to the original in 1996. But as this formula got stale, was charged with revitalizing the series to prevent its cancelation. did much more than that: It not only thrilled audiences, but created the template for every third-person shooter to follow.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the original Resident Evil 4 which are likely to feature in Resident Evil 4 Remake]
However, this shift drew criticism from some reviewers: was accused of featuring a story with more action than horror. The action was pure schlock, with Leon giving one-liners, performing amazing feats of athleticism, and even addressing the camera in the opening cutscene. With Leon taking on this sardonic attitude, it’s hard to feel he’s ever in real peril. Some felt these Hollywood B-movie tropes detracted from the s scares, and supposedly diluted the survival horror essence of the series and all future survival horror games.
Related: Resident Evil 4 Remake May Bring Back The Series' Best Character
director Shinji Mikami views survival horror completely differently than most critics, sidestepping their qualms with the inclusion of action in the game altogether. In the West, consensus opinion holds that survival horror games continuously put the player at a disadvantage to maintain the feeling of helplessness. This is why characters in the best survival horror games are typically weak and relatively cumbersome to control. But Mikami has a different definition of survival horror altogether, seeing it as “” (via Game Informer). With this definition, action is a perfect ingredient
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