Conquer the darkness
Okay, I think for most people who play horror games, Resident Evil 4 is not really that scary. But it’s scary enough to be called a horror game. I think some people consider Bioshock to be a horror game, but I wasn’t ever really scared in that for some reason. …maybe.
I get really scared in games. Super easily scared. (I know, Bioshock does have some scary moments.) But like, this is how scared I was: I couldn’t get past, like, the first few cabin areas at the literal start of the game. I think the biggest problem for me in horror games is anticipation. I always think it’s going to be way scarier than it’s actually going to be. My imagination goes wild and it’s never even close to what the actual scary thing is. But that’s good. I like games that create an environment that really scares me.
What really brings it up technically are two things which I was totally not expecting:
Inventory Management
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but this made me really grateful for inventory management. I’ve already played things like the Deus Ex series that has this, but for some reason Resident Evil 4 really helped me realize how much I do enjoy resource management. I do like not having enough ammo at times. Making difficult decisions with what I have in the inventory turned out to be really fun! It makes it feel rewarding and risky, and for some reason I never really recognized that. I probably felt it in Deus Ex, but I only realized it for what it was here, and looking at the time this game was released, it probably was the same for others as well.
Oh wait, I played Resident Evil 1. And that was a nightmare. Pun intended.
For me, it was Resident Evil 4. It feels rewarding when I save something for later and it turns out to be useful, and it feels like there are consequences if I hoard and it turns out to be detrimental. I like it. Resident Evil 1 was a little too punishing in inventory management for me.
Gunplay
This is probably…the best third person gunplay I’ve had. It feels so good. It really feels like I’m aiming the gun. I mean, obviously that’s what we do in shooting games, but it feels so natural here. When I initially saw it for what it was, again I was really doubtful. I was like, “This is not going to be great.” But…every time I had an encounter and I had to shoot, it was fun. Um…it’s really…it. That’s it.
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For me, this was also a turning point where horror games changed. I became more willing to play them. Which is good, because there are so many horror games that I want to play for the story, but still want to experience the original form of the game. It’s because of Resident Evil 4 that I played Alan Wake, and then continued on with other horror games.
Emotionally I really like Resident Evil 4 because I love the characters in it. I love that Leon doesn’t really care about people being flirty or romantic with him. He just brushes it off. I really like that a lot. I hate forced romance or obvious push for romance. I like that allied NPCs don’t feel stupid. And it’s interesting that the graphics still somehow hold up today. Which is kind of weird.
These things in Resident Evil 4 are present in other games, but I think the little nuances of a lot of eastern style approach to storytelling, character design, and enemy design really attract me. I admit it. This isn’t to say that western versions of the same are bad, they’re just different, and for the most part each does not have entire exclusivity. Again, there’s some cheesiness in all games, but there’s something both endearing and paradoxically profound about the way it is done in Resident Evil 4. Most of the people throw it off as only cheesiness and maybe even cringiness. I don’t know, because my approach to media is different. I don’t see things like anime as cringy (I mean, unless it’s legitimate like, cringe). I think it’s partially the culture I grew up in, but it’s also just…I don’t know. I honestly haven’t found why this happens or where it comes from.
I think part of it is my whole view of treating these worlds and characters with a certain reality and respect. I see them as people, even if their worlds have some cheese in it or are super fantastical, and they’re still people and worlds with backgrounds unbeknownst to me. There will be bad parts and characters, this we know for sure, but for the most part I want to respect the strangers I meet here. It’s more likely that I’m a guest in their world that doesn’t know enough, than for me to be arrogant to judge them with a personal ideal.
I wanted to see what I would write for a Why l Love for a game that has a greater emotional tie, and I don’t know if it was any good. Heh. But I would like to thank you for reading.
Thanks for your support! I hope you’re having a wonderful spooky season. Stay safe, but don’t forget to enjoy the wonderful mise-en-scène of Halloween!
Elise
Yes. I’m totally going to get the remake.
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