Summary
Alongside having an immersive atmosphere and a compelling story, a survival horror game also needs a good amount of enemy variety to keep players engaged from the beginning to the end of the nightmarish adventure. In the case ofResident Evilgames, enemy variety hasn’t always been a top priority for Capcom, with some entries in this legendary series instead being more focused on the narrative and characters. However, other times, it’s been clear that they’ve tried to pack in as many unique and interesting enemy types for players to take on as possible, making for a fun and unpredictable journey.
More enemy types usually results in the gameplay itself being a lot more strategic, as players must learn the best ways to deal with each type of foe, whether it be through using mind games to trick the enemy, exploiting their weaknesses, or simply just finishing them off with a bullet to the brain. Here are the very best gamesResident Evilhas to offer when focusing solely on enemy diversity and unpredictability.
ThoughUmbrella Corpsisn’t exactly looked back on fondly by many fans due to its heavy-action focus, one area where it does do a good job is the enemy variety. Throughout the campaign ofUmbrella Corps, players will explore environments from the series' history, such asthe village fromResident Evil 4, or the Public Assembly from the fifth game.
Each stage will replicate the enemies from those games, while also throwing in a few new ones for good measure. So, for example, while the village still features hordes of bloodthirsty Ganado who are kitted out with pitchforks and machetes, there are also crows that can swoop down to attack the player, alongside dogs. Each of the stages includes a few special enemies like these that help to make up for the repetitiveness of the missions.
It turns out that Raccoon City wasn’t the only place infested with zombies and freakish mutants; something Claire quickly finds out after leaving her prison cell inCode: Veronicaand finding herself stranded on Rockfort Island. While players are left to gun down zombies and dogs at the beginning ofCode: Veronica, the enemies gradually become more unique and diverse as the game continues. The introduction of the Bandersnatches, for example, helps to add much more intensity to the core gameplay once players start feeling a little more relaxed around the zombies.
By the time Claire reaches Antarctica, she’s tasked with taking down all sorts of weird monsters, including poison moths, electrified albinoids, and even a Tyrant or two. The healthy number of enemy types helps to alleviateCode: Veronica’sconstant backtracking, meaning players never have any idea what they’ll be running into, even when returning to parts of the map they have already visited.
WhileChris and Shevastart offResident Evil 5with nothing more than a measly handgun, players will be able to slowly upgrade their weapons and acquire new ones as the game continues. So that things don’t become too easy, though, the enemies will also adapt and evolve with each level. Basic Majini enemies, for example, will begin using crossbows to snipe players from range, before eventually switching to full-on firearms, which can deal a ton of damage.
Sub-bosses, like the Chansaw Majini, also keep the gameplay fresh by showing up randomly throughout Chris and Sheva’s adventure into the depths of Kijuju. By the end of the game, even the most standard enemies will be entirely different to those players were facing at the beginning, creating a nice sense of progression through the variety.
BecauseThe Darkside Chroniclescovers the stories ofResident Evil 2,Code: Veronica, and a brand-new story with Operation Javier, it allows players to meet a wild assortment of monsters up close and personal thanks to theFPS camera angle. While that means there are plenty of classic creatures to encounter, including Lickers and Bandersnatches, Operation Javier also throws in a few brand-new enemies too.
In an on-rails game like this that prioritizes immersion, it definitely helps to have a large variety of enemies to prevent players from ever feeling bored or uninterested with the experience. In that regard,The Darkside Chroniclesdoes an excellent job at keeping the enemies unpredictable and satisfying to fight.
After realizing how immensely popularthe Mercenaries modeforResident Evil 5would become, Capcom pulled the trigger on a standalone spin-off game that allowed players to enjoy the bonus mode with new characters and stages. The game also just feels like a celebration ofResident Evil 4andRE5, featuring enemies from both of those games to create a stacked lineup of terrifying monsters to take down before the clock runs out.
One moment, there will be a blind Garrador swinging around his blades while cultists run alongside him, and the next, players will be standing off against a grossly mutated bat with a chainsaw Majini not far behind. Adding such a staggering number of enemies adds to the game’s replay value, making it an absolute joy to jump into, especially for shorter sessions.
With many of the enemy types in the first threeResident Evilgames being mutated and zombified humans, Capcom decided to direct their focus more toward animals forResident Evil 0. It’s fair to say the developers got extremely creative with the kinds of terrifying creatures they were able to conjure up for this game, from giant spiders and bats to killer monkeys and baseball-sized leeches.
It’s horrifying to see some of these regular animals blown up to extreme proportions, forcing players to wonder what new monstrosity waits for them around the next dark corner of the train or training facility.Resident Evil 0’sbosses are also very diverse and all present their own unique challenges for players to overcome, even if some of them may bea little more annoying than they have any right to be.
WhileResident Evil 4and its remake receive a lot of credit for their level variety, one aspect that often goes underappreciated is the unique enemy types that appear throughout the game. Just as players feel as though they’re getting a little tired of popping off Ganado heads, the game then throws in a brand new enemy type to shake things up, whether it be invisible bugs, corrupted knights, giant trolls, or even old friends from the past.
Even the regular Ganado will slightly change with each location, such as how the castle’s cultists will walk slower when approaching Leon and are also capable of equipping different weapons from the villagers.Resident Evil 4is jam packed with memorable enemies who all bring something different to the table, keeping players on their toes for the entire adventure.
WithResident Evil 6, Capcom attempted (to varying degrees of success) to create multiple campaigns that all leaned into their own genre. As a result, all feel drastically different in tone and quite distinct in gameplay, but this also allowed the developers to insert many unique enemy types too. In Leon’s campaign, players must blast their way through hordes ofregular slow-walking zombiesand a few special infected creatures too, like the Shrieker.
On the other hand, the basic enemies in Chris' story are more comparable to the Ganado and Majini seen in4or5. They’re much faster and will force players to duck into cover and pick their shots wisely in firefights to make it out in one piece. Simply put, Capcom went all-in with the monsters for this game to feed into the intended gameplay style of each campaign, resulting in a wonderful variety of dangerous and distinctive enemy types.
