Thanks to Wolfman for helping with edits.
For its first decade on the market, Resident Evil was a series I could only admire from afar. The original games were built around “tank controls,” small inventories, and meticulously planning your routes, tenets that ensure you always feel vulnerable. It was a direction I respected but not one I personally enjoyed. However, after six mainline games—including a classy remake of the original, prequel Zero, and oddly named Code: Veronica—the formula began drawing criticism. Were the stiff controls, camera angles, and absence of amenities an artificial way of heightening tension? Critics and fans alike began wondering.
Slowly going through the HD remaster of 2002’s Resident Evil remake was a highlight of my late 2021, early 2022. (Image: Capcom)
And after six titles in as many years (plus a healthy number of spin-offs), we were due for something fresh—cue 2005’s Resident Evil 4. Director Shinji Mikami and his team reconsidered every element that defined the franchise, yielding a more action-heavy take that’s still rife with tension. Where avoiding enemies was previously a legitimate strategy due to the dearth of ammo, fighting is now encouraged, as fallen foes randomly drop goodies. The over-the-shoulder camera was easier to grasp, makes the tank controls more usable, and hero Leon S. Kennedy felt capable but never overpowered. Narratively, RE4 is even mostly bereft of the series’ baggage; it’s a fantastic entry point into Resident Evil. Today, I’m slowly going through the franchise, and RE4 remains my favorite.
Naturally, I was happy when its 2009 sequel, Resident Evil 5, was announced. One day, though, I hit up the Xbox 360 Marketplace, downloaded its latest trailer, and… some of my excitement promptly petered out. Mechanically, it looked to deliver more Resident Evil 4, which was good! But an eerie enough introduction gradually gave way to an even heavier focus on fighting and spectacle starring a steroidal redesign of returning protagonist Chris Redfield. That was, as it’d turn out, an honest taste of the game, and I can’t fault Capcom for wanting to close the trailer on an exciting note. But I left feeling apprehensive and decided against buying Resident Evil 5 upon release. The Resident Evil fans I knew weren’t impressed with it beyond its visuals—5 was the series’ first HD outing, after all—and I wound up gravitating towards Dead Rising, Capcom’s newer zombie-centric series.
Recently, I went through Resident Evil 5’s Xbox One re-release. Then I replayed Resident Evil 4 for the first time in years, so let’s compare their opening acts. (Image: Capcom)
Resident Evil 4 starts fairly calmly. United States agent Leon arrives in a gloomy village in Spain, having been escorted by two wisecracking officers. They stay behind in the car while we walk towards a house, photo in hand. We’re here to rescue the president’s kidnapped daughter, Ashley. And all of Leon’s basic abilities are immediately accessible: you can walk, power walk, turn around, aim your handgun, swipe your knife, heal yourself (though nothing yet can hurt you), and inspect eye-catching objects, like an ominous sign. Investigating runs deeper than that, though: eagle-eyed players will notice three crows resting nearby. My first time through, I messed around with Leon’s handgun and made a small discovery: its guiding laser indicated I could shoot the birds. I missed, so they flew off, scared. In repeat runs, however, I successfully hit one or two, yielding goodies. Right from the get-go, Resident Evil 4 rewards curiosity and paying attention.
Nevertheless, you’ll invariably enter that uninviting house; every other route’s blocked. Leon approaches its unnerving inhabitant, who responds by violently swinging an ax—yup, seconds in is our introductory fight. It’s simple; the guy is slow and the room reasonably wide, so you can practice aiming. Try for a headshot; settle for knocking him off his feet or dislodging his weapon. Afterwards, things start spiraling out of control: Leon’s ride is knocked into a chasm, killing our backup, and more villagers arrive. Our enemy, whoever they are, knows we’re here.
