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.
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Category
Survival1 player16+
Description
Japanese release of the survival horror founder, where the S.T.A.R.S. unit investigates a zombie-infested mansion in the Arklay Mountains. Survival by Capcom, launched in 1996 in Japan. Pre-rendered backdrops, two playable campaigns with Chris or Jill, devious puzzles and limited inventory. Original Japanese edition.
The original Japanese edition of Resident Evil, called Bio Hazard before a trademark clash forced the other name in the West. Owning the founding survival-horror title under its first name appeals to those drawn to the genre's origins and to the story behind that renaming. A solidly printed 1996 pressing, yet its complete version keeps the aura of a birth certificate for an entire Capcom lineage.
Is Bio Hazard 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.
