Resident Evil as a franchise has been an incredible success. Most successful series get a good ten years or so, especially horror franchises. But Resident Evil has been going strong for two and a half decades, being on a near annual release schedule since the first game back in 1996. It’s seen remasters, remakes and reinventions in those years, but one thing has stayed consistent through it all: biohazards and outbreaks. Now the latest game, a remake of Resident Evil 3, is coming out when a real global outbreak is raging and brings an eerie reminder of why this franchise has stuck around for so long.
Resident Evil 3 is billed as a direct sequel to Resident Evil 2, which saw the release of a fantastic remake of its own last year, but it technically happens before, during and after the events of that game. It follows Jill Valentine both in the beginning stages of the outbreak of the doomed Racoon City as she struggles to escape, as well as thorough its final demise. While it’s not quite as fresh as its predecessor, the game is still solid and well worth checking out. It also happens to be releasing in the midst of a terrifying real-world pandemic. In fact, Resident Evil 3 releases on the same day that Italy’s nationwide stay at home order will lift, an action they took to the unprecedented spread of the COVID-19 virus rattling the international community.
Of course, I would never try to make any direct 1:1 comparison between the fictional outbreak in Resident Evil and the very real one we’re facing now. Even though the franchise has stripped a good deal of camp away in recent years, we’re still playing games about zombies, super elite cops and a mishmash of various horror and sci-fi tropes. Still, I won’t lie, I got a bit of a chill when this one booted up.
The remake opens with a live-action sequence that includes various shots of Racoon City in the beginning of the outbreak. A reporter talks about an unknown pandemic spreading like never before, a public official announces a lockdown is in place, and it all feels just a little too real for that brief moment. It’s eerie, frankly. However, it also does segue into evil scientists doing evil science things to remind you what you’re actually about to play. To be honest, with everything going on, I’m surprised the game didn’t get hit with a delay like a lot of major titles did at the beginning of the year. I’m quite glad it didn’t, because with so many people stuck at home, you need all the entertainment you can get, and Capcom’s horror franchise is one of their most consistently entertaining.
Like all horror, the entertainment Resident Evil provides come from a simple formula: take something people are afraid of and blow it up to a grand scale, while retaining some degree of reality. At the core of every game in the series is an outbreak. Science goes amok, either by accident or by design, and everything goes to hell. You’re stuck in it and even things that posed no danger before, like small dogs and plants, could kill you in an instant. The scopes of these narratives have varied from vast global events seen in the likes of Resident Evil 6, or a scaled-down isolated singular incident in the bayou of Resident Evil 7. But when you break it down, it always comes down to that simple formula.
One aspect that’s managed to separate this series from the rest is the way it marries that horror with simple power fantasy. We see that in Resident Evil 3 as the badass Jill barrels through the city, taking on any and all horrors that await. Even when faced with the seemingly unstoppable Tyrant that stalks her, the relentless Nemesis, she comes out on top. I can’t think of any other series that so perfectly hits that balance. But festering at the center of it all is the idea that our protagonists, as capable as they are, are not prepared. Therefore, we, as the players, are not prepared.
COVID-19 has exposed just how unprepared we are in the real world for something like a worldwide outbreak. While some countries, like South Korea, mobilized with incredible speed and effectiveness to curb the damage, other countries have been caught with their pants down. China, The United States, Italy, Iran and many others are still in the midst of seeing infections and deaths skyrocket. The United States, especially, has been exposed for how pathetic our preparation is for any major event hitting our shores. With an administration that sent mixed messages as it became clear COVID-19 was here, no real pandemic team and lots of misinformation spread as quickly as the virus itself, it all felt like a surreal car crash. Elected officials either didn’t take the threat seriously, or were terrified of tanking the economy to act in time. An economy so poorly maintained apparently it comes crumbling down the minute people literally can’t work for their own physical safety.
We are not prepared.
In the end, Resident Evil isn’t the kind of franchise that’s going to tackle deep questions of a society on the verge of crumbling due to a ruling class that has no interest in safeguarding the system for those underneath. Of what we can do to prepare for the bubbling terrors of the 21st century. No matter how unprepared they are in the beginning, the heroes of Resident Evil always prevail. They’ll find that last super weapon to deal with that final threat and get on a helicopter to get the hell out of the hot zone before the credits roll. Resident Evil 3 is exactly what it needs to be for this moment in time: a popcorn action game, escapism for those stuck in their damn houses or apartments, needing some fun release while blowing away the undead.
Yet, behind all that also comes the brilliance of the series. Hidden in all the popcorn theatrics is that dread, that kernel of an idea that drives true terror. We may not be stalked by a hulking beast or have to find our way through a hoard of fleshing eating zombies, but we are haunted by the specter of a society unprepared for the many threats of the future, whether they be disease or disaster.
Regardless of what its reception, Resident Evil 3 really does come at the perfect time. It is both the best distraction for those in isolation and something of a reminder of how unprepared we truly are for the horrors of an increasingly close tomorrow.