Diff: Resident Evil

'''Resident Evil''' is a survival horror and action horror series created and published by [[Capcom]]. It is known as '''Biohazard''' in Japan. The first game was released in 1996, and the series has since become one of Capcom's largest franchises.

Resident Evil usually follows people caught inside outbreaks, conspiracies, isolated facilities, and cities affected by engineered biological weapons. The games mix exploration, combat, puzzles, resource management, and cinematic storytelling. Some entries lean heavily towards slow survival horror, while others use a faster action style.

== Name and Premise ==

The series began as a game about characters trapped in a mansion near Raccoon City. Its early identity came from locked rooms, scarce ammunition, strange puzzles, fixed camera angles, and zombies created by the T-virus. Later games widened the setting to police stations, laboratories, villages, ships, ruined cities, remote estates, and global bioterror incidents.

Capcom describes Resident Evil as survival horror in which players use weapons and other items to survive desperate situations. The tone changes between entries, but the basic idea remains the same: ordinary systems have failed, the player is under pressure, and survival depends on careful movement, limited resources, and understanding the threat.

== Main Story Elements ==

The early games focus on the Umbrella Corporation, a pharmaceutical company that secretly develops viral weapons. The T-virus, G-virus, Las Plagas parasite, and later engineered threats are used to explain many of the series' creatures.

Recurring characters include Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Ada Wong, Albert Wesker, Rebecca Chambers, and Ethan Winters. Their roles vary by entry. Some are police officers or special forces members, some are civilians pulled into the events, and some work between opposing sides.

The story is not a straight military fiction series. It uses corporate secrecy, black-market research, failed containment, personal survival, and horror set-pieces. The best-known locations, such as the Spencer Mansion, Raccoon City, the village in Resident Evil 4, and the Baker estate in Resident Evil 7, are remembered because they act as hostile spaces rather than simple backdrops.

Resident Evil has changed more than once. The original trilogy used fixed cameras, pre-rendered backgrounds, limited inventory space, save rooms, keys, doors, and route planning. Combat was possible, but running away was often sensible because ammunition and healing items were limited.

Resident Evil 4 changed the series with an over-the-shoulder camera and more direct combat. It kept tension, crowd control, and resource pressure, but made aiming and enemy reactions central to play. Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 moved further towards action, co-operative play, and set-piece design.

Resident Evil 7 returned to a slower horror structure and used a first-person view. Resident Evil Village kept the first-person approach but mixed horror, exploration, and action more openly. The remakes of Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, and Resident Evil 4 use modern controls while retelling older stories.

== Main Releases ==

The main series includes the original Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Resident Evil Code: Veronica, Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil 6, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Resident Evil Village, and Resident Evil Requiem.

Several remakes are treated as major releases in their own right. Resident Evil remake rebuilt the original game. Resident Evil 2 remake reworked the 1998 game with a modern third-person camera. Resident Evil 3 remake retold the Nemesis story. Resident Evil 4 remake modernised one of the most influential entries in the series.

== Spin-offs and Other Media ==

Resident Evil has spin-off games covering light-gun shooters, online co-operative survival, tactical action, multiplayer experiments, and side stories. Examples include Resident Evil Outbreak, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, Resident Evil Revelations, Resident Evil Revelations 2, and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City.

The franchise also expanded into live-action films, animated films, television, comics, novels, merchandise, and theme-park collaborations. These adaptations do not all follow the game continuity. Some use the names, creatures, and broad themes while telling separate stories.

== Commercial Position ==

Resident Evil is one of Capcom's core properties. Capcom's game-series sales page listed Resident Evil at 201 million cumulative units as of 31 March 2026. Capcom also stated that Resident Evil Requiem, released on 27 February 2026, passed 6 million worldwide sales by 16 March 2026.

Those figures make the series important not only as a horror brand, but also as a long-term commercial pillar for Capcom. Its catalogue sales, remakes, new releases, and media use all keep the name active between main entries.

== Style and Influence ==

Resident Evil helped define survival horror for a large audience. The first game did not invent every part of the genre, but it gave the term wide public use and created a recognisable structure: trapped spaces, limited supplies, monsters, puzzles, and a story uncovered through documents and environmental details.

Resident Evil 4 was influential in a different way. Its camera, aiming, pacing, and enemy pressure helped shape later third-person action games. The series therefore has two major design legacies: slow survival horror and camera-led action horror.

== Reception and Criticism ==

The series has been praised for atmosphere, creature design, tense resource management, memorable locations, and strong character recognition. It has also been criticised when entries move too far towards action, rely on awkward dialogue, or build stories that become difficult for new players to follow.

The variation between entries is part of the franchise's identity. Fans often disagree about which balance works best: strict survival horror, action horror, co-operative play, or a hybrid of old and new systems.

* [[Survival Horror]]

* [[Zombies in Popular Culture]]

* [https://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/business/salesdata.html Capcom: game series sales]

* [https://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/business/million.html Capcom: platinum titles]

* [https://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/news/html/e260316.html Capcom: Resident Evil Requiem sales exceed 6 million units]

[[Category:Video Games]]

[[Category:Capcom]]