Horror gaming has come a long way since the classics of the late 90s, but that doesn’t mean that the inspiration those classics created has left the fanbase. If anything, newer, modern titles continue to pull from those iconic games.
Resident Evil is perhaps the most infamous in terms of horror gaming, and there are no shortage of games inspired by the series.
New or old, developers have been trying to capture the same magic as Resident Evil for decades, with many pointing to the franchise as a focal inspiration for their games, designing their own titles as a love letter to their muse. That love letter is prevalent in these games, with many players immediately making the connection right off the bat.
So, if you’re a fan of the Resident Evil games, you’ll easily become a fan of the games directly inspired by the series.
10 You Will Die Here Tonight
A Hidden Indie Gem
Police enter a zombie-infested mansion and have to survive while trying to find a way out. It’s the plot of the first Resident Evil game, as well as the indie game You Will Die Here Tonight.
The difference, however, is that instead of fixed camera angles in every room, players go about the game with a top-down perspective, but that doesn’t dampen the anxiety in the slightest. If anything, it’s amplified, which is especially the case as the zombies (very quickly) catch up to you and chase you down.
The game is a clear love letter to the first game (as someone who has played the first game repeatedly since age seven, it’s almost surreal how similar it is), but with additional features. For example, you have to manage your infection if a zombie bites you, similarly to Resident Evil: Outbreak.
It’s such a genuine gem that it’s easy to look past its flaws, just like the classic games that defined the genre.
9 Parasite Eve
Similar in Vibes
Instead of a colossal outbreak in Parasite Eve, you play an officer trying to stop a single, infected individual: an opera singer named Eve, who is hell-bent on destroying the world and humanity as a whole.
Parasite Eve is a horror RPG with a blend of turn-based combat and simple action, as well as its fair share of puzzles you need to solve in order to progress. Not only does it feel unique from start to finish, but it’s genuinely fun and entertaining from all angles, including the soundtrack.
Fans of Resident Evil and Final Fantasy will adore this game, as it takes all the best elements from both series and creates its own, distinct narrative as a genre hybrid. There aren’t many games like it, but that won’t stop fans from simply replaying the game until they get their fix.
Let’s just hope the remake rumours are true, because this would be a fantastic title that deserves expansion.
8 Dino Crisis
Resident Evil With Dinosaurs
Directed by Shinji Mikami, the director of the original Resident Evil, it’s no wonder that Dino Crisis has often been referred to as “Resident Evil, but with dinosaurs.” You get exactly what it says on the tin.
Dino Crisis cemented itself as an instant Cult Classic, with an incredibly dedicated fanbase to constantly hype it up. It’s worth the hype, too, because this game manages to make dinosaurs as terrifying as they should be, rather than something cute and friendly for children. They were the apex predators of the world once, after all.
You play as Regina, an agent of the Secret Operation Raid Team (S.O.R.T.) — riveting acronym, I know — trying to figure out what happened to Dr. Edward Kirk, who was announced as dead three years prior, and the secrets of his lab experiments. However, the squad gets far more than what they bargained for.
Dino Crisis has the exact same vibe and feelings as the classic Resident Evil games, thanks to Shinji Mikami, so it’s an ideal game for fans of the series.
7 Deep Fear
An OG RE Clone
One of the first ever games that was seen as a direct successor/clone of the original Resident Evil games was Sega’s Deep Fear, which came out the same year as Resident Evil 2.
Many wouldn’t assume a company like Sega, known for Sonic the Hedgehog, would be capable of making a genuinely freaky game like Deep Fear, but they did. Plus, with the iconic Kenji Kawai being behind the soundtrack, players will feel a distinct mood unlike anything Sega had done.
Since you’re actually several hundred feet underwater in this game, you actually have to keep track of your oxygen. When you run out, you die, so be sure to stay on top of it whenever you can. It also requires you to be smart with your materials, since firing a gun will cause oxygen to deplete faster.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t received too well when it came out, which is a shame. It’s well worth a playthrough, especially if you love the RE games.
6 Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
Remakes Were Inspired
While the first Alone in the Dark game actually came out before the first Resident Evil game, every Alone in the Dark game after has taken direct inspiration from the RE games. Either to keep up with competition or because of genuine inspiration, the remakes and sequels end up pulling a lot from the pinnacle of survival horror — Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare is clearly the most inspired.
