How Resident Evil (1996) Creates Tension with Its UX

Creating an atmospheric, tense horror game is a challenge when you have all of the tools of modern game development at hand, but in 1996, things were even more limiting. Consoles at the time just did not have the computing power to push photo-realistic graphics, especially in real-time. Resident Evil famously tackled some of these limitations with clever use of real-time 3D objects rendered over 2D static backgrounds to achieve the level of immersion needed to sell their world of survival horror. But in fact, this is not the only way Capcom achieved immersive tension with their groundbreaking game. Today, we will examine two mechanics that help build tension and immersion: the player’s inventory and the save game system.

The player’s inventory, of course, is limited. Few of us could carry five different weapons, ammo stockpiles for said weapons, along with supplies and other tools, all while running from zombies and other mutant monsters. Not to mention the small museum collection of tomes, gems, and artifacts required to progress through Resident Evil’s sprawling mansion.

But considering how dangerous said mansion is, and how much paraphernalia is required to progress through locked doors, Resident Evil’s inventory cap of 6-8 items feels particularly limiting. It is possible to access a complete inventory of items from storage boxes scattered throughout the game, but they are rare and even more rarely placed right next to boss fights or tricky puzzle rooms.

What this means for the player is that a journey from storage box to storage box becomes a run in itself, and the player has to balance their life-saving items (guns and healing herbs) with their puzzle-solving ones (keys and the aforementioned artifacts). Making this strategic decision creates its own tension. If the player doesn’t take enough arsenal with them, they could run into a fight they can’t win or take damage they can’t recover from. But if they don’t take enough supplies, they may be unable to progress and forced to make multiple runs to re-access their inventory for the keys they need. And since enemies can respawn without warning, any given run is fraught with peril even when revisiting areas.

There is another key element to the inventory that adds to immersion: every object in the player’s inventory also exists as a 3D object that can be viewed up close and rotated for examination at every angle.

At first, this feels like a cute way to for the developers to show off their handiwork. But there is more to this feature than meets the eye. In fact, a handful of objects reveal secrets when examined from behind or beneath - sometimes even more objects!

It’s impossible to guess what came first - a developer rendering the player inventory in higher quality to show off their work, or a developer seeking a new, bespoke mechanicism to deliver puzzle pieces. But the result is every item you acquire feels tangible, and the game encourages you to achieve that feeling by rewarding you for submitting to it.

Speaking of limited inventory space, though, let’s talk about ink ribbons, Resident Evil’s infamous save game mechanic. You see, in order to save their progress, players must meet two requirements. First, they have to find one of the few, out of the way typewriters. Second, they have to possess an ink ribbon, which is then consumed by saving (and also takes up another precious inventory slot).

Although it feels archaic and punishing compared to the prevalence of autosaves and checkpoints in today’s games, this save system actually addresses one key tension for the developers: the survival horror mechanic of highly limited resources.

Perhaps the player has had a bad run. They lost a lot of health to zombie dogs or spent too many of their precious shotgun shells shooting (and missing) hunters. Do they want to lock in progress with so few bullets and hit points remaining? If they do, they could find themselves struggling to survive the next stretch of game. But because save games are, themselves, a resource, it prompts the player to press on if their resources are low. After all, if they die, maybe they will do better on the next run. And if they don’t die, maybe they will find more ammo and health somewhere else and can save with more confidence.

Inventory management and save systems in video games are often seen as little more than UI challenges, but Capcom managed to find a way to use these core game elements to create player tension and further the survival horror experience. It makes me reconsider how I might implement some of these systems in the future. Not bad for a game over a quarter century old!