The Evolution of Horror as Seen Through ‘Resident Evil 4’

Capcom’s “Resident Evil 4” revolutionized the way the video game approaches the genre of horror by implementing a dynamic camera perspective, fluid combat system, and the creation of organic cutscene sequences.

Dynamic Camera Perspective

The Resident Evil franchise up until Resident Evil 4 set the standard for horror games to have a fixed camera perspective in order to control the games ebb and flow of jump scares, and implement static pre-rendered backgrounds. Resident Evil 4; however, jumped to a dynamic camera perspective that sat behind the player’s shoulder during combat sequences. A creative way to create a fluid environment without sacrificing the fear factor, and let the player’s observations guide the build-up to each carefully implemented scare.

Fluid Combat System

Many horror games intentionally implement clumsy combat in an attempt to add panic or fear to the player’s actions. Players are meant to feel subjected to their environment rather than in control of it, Resident Evil 4 challenges this conventional system by giving the player a fluid combat system. The player is given artifice over the character and Capcom instead focuses on the design aspect of the environment in order to adjust the speed of the game in relation to the fluid action system, to create a difficult and fearful environment for the player.

Organic Cutscenes

Capcom’s choice to add QTE to mixed combat-narrative sequences changed the way horror games keep players engaged during important story delivery. This mechanic allows for the player to receive queues on the nature of their enemy, for example, during boss fights the player is ambushed with a series of attacks and cutscenes they must react to in order to advance within the game. These cutscene hold well-timed jump scares, and story delivery in order to advance the narrative of the game without sacrificing the engageability of the gameplay.