Featured Image Credit: Capcom
Topics: Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, Resident Evil 4, Capcom, Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil Requiem
Topics: Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, Resident Evil 4, Capcom, Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil Requiem
One of Resident Evil’s most popular features has come under scrutiny from fans, who seem to be pretty mixed on whether it’s actually good or not.
For better or worse, the Resident Evil franchise has a lot of different features and mechanics it's famous for.
We all love the bizarre logic behind mixing a green herb with a red herb to create a magical healing spray, or that every building in Raccoon City has an elaborate series of puzzles and traps for people to overcome just to move about.
Meanwhile, Resi fans have blasted the stalker mechanic that has been present in many different entries over the years, with some people torn on whether the games have overused it quite a bit, or if it still has its place.
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For those unaware, many Resident Evil games feature a type of stalker enemy, which is still apparent in Resident Evil Requiem.
This is a boss who follows the player around through various different levels, often popping up unexpectedly and forcing you to change your strategy to evade them.
Sometimes, these enemies can be attacked and temporarily disabled, but they aren’t killed until you get to the associated boss fight. Examples include Mr. X from Resident Evil 2, Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil Village, and of course, Nemesis from Resident Evil 3.
However, some fans feel that the mechanic has been overused in recent entries, and hasn’t always been implemented well.
“I, for one, do not like them. I feel the tension they create is just annoying. Mr X went VERY fast from "holycrap!" to ‘ughhhh gotta go around the whole place to loose him…’”, reads one comment on the Resident Evil Reddit page.
“I never really liked them,” reads another comment. “Only game where it feels good is OG RE3 Nemesis.”
Other fans, however, feel that the mechanic is still fun when justified with good level design and interactivity.
“IMO, stalker enemies are hated generally if they get thrown at the player right from the start and if there is little to no incentive for incapacitating. Mr. X did this concept extremely well. The devs give you time to be familiar with the map layout so when he does show up, you would at least be able to out-manoeuvre him quickly,” one comment says.
“I'd argue it's interactivity, a stalker enemy you can only run away from is not an enemy, it's a moving wall. What I like about Mr. X and Nemesis is that you have the option of fighting back and "beating" them, while someone like Dimitrescu can't really be interacted with,” another reads.
The main stalker enemy we saw tormenting Grace when we reviewed Resident Evil Requiem is absolutely terrifying, and reminds us of the Xenomorph from Alien: Isolation.
Particularly, the way it uses the vents and darkness to prowl, and hunts Grace relentlessly during certain sections of the game.
I get why some might be fed up with stalker-type enemies, but if used right, they can absolutely up the tension, which I think they absolutely do in Resident Evil Requiem.
Love it or hate it, it looks like the feature isn't showing any signs of leaving.