I played 1-4 back in the day, but my memory of the details is pretty fuzzy. Something something Umbrella releases a new virus like iPhones every few years, something something, somehow Wesker returned.
Anyway, I hear 7 is kind of a soft reboot? Is that a good one to get back into the series with, and not have to know 12 games of plot?
And if 7 is good, does 8/Village follow directly from that without needing too much prior game knowledge?
7 is a soft reboot and it’s really good, I think it’s a good starting point. 8 continues from 7, and neither games mention anything from the first 6 games. The only returning character is Chris Redfield, and only as a side character that you see 1% of the time
You know what, Resident Evil is one of my favourite franchises, and I have to just say that the plot is bullshit. That’s not to say that it’s irredeemable, I happen to love trash, but I don’t think you’ll be missing any key beats by jumping in at any point
I know you played 1-4, but if I were to pick a modern entry for someone, I’d say starting with REmake 2. Resident Evil 2 is iconic, lays most of the groundwork for the interconnected plot such as it is, and the remaster has quality of life that you’d be missing from the original.
Unless you’re really into old games, I’d give 1 a miss. Technically there’s a remaster too, but tank controls are a hard sell.
If you are into old games, Flesh Made Fear scratches that vintage PS1 survival horror itch and just came out this year. Phenomenal indie game
easiest thing to do would be to play 5 all the way to 8
I’ve been playing this game for a while and I’m pretty sure there is no jump button.
7 is like being in a horror movie. Especially the beginning. It’s intense, and continues to build. Very different from the previous entries.
most of the resident evils work well as standalones. the only ones i’d say are really proper sequels are 3 (play 2 first) and 8 (play 7 first). there’s some throughlines in terms of characters beyond that, but not really anything plotwise that you’d miss out by having missed the rest of the franchise.
Any game is a good point to jump into: the lore in RE is something you can look up if you’re interested, but is not particularly deep or complex, nor is it ever mandatory to understand or to enjoy a title.
I would recommend playing the games you are interested in the most, rather than the ones people deem important for the lore.
The new ones are vastly different from the first 4. Closer to 4, at most, but are entirely different from everything done previously aside frim the action elements. The stories are not, necessarily, linked either. Different characters, no Umbrella Corp, does not even have zombies.
Jumping into at least 7 onward will be totally unfamiliar even if you just finished playing the OGs. But they are really good.
That sounds great. I really liked 4, and unfamiliar is fine as long as it’s not unfamiliar because I’m supposed to have played half a dozen other games first.
The remasters of 2, 3 and 4 are phenomenal.
