Capcom's modern Resident Evil remakes are fantastic entry points for one of the most beloved survival horror series of all time, but it's always felt weird that the very first 1996 game still hasn't been given the full-blown third-person RE Engine treatment. Yes, there's a remake from 2002, but it's way more faithful to the original game than the much more recent remakes of Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4, featuring the classic tank controls and static camera from the series' origin. Basically, if you want to start Resident Evil with the first game in the series, you have to deal with quite a few design foundations that'll feel seriously dated if you're unfamiliar. Like ink ribbons. You don't want ink ribbons, trust me.
With how successful the Resident Evil remakes have been, it may seem inevitable that Capcom revisits the very first game. But while rumors suggest there's already a new RE1 early in development, there's been no official announcement or even heavily substantiated reporting to add weight to those rumors. As to why Capcom didn't choose Resident Evil as the obvious starting point for its newer remakes, longtime series producer Jun Takeuchi says the company worried it wouldn't resonate with a modern audience.
"The reason we didn't choose Resident Evil 1 as the first remake is because it's such a stoic game," Takeuchi says in a new book celebrating the series' 30th anniversary (translation via Fandom). "Because it focuses so heavily on the horror derived from its stoicism, we were concerned that it might not resonate with today's game fans."
As is always the case with second-hand translations, it's hard to pin down the exact intent behind translated words like "stoic," but Resident Evil 1 definitely has a distinct vibe and slower pace than newer games in the series. Speaking of which, Takeuchi says the iconic opening sequence from Resident Evil 2, which sets up the mass infection of Raccoon City, is basically where everything kicks off anyway.
"Furthermore, the Raccoon City incident is essentially the starting point of the Resident Evil saga, so we felt that experiencing that was the best way to introduce the origins," he says.
I definitely don't disagree. Resident Evil 2 is arguably the most classic version of Resident Evil you can experience, whether that's the 1998 original or the 2019 remake. That said, as a lifelong fan and noted tank control hater, I would love to see a modern reimagining of the game that started it all.
Where does your favorite land on our ranking of the best Resident Evil games?
