History Videogame / ResidentEvil1

* FauxActionGirl: Rebecca since she doesn't do much compared to Jill.
* FinalGirl: Jill can be the only survivor left if Barry dies and Chris is left behind. Likewise, Rebecca is the only sole survivor of the Bravo Team if she survives.

** Barry himself is far less prone to danger than Rebecca is. The only time he falls into trouble is if you (optionally) split up with him in the undergrounds or don't wait for him to get a new rope (original game)/don't give him his gun back when fighting Lisa (remake).

* FromBadToWorse: Should the zombie be incapacitated, but not destroyed, the t-Virus will cause their decaying bodies to mutate further into a Crimson Head zombie. Further necrosis happens, but now muscle tissue regenerates making them stronger, and faster. They'll grow claws. Terrible blood seepage starts, giving the zombie its crimson-like skin. When they awaken, they're more aggressive hunters than ever before. If allowed to mutate again, they'll [[OhCrap become Lickers]].

* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: One possibility if you fall victim to Plant 42 in the original game is having it pick you up by the waist with one of its tendrils and ''[[CruelAndUnusualDeath slowly]]'' [[CruelAndUnusualDeath pinch your character in half]].

** In ''Remake'', due to the possibility of the support character dying at the hands of Tyrant in the Final Battle (and thus after the self destruct has been armed), the bad and worst endings can happen with the mansion still being destroyed.
* {{Nerf}}: The remake makes the shotgun no longer guarantee an instant kill to a zombie with a headshot (a trait that carries over in the sequels). To compensate, the handgun can have a random chance of scoring an instant kill on zombies so that players are less tempted to ditch the gun as soon as they get the shotgun.

* ShakyPOVCam: The first appearance of the Hunter.

** Forest is killed by being pecked to death by infected crows.

* InfinityMinusOneSword: Jill's Grenade Launcher is this. You can find a good amount of ammo for it (assuming you only use it on boss monsters or tough enemies like the Hunters) and you'll probably be using the weapon far more often than the Magnum due to ammo for it being very scarce. Most people save the Magnum for the FinalBoss. For Chris, most people get more mileage out of the Shotgun (since the Grenade Launcher isn't available to him) while still saving the Magnum for the bigger nasties.

* CutscenePowerToTheMax: A few cutscenes show Hunters and even zombies opening doors by using the door knobs, something they're completely incapable of doing in-game. In the remake, the zombies and Hunters just bust the doors open by slamming into them instead.

* InsurmountableWaistHeightFence: This applies to enemies to some extent. The player can use certain barriers and crates to prevent enemies from reaching them, even though they could be only two-feet tall. This actually make the knife useful in the early game, as the statue in the second floor dining room and the banister the next room over prevents zombies from grabbing you, but not you from stabbing them. Furthermore, zombies and Hunters are blocked by ''staircases'' until you reach them.

** [[spoiler:Wesker is a mole working for Umbrella.]] It is sort of hard to avoid knowing this now, especially since he is the BigBad of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'', as well as several of the live-action films, and appears in a villainous role in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''.

* MirrorScare: Both played straight and averted. In the Advanced Mode in the ''Director's Cut'' version, looking in the mirror in the bathroom causes a zombie to sneak up behind the character.

*** Zombies can take you down from fine to caution status in just a few bites (or even ''danger'', for the slightly weaker Jill), zombie dogs are fast and hard to evade, the boss monsters hit very hard (including one that can poison you early in the game), and the Hunters can do a OneHitKill on you if you're unfortunate enough.

* NowWhereWasIGoingAgain: Rooms on the map of the mansion change color if you find all of the collectibles, and locked and unlocked doors are also different colors. Plot progression lurks behind locked doors.

** The wasps are clearly [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_giant_hornet Japanese giant hornets]], which aren't wasps, to begin with, but wouldn't be found as natives anywhere near the American Midwest.

* ElectrifiedBathtub: While the Neptunes become harmless once the lab they inhabit is drained, the mother can be finished off by throwing a fuse box into the puddle beneath her and throwing a switch.

* BareYourMidriff: Jill's bonus outfit includes a crop top that exposes her midriff.

* CoversAlwaysLie: The North American ''Director's Cut'' depicts what appears to be Chris on the brink of zombification (decaying skin and all). No such thing even remotely close to it happens in the game.

* DisneyVillainDeath: Should Chris take too long in the final battle with Lisa, she'll knock [[spoiler:Wesker]] off into the abyss. Unlike Barry in Jill's scenario, [[spoiler:Wesker]] shows up for the climax alive.

* EpicFail: Forest was somehow killed by crows despite his arsenal of huge weapons. For reference, crows do next to no damage from a gameplay perspective and the player would actively have to try to be killed by them.

* GameFavoredGender: Between starting the game with only the knife to defend himself, a slower speed, a smaller inventory, the need to find keys to progress through the mansion, delayed access to the shotguns, and no access at all to the grenade launchers, Chris is basically the "hard mode character" in comparison to Jill. He does boast the ability to survive more attacks before dying but, because of that slower speed, smaller inventory, and lack of heavy firepower, he's probably going to take more hits anyway. He also is required to fight Plant 42 (whereas Jill can just kill it with chemicals). Jill also fares better with her partner. Barry can save Jill multiple times, give her ammo, and isn't really in danger except for Lisa, whereas Rebecca can only heal Chris (a few times at a designated location) and gets trapped by a hunter at one point. Jill's only real flaws are a slower running speed and lower health.

