Resident Evil's 'Big Bad Follows You' Trick: Still Casting Fear Spells After All These Years?
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Capcom's Resident Evil series continues to master the 'stalker' horror formula, with *Resident Evil 9* introducing a new relentless foe that elevates dread by outsmarting players and forcing pure survival, proving the familiar trick still casts powerful fear spells.
Right, so you know that feeling when a magician pulls the same trick, but somehow, *somehow*, it still blows your socks off? That's precisely what Capcom's been doing with the Resident Evil series for a fair while now. You’d think after a few go-arounds with a monstrous, relentless 'stalker' enemy – the big, scary thing that just won’t sodding leave you alone – we’d all be a bit jaded. Rote, even. But, mate, I’ve been tinkering with this story all morning, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than it first appeared. Turns out, this formula isn't just surviving; it's thriving.
Cast your minds back a bit. We’ve had our fair share of these digital boogeymen. Remember Jack and Marguerite Baker from *Resident Evil 7*? They were a different beast altogether. Human-level monsters, flawed, terrifyingly domestic, yet you could almost, just almost, outsmart their AI. Jack, bless his terrifying heart, did a lot of the heavy lifting character-wise, making that whole initial foray into first-person horror feel truly fresh and disturbingly personal.
Then came the remakes, and Capcom, clearly emboldened by the sheer dread they’d brewed, dialled it up. My personal pick for series MVP of 'Things That Won't Leave You Alone' is still Mr. X from the *Resident Evil 2 Remake*. That insistent, thudding music, those heavy footsteps echoing across the Raccoon City Police Department, and that utterly terrifying silhouette turning corners when you least expect it – pure, unadulterated relentlessness. It felt like Capcom had truly mastered the art of making you feel hunted, like some digital predator reading your every desperate move. Nemesis in the *Resident Evil 3 Remake* gave it a good go, a solid homage to the original, but for my money, Mr. X just *hit* differently. You couldn't even properly put Nemesis down in the remake, which was a bit of a missed trick, if you ask me.
And then there was Lady Dimitrescu in *Resident Evil Village*. Now, I reckon some of her sheer terrifying impact was, shall we say, *complicated* by the internet’s collective desire to… well, you know. Plenty of folks, anecdotally speaking, seemed to be actively seeking her out to, ahem, *appreciate* her. But set aside the internet's quirks, and she had cracking AI. Her section might've been shorter than some, but bump the difficulty up to 'Village of Shadows,' and she turns into a proper persistent menace, roaming with more freedom and ensuring you're constantly looking over your digital shoulder.
So, it’s genuinely no surprise that *Resident Evil 9*, or *Requiem* as it's been dubbed, is pulling the same trick again. But here’s where it gets interesting. From the demo I’ve seen, this new stalker feels… different. More survival horror, more *Primal Fear* than full-on monster mash. You play as Grace Ashcroft, our new wide-eyed protagonist, trapped in what looks like a repurposed mansion turned medical facility. Think claustrophobic corridors, flickering, unreliable power circuits, and you waking up strung upside down like a particularly unfortunate side of Dexter's dinner. Proper charming, eh?
Grace manages to wriggle free, naturally, and starts scrambling for the exit. And as you’d expect from a Resi game, there are puzzles. Fuses, keys, the usual bits and bobs blocking your escape. But as you grope around in the delightful semi-darkness, one thing becomes patently, chillingly clear: you are *not* alone. Your new nemesis? A bug-eyed, mutated woman, clearly the result of some rather nasty experiments – probably brimming with a fresh, spicy strain of the T-Virus. I'm calling her Mrs. Zombie Nightgown, for now.
You might think, 'Ah, I know this dance. Stay on the move, duck into rooms, don't walk in a straight line, use the environment.' And you'd be right, partly. But this is where Capcom, like a wizard reading digital tea leaves, proves they’re two steps ahead. You spot a light source, thinking, 'Right, she hates light, I’ll lure her there!' Nope. She’s already crawled into the ceiling vents, cut you off. Bloody hell. So you pivot, dash to another flickering halogen bulb in what looks like a dead end, and there you are, stuck, trying to figure out your next move while Mrs. Zombie Nightgown is playing hide-and-seek with your vital organs.
I tried to outfox this new hunchbacked horror, and Capcom’s clever design, a few times. Each attempt ended with me admiring one of several brutal death animations. The developer *knows* you’ve played the last few games. They know your usual tricks. And they’re saying, between the lines, 'That ain’t gonna work this time, mate.' This mental game of cat-and-mouse, combined with an overhauled lighting engine that truly makes every flickering shadow and dark corner feel like a death trap, has me genuinely encouraged. This Resi looks and feels distinct.
There's no defending yourself here, either. At least in the demo, Grace can only pick things up and run. Which, honestly, is far more realistic than most Resi protagonists, let’s be fair. You can take one hit from Mrs. Zombie Nightgown, and then it’s curtains. It really leans into that pure survival horror thrill, much like *Alien: Isolation* – a comparison I'd usually be wary of, but here it fits like a glove. The way the environment and the new tech create such a tight, suffocating experience feels like a really clever gamble. It’s got that unnerving, unpredictable vibe of *PT*, too. High praise indeed.
Those procedural horror moments, where your unreliable lighter is your only friend, where the stalker’s movements are just unpredictable enough to keep you constantly off balance – it all dovetailed beautifully. It invoked the same primal dread as those opening hours of *Resident Evil 7*. Capcom is clearly confident, and the fact they're doubling down on this 'stalker' design isn't a sign of running out of ideas; it's a testament to their mastery of fear. While *Resi 8* admittedly went a bit more action-oriented later on, here’s hoping Grace’s part of the game keeps us rooted in those nail-biting survival horror elements.
Because one thing's for sure: Capcom is still best-in-class at crafting scenarios designed to absolutely torture wide-eyed protagonists, and by extension, us. And honestly? I wouldn't have it any other way.
Tags: survival horror, resident evil, game design, capcom, horror games
Original article: Eurogamer