Creepy details plague Chapter 1-1, like how a woman’s corpse decorates a desolate shack midway through. Its Resident Evil 5 counterpart follows suit. (Image: Capcom)
But we press onward, battling more brainwashed villagers, the Ganados. Each encounter escalates in intensity: you get less room to maneuver, Ganados leave traps (a wayward dog we can save even fell victim to one, teasing what can happen to you), and come in greater numbers. Nothing unreasonable, though… until we reach the village. It’s by a great magnitude the largest area yet, containing five cottages that surround the village square—where one of our officers was burnt alive, disturbingly—as well as a handful of shacks, a barn, and tower. Maneuvering through these structures carefully is essential once the whole town notices and starts pursuing you. Inevitably, you’ll enter that two-story house, an act set to a revving chainsaw. Yes, another wave of Ganados is crashing the party, including a new, sturdier treat who’ll tear Leon apart!
You’ll climb ladders and dash along rooftops, doing whatever you can to maintain a safe distance. You’ll knock ladders down, temporarily stalling the Ganados’ climbs. You’ll get plenty of practice aiming, which in turn teach you how handy Leon’s context-sensitive kick is; it’ll knock nearby baddies off their feet. You’ll also learn the risk-reward dynamic between standing your ground and fleeing; is it imperative that you escape immediate danger, or can you sneak in one more headshot, or perhaps stun a creep or two? You can’t run and reload, after all.
Items and money are randomly found in crates and barrels. Save precious ammo by using your knife to brake them. (Image: Capcom)
Thankfully, there are a few luxuries. Items are tucked away generously, to say nothing of the prizes you’ll score from killing the brutes. One item is even an invaluable Yellow Herb, which when mixed with the other varieties gives a small boost to your maximum health. And a second gun, a handy shotgun, can be found upstairs; it’ll knock multiple aggressors away.
The sequence is still tough, though! Honestly, I lost count of how many deaths I suffered here my first time through. But I was never discouraged; the village has a strong “one more try” appeal, never feels insurmountable despite the harsh escalation in difficulty, and the more familiar you grow with the map and mechanics, the longer you last. And that’s the key word, last—merely surviving is your goal. After some degree of time has elapsed, the villagers recede to the church, leaving Leon alone. Never before had I experienced such a satisfying mix of relief and unease. Had the ordeal continued, how much longer would I have lasted…?
This trial is so strong, so striking that multiple sequels, as well as the post-game “Separate Ways” campaign that comes in later releases of Resident Evil 4, call back to it. (Image: Capcom)
Resident Evil 4 remains novel throughout thanks to a litany of exciting sequences. Another early brawl deals with you and a buddy defending a two-story house from waves of Ganados; you begin on the bottom floor and invariably retreat upstairs. And near the end of the game, you’re given an action-heavy sequence where another friend heroically arrives in a helicopter to blast foes. Sure, it ends with him getting gunned down, but after everything we’ve endured, this was an empowering, earned breather.
Resident Evil 5 draws from those moments and many others; it has nary an original idea of its own. Chris and newcomer Sheva Alomar are our guides through Kijuju, its fictional African setting. As they astutely note, they’re partners—meaning you and a buddy can play cooperatively. Otherwise, the AI controls your ally. This is a boon and a curse; what value the game gains as an action romp are offset by a dearth of scares. Leon’s only semi-constant companion was Ashely, a liability who required protection. Having an equally capable agent by my side in RE5 undercuts a lot of the dread the series prides itself on.
To be fair, Ashley isn’t entirely helpless: she’ll duck behind Leon, can hide in dumpsters, and is briefly playable in a callback to the older games. Still, she has little health and enemies make a beeline for her; one mistake can prove fatal. Although Sheva can die—and, therefore, cause a Game Over—her safety is rarely a concern. (Image: Capcom)
Structurally, Resident Evil 5 retains its forebear’s setup: chapters are split into multiple segments. There are changes, however. Previously, you saved at typewriters and checkpoints were doled out generously; the latter remains true in Resident Evil 5 but it saves automatically. Buying items or weapon upgrades can only be done in RE4 when you bump into the sporadically-placed, goofy Merchant; RE5 liberally lets you do so when loading a save or checkpoint. And RE4’s inventory management system, where you have to manually maximize space within Leon’s attache case, has been simplified to Chris and Sheva each getting to carry nine items. On the plus side, you can map four to the D-pad, so switching weapons on the fly is now possible (a convenience I admittedly missed in 4), and trading stuff between them is fairly seamless. Still, things feel familiar; veterans of RE4 should ease into its sequel with little hassle… even if the tweaks to the controls messed with my muscle memory.
