Resident Evil 5 EGM Cover Story

Daylight. It’s a rare commodity in the world of Resident Evil, a series typically entrenched in the unrelenting bleakness of underground sewers, hidden laboratories, bubbling swamps, and, more recently, medieval castles. But in this, Resident Evil’s fifth incarnation, daylight takes a leading role in helping redefine gaming’s premiere survival-horror series, shoulder-checking the rejuvenated zombie-blaster out of the darkness and into the light. 

While Shinji Mikami, creator of the Resident Evil series and the driving force behind Resident Evil 4, has since moved on to other projects outside of Capcom, the creative nucleus of the Resident Evil 5 team-Kota Suzuki (sound composer), Yoshiaki Hirabayashi (art director, cinematics), Yasuhiro Anpo (director), Jun Takeuchi (producer), and Masachika Kawata (coproducer)-seem to have things well in hand. In the latest episode of RE musical chairs, Capcom’s swapped out pretty-boy special agent Leon Kennedy for Resident Evil O.G. Chris Redfield, except this time he’s accompanied by the lovely Sheva Alomar (a fellow BSAA-that’s Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance-member). If every major installment of the RE series featured one principal innovation, then RE5 features two. Daylight, as we’ve established, is the first major shift in this chapter of RE lore. It’s fair to think that survival-horror’s a lot more frightening in the dark, but with a large portion of RE5 taking place outdoors and in the searing African sun, there’s almost nowhere to hide...and that brings its own brand of terror. After all, it’s hardly any more comforting to see the rabid, dozen-strong zombie mob than to merely hear them coming in the darkness. You might also think that having a partner with you the whole time-the second major innovation-might lessen the fear, but it’s actually more stressful to see that buddy disappear underneath a swarm of plague-infected villagers.

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