What is Resident Evil, really? One could coin it to be the pinnacle of survival horror, a series that might have started the genre in of itself. When the first Resident Evil released in 1996 for the PlayStation (PS1), it was quite unlike anything that came before it.
It was the wild, wild west for horror games prior to Resident Evil, and not always in a good way. Resident Evil managed to set the basics right and lay a foundation for games to build upon, inspiring countless developers into the horror medium.
Many games aim to deliver that Resident Evil experience, but few manage to live up to the hype, or go beyond the nostalgia factor. Which is why I’ve listed five such Resident Evil ‘clones’ that go above and beyond.
5.
Daymare 1998
Classic RE
Daymare 1998 initially started life as Resident Evil 2: Reborn, a fan made re-creation of the original Resident Evil 2. Everything was going swell until the project mysteriously went dark, which was followed by Capcom announcing a formal remake for Resident Evil 2 a few months later.
After this minor setback, the team at Invader Studios managed to repackage and re-release the game as Daymare: 1998, a game that is best described as a love letter to old school RE fans.
Daymare took everything about the RE franchise and dialed it up to 11, introducing tighter combat, clunky tank controls (a series staple) and much harder puzzles, which made it a much tougher game.
That being said, the game clearly is a Resident Evil 2 clone, but it manages to keep things fresh and enjoyable enough to keep fans craving that old school RE itch engrossed for a few solid hours. More so when you consider that Capcom is not likely to go back to the old formula anytime soon.
4.
Dead Space
Space Zombies!
Dead Space was essentially Resident Evil 4 set in space. Developed by Electronic Arts, the first Dead Space was a phenomenal title, blending together elements of cosmic and body horror with tense, survival horror gameplay.
That being said, the game is starting to show its age now. Which is why the 2023 remake of the same gets so highly recommended. Developed by Motive Studio, the Dead Space remake is a love letter to the first game in the series, making careful updates and omissions to create essentially a definitive version of the game.
Of course, we also have Dead Space 2. The 2011 sequel to the first game, this was a much faster and harder Dead Space. Issac was fully voiced now, and Dead Space 2 was in some ways a tonal shift for the series, like going from Alien to Aliens.
Regardless, both are fantastic titles that frequently go on sale, and are very much worth getting into.
3.
Devil May Cry
Stylish hack-and-slash action
One of the more interesting things to come out of Resident Evil 4’s many tumultuous builds and prototypes was the original Devil May Cry. Initially starting as a RE4 build from director Hideki Kamiya, this particular spin-off was deemed to be too action-focused for RE.
Instead, the team had the bold idea of developing the concept into Devil May Cry, a stylish hack and slash game that features the beloved series protagonist, Dante. It still retained a lot of the Resident Evil DNA though, and the first DMC has some notoriously hard puzzles, fixed camera angles and Gothic environments that often mimic those of RE4.
Also Read
The gamble paid off, and DMC cemented itself as yet another feather in Capcom’s cap. The first game is admittedly a little too dated for modern audiences, but the sequels (we don’t talk about DMC 2) are good fun games that should offer you a nice change of pace.
2.
The Evil Within 2
A Supernatural Twist
Another game that draws tight parallels to modern Resident Evil games, The Evil Within 2 is a fantastic action-horror title with a supernatural twist. The game is also a lot more psychedelic, and has you literally jump into consciousnesses where you face off against monsters in dream-like sequences.
No good action horror game lets you out without a gun to defend yourself, and The Evil Within 2 comes with a cool set of firearms, with varying degrees of explosive firepower.
It’s a marked improvement over the first, 2014 game (which you should also play) and frequently goes on sale, making grabbing it a no brainer.
1.
Silent Hill 2
A Timeless Classic
The Silent Hill series comes from yet another (and previously, controversial) Japanese dev team at Konami.
While the first Silent Hill was more of an experimental title, toying with psychological horror and the shortcomings of the PS1, Konami completely branched out in the sequel Silent Hill 2, creating what is widely considered to be one of the best horror experiences to date.
It eventually got a rather excellent remake courtesy of Bloober Team back in October, 2024 for PC and consoles, making it the definitive way to experience what is now an over two decade old entry.
Unlike modern Resident Evil titles, the Silent Hill franchise has had its roots seated in deep, psychological survival horror where the spooks are deadly, and you have access to a limited number of weapons and resources.
It’s a very different kind of horror game, and one that every fan of the genre should try out once.