Resident Evil 5 quickly establishes its plot beats. A masked assailant infects an unlucky villager with a parasite, making him irate—yes, the first new threat here directly iterates on the last new threat. United States soldiers arrive; we’re getting backup. And finally Chris makes his entrance, explains the series’ current status quo via narration like Leon did, and ruminates on the death of his partner, Jill Valentine (the question of what exactly happened to her lingers, leading to the now well-known twist that she’s alive, brainwashed, and is that masked figure from earlier). Ultimately, he wonders if it’s “all worth fighting for.”
We aren’t exactly tossed in the wilderness this time, but Resident Evil 5’s opening is fine. The game brings back old threads and characters, but summarizes everything series newcomers—including Sheva—need to know. (Image: Capcom)
Not that we’ll perform any fighting yet, however. Now in control of Chris—after beating the campaign you can choose between him and Sheva—we’re unarmed but not in danger (it is a little tantalizing looking at those crows, though). Although the initial village map has a few paths that stray from the main one, they’re just for aesthetics. All we can do is walk towards our first destination as onlookers toss us distrustful looks. Then they all suddenly disappear, leaving Chris and Sheva alone.
After a quick walk, we meet our weapons dealer, agent Reynard Fisher. He asks Chris if he’s familiar with Uroboros, a looming “doomsday project,” and tells him to hunt down Irving, who reportedly has a hand in it. “And be careful out there,” Reynard warns. We can now investigate stuff; two collectible files sit conveniently nearby, which teach the game’s basic mechanics. More importantly, we’re now armed with a basic handgun and knife; same kit Leon started with. We can test them on the crates in the room—which may contain ammo or cash—or the crows resting outside, ominously surrounding an animal corpse.
Neither title goes too long without plopping enemies on their linear paths, but from this point onward Resident Evil 5 has very little down time. 4 is more confident in its atmosphere, in letting moments breathe. (Image: Capcom)
Anyway, we’re on the way to rendezvous with Alpha Team, and entering the building by the rotting cadaver raises the tension a bit. It contains skulls and another animal carcass that was presumably used in some bizarre ritual. It also has another letter, the first diegetic one of the game and a warning of dangers to come. As there’s only one path forward, you’ll leave the building by the back—and will hear a scream.
There’s a dead end to your left after exiting, so you’ll dash on straight ahead, up the stairs, and enter the next building. After an oddly long period of peace, we finally face our first enemy: a Majini, a townsfolk who has fallen under the control of a Plagas parasite. Two other Majini infect their victim, and after they leave he dashes at us. It’s a more fast-paced encounter than the introductory Ganados. If you respond quick enough, you can shoot him before he reaches you. If not, he’ll grab you and Sheeva will then kick him away—thereby giving you another chance to shoot him. Shooting his head will also stun him, yielding the opportunity to try Chris’s context-sensitive punch. Maybe you’ll even get to use his stomp too, assuming you knock the Maniji down. Whatever happens, the encounter is instructive. Afterwards, our heroes clarify that their neutralized foe is not a zombie, something Leon only does if you inspect that Ganados’ lifeless body.
Complementing the oppressive Majini with equally oppressive sunlight is a bit unorthodox but works… even if the game isn’t actually scary. (Image: Capcom)
Leon jumped through a window to leave the first Ganados’ home, so Chris and Sheva repeat the beat here. Soon, a pack of Majini swarms the scene, far too many to handle. So you run to the next open door, which Sheva’ll barricade. Chris contacts his military contact, Kirk, who asserts that our orders remain unchanged. Exiting this room requires kicking down a door, which requires both heroes to make sure the companions aren’t too far apart—and, yes, there will be similar actions later on. After scoring the ammo strewn throughout this room, you’ll leave by jumping down a pit, and the underground path leads towards another building that has more goodies. You’ll exit that building only to jump down towards another, a big, eye-catching one-story house.
