Biohazard

Known as Resident Evil in the west, this game undoubtedly shaped the future of survival horror. The story is infamous. On July 24th 1998, the Alpha team of the Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) fly out to search for their missing Bravo unit, amid reports of cannibalistic attacks. All they find of them is a severed hand, and as they are set-upon by unusually vicious dogs, they flee towards a mansion. Trapped inside, one member of the team disappears, and then another. You must find out what's going on, and find a way out.


My Japanese version on the Saturn:



You have a choice of two characters, but I would always recommend Jill. Chris might be stronger, but Jill has a lockpick, and more pockets for items, and the gameplay is ruled by items.
While finding out what Umbrella Corporation was doing at this mansion, you have a lot of puzzle solving to do. I have just replayed the game, and while I was able to complete most tasks from memory, my partner pointed out that new players would probably have no idea of what to do with the random objects presented. This is part of the challenge. While walking around and clicking on everything, you'll find items. You'll be asked if you want to take these items, assuming that you have the room in your pockets. Each time, you have to make the decision as to whether you want to bring the object in question with you into the next area.


Umbrella's activities are a fairly massive hindrance to you. Staff and researchers at the mansion are all dead, but walking about. White-eyed dogs with hanging flesh howl throughout the grounds and leap for your throat. Large green Hunters will have your head, sharks stalk flooded corridors, and giant tarantulas wait to drop down onto you.
One thing that irks me about Resident Evil (aside from how useless the knife is), is that without loaded guns, you are completely helpless. There are no mêlée moves to get you out of sticky situations. With limited inventory room, you will often have to make the decision to leave a type of weapon and ammunition in the storage chest, which in turn may leave you out of bullets at a critical moment. Additionally, the lack of item space regularly moves beyond being a gameplay challenge to being a massive pain. This particularly occurs when you're running around wounded in need of a green herb. You are unable to pick up and use an item immediately, you must have room for it in your inventory first, and this is annoying.


That being said, the puzzles are certainly interesting, requiring problem-solving, a good memory, intelligent thinking and the ability to not gas yourself. The mansion and its related areas, with pre-rendered backgrounds, are very nice to look at. You probably wouldn't mind living in such a place yourself, if it weren't for all the dead people. Going up and down stairs in that dawdling manner would also get tiresome.

The soundtrack is fantastic and nostalgia-invoking, regardless of which version you have. You can search the likes of eBay for CD copies.






Biohazard is dated, has many flaws, the acting pretty much spoofs itself, but it remains legendary and well-loved. A game cupboard essential, undoubtedly. Just as I did in the evenings with my parents, my children will grow up playing this game.
My dog liked it, anyway.