Post by @MystValkyrie@lemmy.blahaj.zone

@MystValkyrie@lemmy.blahaj.zone

2026-10-07 20:51 UTC

Should I keep trying with Resident Evil 1 (2002) or wait for a hypothetical RE Engine remake? A bit of backstory: I grew up watching an childhood friend play through the classic Resident Evil and eventually picked up RE1 Remake, which I still have yet to beat after many false starts and failed attempts. At the time, I found the controls frustrating and the difficulty overly punishing. Despite this, I adored the story and watched through the cutscenes on YouTube many times, and also read the amazing novelization by S.D. Perry many times. Like most folks, I didn’t actually finish a RE game until RE2 Remake, which I found much more accessible. The puzzles were a lot of fun, and while there was a lot of backtracking, I didn’t notice it because the police department was relatively small. Since then, I’ve gotten into most of the RE games with modern controls, and demystified overhead tank controls thanks to the classic Silent Hill games, RE Outbreak, Onimusha, Parasite Eve 2, and Crow Country, all of which I love. Despite all that, I’ve attempted to go back to RE1 Remake and have had a really bad time. I love the atmosphere, but even with the controls figured out, the game feels more like a chore than RE2 Remake. The mansion feels a lot bigger and is more confusing to navigate than RCPD, plus you have fewer item slots as Jill than as Leon/Claire. And then there’s the time-wasting mechanics like how you have to set zombies on fire to keep them from coming back to life, how headshots are RNG and not based on player skill, or how you can’t take the shorter paths through certain doors without the lock breaking, forcing you to take longer to get to the first major item box, which you have to trek to and from constantly every time your inventory fills up. About six months ago, I finally made it out of the mansion and to the courtyard (which took me 15 hours of playtime lol), but then I got so burned out I quit, and after trying to start up again recently, I don’t remember at all what I need to do next. (There’s like, pool tables and giant spiders and stuff?) I’m definitely an RE casual player, but I’m kind of just holding out hope for another remake so it’s not as much of a slog. But there’s no confirmation that will ever happen beyond leaks and RE1 has been a big unclosed book in my gaming life. On the other hand, I might be forcing myself to play a game I don’t like.

Replies (12)

@Squatcher@piefed.social 2026-10-07 21:00

Yes keep trying. I just came back to re1 and I’m doing a playthrough now. Still a fun game. On ps4 you can change controls there are 2 options

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@Aielman15@lemmy.world 2026-10-07 21:13

REmake is one of the best horror games ever made, and the best Resident Evil game ever made.

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@VerdantTome@programming.dev 2026-10-07 23:26

I’ll give you the same advice that I give myself whenever I feel this way: There are already more genuinely good video games in the world than you will be able to finish before you die. If there’s a “classic” that you feel the need to experience, but you give it a solid chance and it’s just not “clicking” for you, put it down and move on to something else. You’ve tried it, that’s enough. Between all the games that exist, and trying to live a somewhat rounded life that has more than only games in it, you simply can’t get around to all of them.

Open ##4954327
@mohab@piefed.social 2026-10-08 03:40

This sounds more like FOMO than “I’m not sure if I’m gonna like this” type of situation. It sounds like you know for certain you’re not enjoying the game, otherwise you wouldn’t have called it a slog. I’d just move on, TBH. “If it’s not fun, why bother?”

Open ##4955775
@_Lory98_@discuss.tchncs.de 2026-10-08 07:08

If you are not into it you shouldn’t force yourself just because it’s considered a classic. It’s not like there’s required reading. Also IMO a remake (especially how capcom is handling the RE ones) is not the same as playing the original game so I don’t think you should see it as a replacement, if it ever comes out.

Open ##4956517
@Kolanaki@pawb.social 2026-10-08 07:12

Personally, I think the classic versions are easier than the more modern remakes since you didn’t need to have any actual skill to do the combat. The puzzles are exactly the same, for the most part.

Open ##4956562
@retry1203@lemmy.ca 2026-10-08 11:57

The current era remakes are just different styles of games than anything released before the original RE4. IMO the things you say you don’t like are part of what make this game fun and great. But plenty of people feel the way you do. There’s no wrong answer here. Btw, just in case you give it another try, some tips: don’t kill every zombie/enemy, some are easy to avoid don’t burn every zombie body. You can run around the crimson heads (the zombies who come back) usually if a pool of blood appears under a zombie when it dies, it won’t come back as a crimson heads, you don’t need to burn it a zombie killed with a headshot won’t come back most guns will head shot at a close range if you aim upward. The range is different for each gun. Pistol sucks at this but shotgun is reliable.

Open ##4957559
@BreakerSwitch@lemmy.world 2026-10-08 12:48

I had a similar experience. The low inventory cap combined with being able to find a wide variety of key items really burnt me out on the game quickly as, invariably, I’d end up needing to explore to find what items I needed to bring with me, which meant using up resources just to learn what’s around the corner, which often meant that I was better off finding a destination, then immediately loading a save rather than working backwards to get what I needed. That temptation to do a light version of save scumming (or just dying) really brought me out of the experience. Another commenter recommended using a walkthrough and I think that’s a reasonable take (for me), in the form of “focus on the parts of games you like, and minimize the parts you don’t,” but my end goal has been “I have a friend who loves this game. Sometime I should invite them over and have them give me light guidance on what I should be doing”

Open ##4957722
@futurefossil@lemmy.world 2026-10-08 13:10

It’s ok to not finish a game you’re not into. End of story. Life is too short and there is no need to justify this to anyone.

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@Katana314@lemmy.world 2026-10-08 14:05

You’re not alone in never finishing RE1, and I’ve played pretty much every other RE game. If you’re starved for survival horror, Steam has an expansive indie scene with some really good entries on the subject. I could recommend Crow Country and Tormented Souls 1+2 if you haven’t heard of those.

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@Widdershins@lemmy.world 2026-10-08 15:55

Most of the horror in Resident Evil comes from the bad controls. Playing the game is like having one of those nightmares where your body will not move right.

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@OpenPassageways@lemmy.zip 2026-10-08 16:39

I think if they were going to make one they would have done it before RE2 remake… But maybe they will redo 0 and 1 who knows.

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