Resident Evil 4 veterans will soon experience flashbacks of its village and two-story house defense sequences. A cutscene begins where an ax-wielding Majini, the Executioner, murders Reynard as we watch from afar. It’s a rally; a crowd of Majini cheer and a speaker drones on—until he sees us peaking through the window. We’re given a grace period to prepare for the oncoming onslaught: you can barricade the windows by pushing bookshelves and find hidden items. Make no mistake, though, swarms of Majini will break the shelves down, and you’re given a little freedom in how you tackle them: you can jump outside or let them leap inside. Soon, they’ll start jumping down a hole in the ceiling, too.
Maybe you’ll manage to kill the Executioner, earning a treasure. Oh, and if you wanted a more direct parallel to RE4’s chainsaw-yielding Dr. Salvador, don’t fret—it has one. (Image: Capcom)
That large, slow ax-carrying chap will eventually arrive and break down that wire gate outside, expanding the room with which you have to maneuver. Now you have access to two more buildings, each with goodies to help fend off foes. They also have a second floor; you can jump atop a few roofs. Explosive petrol cans and transformers encourage you to take advantage of your environment. Another gun begs to be found. Inevitably, though, Kirk will heroically save the day by blowing up the metal gate that lets you leave the village, ending the chapter. Chapter 1-2 starts right where 1-1 left off, although you can’t pick up any leftover items enemies dropped.
Overall, Civilian Checkpoint is a serviceable introduction to Resident Evil 5, which is good! But it’s also an admission that Resident Evil 5 is merely “Resident Evil 4, but with co-op” as my colleague Wolfman described it. The gloomy isolation that enhances the latter’s rural village is gone. Civilian Checkpoint lacks a humane moment like rescuing a dog from a bear trap, nor does it have any such traps at all or quiet time once the shooting starts. By starting off in a small, enclosed area and then expanding outward, the finale doesn’t evoke the sense that you’re wandering through hostile territory and surviving only through your wit—certainly not when a buddy swoops in to rescue you. That the Majini are blown away is also a blatant victory; no discomforting repose is here. Civilian Checkpoint’s also less replayable, less dynamic; there’s very little room to experiment up until the finale, and that sequence always starts in the same room. And once you can leave it’s almost over! Learning all the ropes is, consequently, less prioritized; it’s possible to finish the chapter without even realizing you can leap along rooftops (that’s technically possible in RE4, yes, but I can’t imagine many players didn’t discover it as they kept experimenting with different approaches. Seriously, it took me several tries to clear it, and I know I’m not alone). When directly comparing the two, RE5’s Chapter 1-1 reads as a hollow retread.
Malformed giants act as bosses in both games, except you gun down RE5‘s with a Gears of War-style turret! Resident Evil 6 takes the military shooter influence even further, to the detriment of the series’ identity. (Image: Capcom)
To be clear, Resident Evil 5 isn’t bad at all—it keeps its forebear’s incredibly strong foundation, after all—but I get why my friends didn’t gel with it. RE5 inherited so much from its predecessor, but not its vision. Even the puzzles are weaker despite the two-hero setup offering plenty of possibilities (Chapter 1-2 has a moment where Chris helps Sheva reach another floor, briefly separating them. It made me hope in vain that 5 would iterate on Zero’s separation and character-swapping puzzles). And while I had fun saving Africa, that feeling of déjà vu—that I’ve already played a more gripping, imaginative version of Resident Evil 5—lingers throughout. I vividly remembered most of Resident Evil 4; only a handful of bits from its follow-up will stick with me.
I should note, however, that one of my old buddies believes Resident Evil 5 is “awesome.” Incidentally, it was his introduction to the franchise, and I’m sure it was a great gateway into Resident Evil for many others, too. (Image: Capcom)
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