For 25 years,Resident Evilhas been one of the most popular survival horror franchises in video game history. Ever since the release of the firstResident Evilgame in 1996, the franchise pioneered the survival horror term and set the blueprint that many other games in the genre eventually followed.
While mostResident Evilfans are more familiar with the mainline entries in the series, which comprises the numbered titles alongsideResident Evil: Code VeronicaandResident Evil Village, Capcom has alsoreleased severalResident Evilspin-offs. Now, for players looking for a goodResident Evilgame outside the main story, here’s a breakdown of the most popularResident Evilspin-off games.
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Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and The Darkside Chronicles
AlthoughResident Evil: The Umbrella Chroniclesand its sequelThe Darkside Chroniclesare technically spin-off titles, their stories are actually a summary of the main games fromResident Evil 0up untilResident Evil Code Veronica.However, bothThe Umbrella ChroniclesandThe Darkside Chroniclesalso offered original scenarios. The former featured Chris Redfield andJill Valentine’sencounter with Project TALOS, and the latter delved deep into Leon Kennedy and Jack Krauser’s relationship.
Unlike the main series, bothThe Umbrella ChroniclesandDarkside Chroniclesembodied the light gun shooter gameplay, making them popular on the Nintendo Wii. Both games were then ported to other consoles and are perfect for players who want to know the story of theResident Evilfranchise up untilCode Veronicain a nutshell.
Resident Evil Survivor
VeteranResident Evilfans would know thatResident Evil 7andResident Evil Villageare not the first games that embodied a first-person perspective. The game that first introduced first-person gameplay to theResident Evilfranchise isResident Evil Survivor, which was released in 2000 for the original PlayStation. The game follows an amnesiac pilotinvestigating the Umbrella Corporation, who finds himself trapped on an island filled with zombies and other BOWs. Although its first-person gameplay didn’t really ruffle any feathers since it is a spin-off game, Capcom was able to implement it well.
However, one of the biggest criticisms aboutResident Evil Survivoris its extremely short story. On average, experiencedResident Evilplayers can finish the game in as fast as an hour, which is laughably short, especially since most entries in the franchise span from 5-10 hours to complete.
Resident Evil Revelations
Out of all theResident Evilspin-off games, it is without a doubt thatResident Evil Revelationsis the most popular. In fact, some fans consider it as part of the mainline series because of how much the story impacts the characters, plot, and organizations that players will encounter in the main franchise. In addition,Resident Evil Revelationssaw the return of series veterans Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, who hadn’t been on a mission together since the firstResident Evilgame. Set in betweenResident Evil 4and5,Resident Evil Revelationsreveals the origins of the BSAA, the Terragrigia Panic, and the bioterrorist organization Il Veltro.
After its successful launch in 2012,Resident Evil Revelationsreceived a follow-up game in the form ofResident Evil Revelations 2. The sequel starsClaire Redfield, who was kidnapped by a mysterious organization alongside Moira Burton, the daughter of former STARS member Barry Burton. It is worth noting that bothResident Evil Revelations 1and2were praised due to their return to the survival horror genre, especially since the main games at the time leaned more toward action horror.
Resident Evil Outbreak and Outbreak File #2
It is no secret that manyResident Evilgames wereset in the fictional American town of Raccoon City.Even after the city’s destruction inResident Evil 3,Capcom continued to return to Raccoon City to tell the stories of characters that weren’t seen in the mainline franchise. InResident Evil Outbreak, players follow a group of individuals trying to make their way out of the zombie-infested Raccoon City.
BothResident Evil OutbreakandOutbreak File #2featured multiplayer co-op, allowing players to work together to see the characters through. However, given that online play was still in its infancy in 2003, theOutbreakspin-off games didn’t get the credit they deserve. Despite not being well-known entries in the franchise,Resident Evilfans have asked Capcom to remake theOutbreakseries. Unfortunately, the studio has not revealed any plans or intentions of reviving thisResident Evilspinoff series at this time.
