Resident Evil has undergone some significant transformations over the years, with few being as significant as the jump forward from Resident Evil 6 to Resident Evil 7. The massive leap in visual fidelity, coupled with radical alterations to core gameplay mechanics and narrative design, makes it seem like pre-RE7 games are almost from a different franchise entirely. At least, they feel separated by a gulf of tech advancements and design trends.
Looking back even further than Resident Evil 6 reveals a far greater degree of evolution, however. The earliest Resident Evil games—those released in the 1990s and early-2000s—are essentially archaic by modern standards, with rough visuals, clunky controls, hilariously bad voice acting, and myriad dated mechanics that can often be more frustrating than fun. And yet, players still love these classic RE entries for their tone, unique storytelling, and satisfying progression structure. For those who find themselves in this retro-loving camp, a nigh-forgotten 2001 game for the Game Boy Color, entitled Resident Evil Gaiden, could be a great amuse-bouche ahead of the hotly anticipated Resident Evil Requiem.
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Resident Evil Gaiden Deserves More Attention
Resident Evil Gaiden Was a Bold Swing at Survival Horror On an Underpowered Device
Gamers of a certain age will no doubt remember the bevy of bizarre and experimental games that landed on Nintendo's family of Game Boy devices. Countless games, especially those from major franchises or working with a popular TV show or film license, would get a Game Boy version back in the 2000s, though these would obviously be significantly scaled-down and stripped-back. Take Splinter Cell, for instance: the classic 3D stealth game received a Game Boy edition in 2003, depicting Sam Fischer's adventures in a highly pixelated, side-scrolling environment.
Resident Evil Gaiden exists in this space. Following Leon Kennedy and Barry Burton, the game takes players aboard the Starlight ocean cruiser, unintentionally presaging the settings of Resident Evil Revelations and Resident Evil: Dead Aim. Gaiden assumes a top-down perspective, giving players a birds-eye view of the play area, and battles are fought in a quasi-first-person view, requiring players to engage in a rhythm minigame of sorts to dispatch zombies. The game's narrative is about as wacky and over-the-top as one would expect from an early-era Resident Evil game, and despite being on the low-powered GBC, Resident Evil Gaiden still manages to be cinematic and dramatic, weaving a high-stakes tale of betrayal, subterfuge, and bioterrorism.
Resident Evil Gaiden is non-canon, with many of its events either contradicting previous entries or being contradicted by entries succeeding it.
Why Resident Evil Gaiden Is Worth Checking Out in 2025
There are several potential reasons why gamers might be interested in dusting off Resident Evil Gaiden today, in spite of the myriad high-tech, impressively detailed survival horror games launching left and right. For one thing, a brief glance at gaming's modern horror scene will reveal just how beloved retro-influenced horror is: countless breakout horror hits, from Mouthwashing and Fear the Spotlight to There Is No Light and Darkwood, take clear inspiration from the late-1990s and early-2000s era of the industry, so playing Resident Evil Gaiden can be viewed as returning to the source of these tropes, as it were.
Beyond that, Resident Evil fans should check out Gaiden because of its unique place in Resident Evil history. It was released in 2001, three years before the series found its winning formula with Resident Evil 4, and it's clear that Capcom and associated groups like M4 were powerhouses of creativity and experimentation. For better and for worse, Resident Evil Gaiden is a clear showcase of this boundless, burgeoning creativity, and should therefore be celebrated and studied.
- Released
- June 4, 2002
- ESRB
- t // Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Capcom, M4
- Publisher(s)
- Capcom, Virgin Interactive
- Engine
- RE Engine
- Franchise
- Resident Evil
Survival Horror for Your Handheld
Experience a brand new chapter in Capcom's classic horror survival series: Resident Evil. Now a desperate fight for survival takes place aboard a luxury cruise-liner overflowing with a host of deadly zombies, There is no escape. As S.T.A.R.S. Operative Barry Burton, it's up to you to save Leon Kennedy, rescue a young survivor named Lucia and disable a deadly Bio-Organic Weapon. With countless traps to avoid, rooms to explorer, puzzles to solve and mysteries to uncover, each lurking horror survived will take you closer to the source of the Resident Evil. Survival is your only option.
Revolutionary New Features Include:
• 2 modes: top down exploration & first person combat mode• 100 rooms: 4 decks and 1 submarine in 11 amazing locations
• Intelligent enemies detect you using sight and field of view
• Play as 1 of 3 players to fend off hordes of mutant zombies
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy Color
- How Long To Beat
- 4 Hours
