Summary
- Some Resident Evil games sometimes omit safe rooms to maintain an intense, action-filled gameplay experience.
- Resident Evil 5 replaced safe rooms with a safe 'menu' after the completion of chapters.
- Some titles like Umbrella Corps and Gaiden omit safe rooms to keep players immersed in the action at all times.
Ever since the first Resident Evil was released back in 1998, there have been a handful of trends and traditions that have carried through many of the games, including typewriters used for saving, item boxes, cheesy dialogue, and safe rooms. However, this is a series that has changed and adapted over time, and while most of these features remain intact, the safe rooms have been cut out of the experience numerous times for one reason or another.
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Not having a safe haven that grants players the opportunity to chill out and relax during their nightmarish adventure mixes up the traditional gameplay loop, while also usually making the journey all the more terrifying. With such a staggering amount of number games and spin-offs out there to enjoy, it's time to hone in on the Resident Evil titles that decided to leave safe rooms behind and explore how their omission changes the overall experience for the player.
8 Resident Evil 5
The Fifth Mainline Game Replaces Safe Rooms With A Safe 'Menu'
Resident Evil 5
- Released
- March 5, 2009
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
While Resident Evil 5's core third-person gameplay is heavily inspired by the entry that came before it, one subtle difference is that this game doesn't feature safe rooms, at least, not exactly. Every time players complete a chapter in Resident Evil 5, they will be presented with a menu that shows their current inventory and treasures, alongside a merchant whom they can buy weapons from.
In Resident Evil 4, the Merchant would physically show up in the safe rooms to provide Leon with new guns, but Capcom decided to streamline the whole process by automatically including them in this safe 'menu' of sorts. While this does give players a moment to breathe in between their journey across Kijuju, these essentially act as brief intermissions rather than physical rooms where Chris and Sheva can relax before pressing on.
7 Resident Evil 6
To Keep Players Immersed In The Action At All Times, Resident Evil 6 Ditches Safe Rooms Entirely
Resident Evil 6
Resident Evil 6 is undoubtedly the biggest departure from the survival horror roots of any mainline Resident Evil game, and as a result, it leaves a lot of the franchise traditions on the cutting room floor. This includes merchants, typewriters, and most importantly, safe rooms, which don't quite fit the action-packed gameplay that the game is going for.
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Even though Leon's campaign, which is one of the four that are available, is a little slower and more horror-focused, even that still features tons of heavy action, and since including safe rooms in one campaign would presumably mean they would need to feature in all of them, Capcom decided they simply didn't need to be included at all.
6 Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
Players Never Get A Chance To Take A Break While Venturing Through The Zombie-Ridden Raccoon City
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
- Released
- March 20, 2012
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
- OpenCritic Rating
- Weak
While Leon and Claire may have had the luxury of being able to take a load off in the safe rooms dotted around Raccoon City, the Umbrella Security Service, and US Special Ops members aren't so lucky. As players make their way through hordes of zombies, including numerous B.O.Ws such as Lickers and the Nemesis, they will be forced to keep pushing until the end of a mission without being afforded a break in between.
One reason for leaving safe rooms out of this divisive entry in the series is simply to make players feel as if they really have just been dropped in the middle of a horrific outbreak where zombies can always grab hold of them, no matter where they try to hide. Additionally, it also may have been an issue trying to create safe rooms for four players at once, considering how everyone would probably be trying to use the item box and typewriter all at the same time.
5 Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D
Players Are Too Focused On Keeping Up Their Combos To Be Taking A Load Off In A Safe Room
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D
- Released
- June 28, 2011
- Developer(s)
- Tose
- Platform(s)
- 3DS
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
Since safe rooms are never included in the bonus Mercenaries game mode that has made a re-appearance since the third mainline game, it only makes sense they would also be omitted for the Mercenaries standalone titles released for the 3DS. The main goal when jumping into a round of Mercenaries is to build up a combo by eliminating as many enemies as possible, so if anything, taking a quick rest and setting up a save would only get in the way of the experience.
This also means that item boxes and typewriters are similarly nowhere to be seen, which is also understandable when taking into account that this is simply a small spin-off title, rather than a brand-new mainline entry that would be expected to carry forward a lot of the series' past traditions.
4 Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps
Umbrella Corps' Mission-Based Campaign Leaves Safe Rooms Out So That Players Can Focus On Racking Up Their Kill Count
Umbrella Corps
- Released
- June 21, 2016
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
- OpenCritic Rating
- Weak
Umbrella Corps doesn't follow the same traditional campaign formula seen in other Resident Evil games where players embark on a long and arduous journey that takes them through numerous different environments and locales. Instead, the campaign is split up into individual missions, all of which drop players into a familiar arena from the series' history where they are then tasked with eliminating as many zombies and Ganado as possible.
Considering each mission is only a few minutes in length, it doesn't make sense to have Safe Rooms, since players are always on the hunt for fresh kills due to the more action-focused gameplay loop that is at the core of this particular title.
3 Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
The On-Rails Gameplay Format Of Darkside Chronicles Means Safe Rooms Don't Fit
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
- Released
- November 17, 2009
- Developer(s)
- Capcom, Cavia
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 3, Wii
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
This also applies to The Umbrella Chronicles, since both these games feature on-rail gameplay where players are only able to aim their gun, with the character's movements being controlled automatically. As a result of this, safe rooms simply wouldn't work in Darkside Chronicles, since in the other entries, it's up to the player to decide when they would like to take a break and set up a quick save in case anything goes wrong.
In this case, though, since the game dictates where the player will be moving and what environments they'll be navigating through, it keeps them in the thick of the action at all times, raising the intensity of the gameplay as a result. Thankfully, the game is pretty generous with its autosaves, just to ensure players don't get too irritated at the omission of these relaxing rooms.
2 Resident Evil Revelations
Despite Harkening Back To The Roots Of The Series, Revelations Doesn't Bring Back The Classic Safe Rooms
Resident Evil Revelations
Resident Evil Revelations was touted as being the grand return to survival horror that many fans had been eager for after the series had plunged itself into non-stop action. However, while it managed to replicate the slow and eerie atmosphere of the originals, Revelations did away with safe rooms entirely. Instead, the game places item boxes around the Queen Zenobia ship in wide open areas, meaning enemies can still attack Jill if she doesn't clear out the area first.
This ramps up the intensity of the moment-to-moment gameplay considerably since every room has a high chance of being packed full of horrific Ooze enemies who linger around the ship. While Capcom was doing all they could to harken back to those original games, they weren't quite committed enough to bring safe rooms back just yet.
1 Resident Evil Gaiden
This 'What If?' Scenario Plays Like A Traditional Resident Evil, But With No Safe Rooms In Sight
Resident Evil Gaiden
- Released
- June 4, 2002
- Developer(s)
- Capcom, M4
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy Color
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
Resident Evil Gaiden is a fairly niche spin-off game that follows Leon and Barry as they attempt to escape a zombie-infested cruise ship while also helping out a few survivors along the way. While this might sound like a pretty outlandish premise, that's because the game is completely non-canon, which allowed Capcom to play around with the story, but also the gameplay, with safe rooms failing to make the cut for this bizarre entry.
As players make their way through the ship, they will run into save points more or less randomly, but these aren't based in specific rooms that are completely safe from enemies. As a result, players barely ever get a chance to catch their breath during a playthrough of Resident Evil Gaiden, which makes it a must-try for any hardcore horror fans who enjoy being filled with suspense the entire way through.
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