In this game, you play as a private investigator named Edward trying to uncover the truth about your best friend’s death, and you’re not going to stop until you get your answer. Like Resident Evil 2, you have the option to play as Edward or as a professor named Aline, which will influence your gameplay and difficulty.
It captures the magic of the original Alone in the Dark wonderfully, but it’s not disappointing like its 2024 remake counterpart. If you’re new to the series but like Resident Evil, many fans would point you to this game as your starting point, and for good reason.
5 Devil May Cry
Almost Resident Evil 4
By now, it’s common knowledge that Devil May Cry was originally meant to be Resident Evil 4, but was changed in the middle of production into a new IP altogether. That doesn’t mean the Resident Evil-isms just went away — quite the opposite, as a matter of fact.
While future Devil May Cry titles take on an identity of their own, turning the franchise into its own thing, the first game is a lot moodier in atmosphere, with a lot less action than the sequels. Plus, Dante makes for an excellent protagonist, being an anti-hero rather than the well-aligned law enforcement we normally play.
I’m hesitant to call Devil May Cry a horror game, but it’s far easier to classify the first game in the genre, especially with the creepy castle and atmospheric soundtrack. The horror melts away when you get into the hack-and-slash combat that the series is known for, however.
Either way, the Resident Evil inspiration is front and centre, being born from the ashes into something fun and unique.
4 Alan Wake
In a Dark, Dark Wood
Everyone seems to love Alan Wake 2 more than the first game — which is perfectly fine, it’s an excellent game — however, there’s such a distinct vibe that the first game has, and the sequel doesn’t replicate it. I think, in part, it’s because the first Alan Wake has more Resident Evil vibes.
You play as the titular Alan Wake, navigating a dark, wooded world in the Pacific Northwest, looking for your wife. However, this darkness is hostile, and it wants to eat you alive.
Your flashlight is your lifeline; not only do you need it to see everything around you, but it serves a unique purpose for the game: to dispel the darkness from enemies, allowing you to actually damage them with bullets.
Not only is it well-written and fun to play, it nails the same atmosphere as Resident Evil on several fronts.
3 Dead Space
Inspired by RE4 and System Shock
Developers of Dead Space have directly stated that the main inspirations for the game were System Shock and Resident Evil 4, so it’s no wonder that the game feels so similar. It’s just instead of an overrun mansion, you’re in an overrun ship in space, where nobody can hear you scream.
You play as Isaac Clarke, an engineer who boards the doomed Ishimura looking for his girlfriend after receiving an S.O.S. signal. Things continue to turn for the worse for Isaac, who now has to deal with Necromorphs, undead aliens born from human corpses, who are hostile to everyone on the ship.
Not to mention, the A.I. for these creatures is unmatched. Unlike the shuffling zombies of Resident Evil, the Necromorphs actually learn from you, either sneaking up on you or jumping out in plain sight if you try to avoid them. It’s unsettling in multiple ways, even more so once you learn that they were human once.
It plays very similarly to Resident Evil 4, with the over-the-shoulder camera and immersive action, but with plenty of scares to keep you frightened.
2 The Evil Within
Same Director
Shinji Mikami is a busy man, because he wasn’t done with Resident Evil or Dino Crisis. In fact, in the 2010s, he released his newest franchise, The Evil Within. In it, you’re exploring Beacon Mental Hospital (which at times shares a striking resemblance to the Spencer Mansion), and trying to escape with your life while avoiding monsters beyond comprehension.
Not only that, but this game has several more puzzles than Resident Evil was known for, forcing players to think outside the box without ending up in one.
This game dives more into psychological horror than the Resident Evil games had in the past, but not so much so that it feels like a Silent Hill game. In fact, it feels like its own entry (because it is), but through a thick, RE lens.
Either way, The Evil Within nails the vibe that horror fans (especially Resident Evil fans) are craving.
1 Tormented Souls
A Modern Classic
Tormented Souls is a modern game through the classic lens, with Resident Evil being the main inspiration for the title. You’re exploring a mansion-turned-hospital, complete with puzzles and the undead on your tail.
If you played and enjoyed the Resident Evil Remake on the GameCube, it’s got the exact same vibes, invoking the same emotions and fears that players have to push through. Plus, a sequel is coming out this year, which is all the more reason to dive into the first game and fall in love from the start.
Classic survival horror is distinct in gameplay, story beats, and emotion — and Tormented Souls nails every single one.
It’s without a doubt one of the best inspired games to come out of the horror genre, and it makes me all the more excited to see what the sequel has in store.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
