The original Resident Evil founded the modern survival horror genre. Exploring Spencer Mansion, zombies, scarce ammo and puzzles create inimitable tension. Pioneering cinematic staging and oppressive atmosphere. An absolute masterpiece that defined an entire genre on PS1.
Your verdict
Category
Survival1 player16+
Description
Seminal Capcom survival horror directed by Shinji Mikami, where STARS agents Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine find themselves trapped in the Spencer Mansion infested with T-virus zombies. Created by Capcom, released in 1996 in the United States, Europe, France and Germany with EDC edition under the Resident Evil title. Fixed-camera third-person view, over fifteen hours of branching scenario, restricted inventory management, contextual puzzles and orchestral soundtrack. Multi-regional edition with EDC under the Resident Evil title.
Resident Evil review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
The founder of modern survival horror by Shinji Mikami, Resident Evil builds a gothic, oppressive art direction through its pre-rendered fixed-camera backdrops. The Spencer mansion, its shadowy corridors, underground labs and mutant fauna make a harrowing chamber piece, where each cinematic frame traps the eye. The embraced B-movie aesthetic heightens the tension. A pioneering, striking visual world.
Resident Evil's original soundtrack weaves an atmosphere of constant dread: dissonant pads, taut strings and heavy silences match the mansion's exploration, while more dramatic themes surge at moments of terror. The hushed havens of the save rooms offer rare respite. This sound design, pioneering in survival horror, fully takes part in the fear. A memorable atmosphere score.
The Western release of the survival-horror founder, which set fixed cameras, counted resources and an oppressive mansion as the genre's grammar. Still fairly widespread, its interest lies in this status as the founding act of an entire genre rather than scarcity. A major piece of history for anyone wanting to own the Western origin of a saga that became a gaming pillar.
Is Resident Evil still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 1996 on PS1, Capcom's project signed Shinji Mikami opens the modern survival horror genre by imposing a fixed camera, a millimetric ammo management and a cursed manor whose room by room reading became mythical. The Romero inspired staging of dread and the minimalist soundscape still hold. Tank controls have aged. Stays a historic milestone, recommended for every survival horror devotee, for Capcom fans and for PS1 collectors curious about the foundation of a writing school that spread durably across the medium of console gaming.
