Resident Evilhas undergone some significant transformations over the years, with few being as significant as the jump forward fromResident Evil 6toResident Evil 7. The massive leap in visual fidelity, coupled with radical alterations to core gameplay mechanics and narrative design, makes it seem likepre-RE7gamesare almost from a different franchise entirely. At least, they feel separated by a gulf of tech advancements and design trends.
Looking back even further thanResident Evil 6reveals a far greater degree of evolution, however. The earliestResident Evilgames—those released in the 1990s and early-2000s—are essentially archaic by modern standards, with rough visuals, clunky controls, hilariously bad voice acting, and myriad dated mechanics that can often be more frustrating than fun. And yet, players still love these classicREentries for their tone, unique storytelling, and satisfying progression structure. For those who find themselves in this retro-loving camp, a nigh-forgotten 2001 game for the Game Boy Color, entitledResident Evil Gaiden, could be a great amuse-bouche ahead of the hotly anticipatedResident Evil Requiem.
Resident Evil Gaiden Deserves More Attention
Resident Evil Gaiden Was a Bold Swing at Survival Horror On an Underpowered Device
Gamers of a certain age will no doubt remember the bevy of bizarre and experimental games that landed on Nintendo’s family of Game Boy devices. Countless games, especially those from major franchises or working with a popular TV show or film license, would geta Game Boy versionback in the 2000s, though these would obviously be significantly scaled-down and stripped-back. TakeSplinter Cell, for instance: the classic 3D stealth game received a Game Boy edition in 2003, depicting Sam Fischer’s adventures in a highly pixelated, side-scrolling environment.
Resident Evil Gaidenexists in this space. Following Leon Kennedy and Barry Burton, the game takes players aboard the Starlight ocean cruiser, unintentionally presaging the settings ofResident Evil RevelationsandResident Evil: Dead Aim.Gaidenassumes a top-down perspective, giving players a birds-eye view of the play area, and battles are fought in a quasi-first-person view, requiring players to engage in a rhythm minigame of sorts to dispatch zombies. The game’s narrative is about as wacky and over-the-top as one would expect from an early-eraResident Evilgame, and despite being on the low-powered GBC,Resident Evil Gaidenstill manages to be cinematicand dramatic, weaving a high-stakes tale of betrayal, subterfuge, and bioterrorism.
Resident Evil Gaidenis non-canon, with many of its events either contradicting previous entries or being contradicted by entries succeeding it.
Why Resident Evil Gaiden Is Worth Checking Out in 2025
There are several potential reasons why gamers might be interested in dusting offResident Evil Gaidentoday, in spite of the myriad high-tech, impressively detailed survival horror games launching left and right. For one thing, a brief glance at gaming’s modern horror scene will reveal just how beloved retro-influenced horror is: countless breakout horror hits, fromMouthwashingandFear the SpotlighttoThere Is No LightandDarkwood, take clear inspiration from the late-1990s and early-2000s era of the industry, so playingResident EvilGaidencan be viewed as returning to the source of these tropes, as it were.
Beyond that,Resident Evilfans should check outGaidenbecause of its unique place inResident Evilhistory. It was released in 2001, three years before the series found its winning formula withResident Evil 4, and it’s clear that Capcom and associated groups like M4 were powerhouses of creativity and experimentation. For better and for worse,Resident Evil Gaidenis a clear showcase of this boundless, burgeoning creativity, and should therefore be celebrated and studied.
Survival Horror for Your Handheld
Experience a brand new chapter in Capcom’s classic horror survival series: Resident Evil. Now a desperate fight for survival takes place aboard a luxury cruise-liner overflowing with a host of deadly zombies, There is no escape. As S.T.A.R.S. operative Barry Burton, it’s up to you to save Leon Kennedy, rescue a young survivor named Lucia and disable a deadly Bio-Organic Weapon. With countless traps to avoid, rooms to explorer, puzzles to solve and mysteries to uncover, each lurking horror survived will take you closer to the source of the Resident Evil. Survival is your only option.
