Summary
Playing a survival horror game solo can definitely help increase the tension and immersion of the gameplay. Still, there’s nothing wrong with jumping in with a friend occasionally as part of a co-op experience. Thankfully, anyone looking to experience the horrors together with a friend as part of a multi-player story doesn’t have to look much further than theResident Evilseries, which contains plenty of fun and unique titles that allow multiple people to partake in the story at the same time, without needing to spectate or wait their turn.
While there have been several multiplayer modes seen throughoutResident Evil, such as the immensely popular multiplayer, this list will focus on those games that specifically feature two to four-player campaigns, rather than extra modes. With that being said, it’s time to take a look at everyResident Evilgame that features a co-op campaign.
Before jumping in, this list will only consider games that can still be played in co-op today, so those where the servers have been shut down, like theOutbreakgames, won’t be counted.
After the series ventured off intothe action genrewithResident Evil 5and6, Capcom decided to try and bring things back to basics withRevelations 2, which featured a much slower and methodical gameplay style to create a scarier overall horror experience. Being able to play with a friend doesn’t make the game any less terrifying, especially since only one player will be able to fire a gun while the other can only use a flashlight or another key item to help their partner out when they need to.
Making it so both players control unique characters with their own sets of weapons and tools results in some pretty experimental stages and puzzles where players are encouraged to think outside the box to progress to the next area. Alongside its inventive gameplay and creepy atmosphere,Revelations 2also features a compelling story and an extremely memorable villain in Alex Wesker.
Because it features four campaigns,Resident Evil 6ends up being a pretty lengthy thrill ride of a game, which is often considered to be somewhat of a refined taste due to its action-heavy gameplay andover-the-topsetpieces. While the game is, therefore, far from bad, it’s truthfully a lot more enjoyable when a friend is along for the ride to also be a part of the outlandish hijinks that this title has become synonymous with.
While Ada’s campaign was originally restricted to single-player upon release, Capcom decided to add in the Agent character so that every story would be co-op compatible. There are even points in the story where a pair of players can come across another pair who are running through a different campaign, resulting in brief missions where four players can be in the same space at the same time.
ThoughOperation Raccoon Citytakes players back to the horrific outbreak that was first explored in the second and third games, this isn’t exactly a faithful retelling of those events. Instead, it’s a “what if?” scenario, allowing the game to be as creative and ambitious as it wants and giving players the option of teaming up with up to three other players to explore Raccoon City, all while gunning down hordes ofzombies and B.O.Ws, and even meeting a few familiar faces along the way.
Though having four players in a series that is known for its methodical horror-filled gameplay may seem like overkill,Operation Raccoon Cityleaves behind a lot of the slower elements of the traditional gameplay, making it much faster-paced and more of an action shooter. As a result, having four people at once feels completely fine, and if anything, is barely enough to fend off the staggering number of zombies thrown at players in each of the fourteen missions across the entire game.
Just like classic arcadeon-rail shooterssuch asHouse of the Dead,The Umbrella Chroniclesallows two players to blast their way through its levels at the same time, without needing to use a split screen. The game retells the events of the first and third game, along withResident Evil 0, granting players the opportunity to relive these classics, but this time, with a friend.
The gameplay follows a fairly streamlined loop of shooting down swarms of enemies who become progressively stronger and more durable as the level goes on. Quick reloads and twitch reflexes are crucial for making it through this game in one piece since it’s often considered to be one of the trickiest entries in the series. This and theDarkside Chroniclesare also good games for introducing new players to the series, allowing them to get up to speed with the story while having a ton of fun with the gameplay in the process.
The Darkside Chroniclesplays more or less identically toUmbrella Chronicles, being an on-rails shooter that players can enjoy in a pair from beginning to end, though it features entirely different campaigns. This time around, players are taken through not only stories of the series' past, specifically those fromCode VeronicaandResident Evil 2, but even an entirely new story in Operation Javier, which builds upon the relationship between Leon and Krauser, which is later referenced in the mainline titles.
The gameplay ofDarkside Chroniclesis a little more chaotic and action-packed than what came before it, but it also contains plenty of extra lore nuggets that newcomers and veterans alike will find a lot of value in. The game’sintense and enjoyable co-op gameplayis complemented by its excellent pacing and character development, immersing players into each of the personal stories from beginning to end.
Though there have long been rumors thatResident Evil 5was originally going to be a solo adventure for Chris, somewhere along the line, Capcom decided to introduce a newcomer by the name of Sheva, who, in the full release, accompanies Chris throughout the entire story. This allows a second player to jump in either locally or online to embark on an epic adventure through Kijuju with a friend where they will come up against all kinds of horrors, from Lickers toChainsaw Majini, all the way to giant zombified trolls.
The reasonResident Evil 5is so beloved as a co-op game is that it makes this feature a focus for many of its levels. For example, many boss fights will require one player to distract a boss, while the other flips a switch or loads up a rocket launcher to finish them off for good, and this is just the tip of the iceberg of how creatively the game utilizes its co-op feature.