* KickTheDog: Specifically invoked in one instance: When Rebecca is in disbelief over [[spoiler:Wesker admitting to his deception and killing off all her friends]], she's shot in the chest solely to make the point further clearer. Fortunately, she survives thanks to her bullet-proof vest.

** In one ending of Jill's scenario, [[spoiler:Wesker's]] decapitated head is seen in the self-destruct chamber.

* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Wesker]] deliberately killed and resurrected himself as part of a plot to break away from Umbrella.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The Flamethrower that Chris can get is indeed awesome, but it burns through all of its fuel very quickly. It is really only useful in one boss fight and even then you have to get right up to the boss and risk getting hurt, and there are no refills for the fuel.[[note]]There is an unused 3D model of one in the original version's files, however.[[/note]] The Rebirth Mode in ''Deadly Silence'' puts a Flamethrower in the mansion basement that has the same purpose in the original mode (opening a door), but you get to roast several zombies along the way..
* BadassNormal: All of the main characters. Greatly supported by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXutugd67DA this live action cast intro sequence.]]

* EvilIsHammy: [[spoiler:Once he reveals himself to be the traitor in the original version, Wesker does this.]]

* GameFavoredGender: Played straight to a degree in regard to the original Jill's scenario. Her only major flaws are the fact that she runs slower than Chris and can take fewer hits. Some re-releases (such as the PC version giving both Chris and Jill automatic weapons) and the remake tones down the discrepancy. Her advantages, on the other hand, include:
** Having eight item slots; Chris has six.
** A lock pick as her personal item, which allows her to bypass a few doors and access to any locked drawer. Chris needs to find the Sword Key and a few small keys for these, which is a hassle with his smaller inventory space.
** Starting off right away with her gun; Chris loses his, and he has to find the zombie eating Kenneth and report it back first (Jill's gun will be on the floor for him to take).
** Can get the grenade launcher, which is probably her biggest advantage. Chris briefly has a [[VideoGameFlamethrowersSuck flamethrower]], but it runs out of fuel quickly and he needs to discard it at some point anyway to proceed through the game.
** If you take her to get the shotgun right after finding the first zombie, she doesn't have to detour and find the broken shotgun first (the shotgun weighs down a ceiling trap); Barry will rescue her if she does so.
** She can avoid directly fighting Plant 42 with Barry's help; depending on your actions, Barry will also instantly come to her rescue if Yawn poisons her (although she can also be left to find the serum on her own).
** Barry himself is far less prone to danger than Rebecca is. The only time he falls into trouble is if you (optionally) split up with him in the undergrounds or don't wait for him to get a new rope (original game)/don't give him his gun back when fighting Lisa (remake).
** On a meta level, if you feel squeamish about visiting the first zombie, you can try to leave the dining hall, and the zombie will come in for Barry to kill.[[note]]Say goodbye to the free ammo on Kenneth's body if you do this, unless you take the ammo before leaving.[[/note]] Chris will always have to see the zombie and either fight or run from it.

* IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels: Selecting your character affects the game's difficulty. Jill can carry more items (eight instead of six), has an exclusive weapon (the grenade launcher), earlier access to some rooms thanks to the lockpick and can completely skip at least one boss battle thanks to Barry. On the other hand, Chris can sustain more damage than Jill and has Rebecca around to heal him, but Jill's advantages outnumbers Chris'. The difficulty of each character are actually shown in the Japanese version from the get go (Jill = Easy, Chris = Hard), but they're not as obvious in the overseas versions unless you've played the game before.

* AwesomeButImpractical:
** The Flamethrower that Chris can get is indeed awesome, but it burns through all of its fuel very quickly. It is really only useful in one boss fight and even then you have to get right up to the boss and risk getting hurt, and there are no refills for the fuel.[[note]]There is an unused 3D model of one in the original version's files, however.[[/note]] The Rebirth Mode in ''Deadly Silence'' puts a Flamethrower in the mansion basement that has the same purpose in the original mode (opening a door), but you get to roast several zombies along the way..

** In Chris's campaign, he has only a knife at the start of the game, though he would find one very early on. Later games would always start the player character with a handgun.
** The first game is the only one where you can have multiple endings, though not much would change other than who would appear in said endings and whether or not the mansion blows up. No other game would use multiple endings again until ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard''.

''Resident Evil'' (''Bio Hazard''[[note]]Later games in the series would spell the title as one word (''Biohazard'').[[/note]] in Japan) is a horror-themed action-adventure game released for the UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation}} in 1996 and the first entry in the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' franchise. Creator/ShinjiMikami conceived the game when his superiors at Creator/{{Capcom}} requested an updated version of their horror classic ''VideoGame/SweetHome''. With graphics and game design inspired by ''VideoGame/AloneInTheDark'', ''Resident Evil'' spawned one of Capcom's [[Franchise/ResidentEvil most iconic franchises]], which now includes several video game sequels and spinoffs as well as other media tie-ins. This game also [[TropeNamers gave us the term]] "SurvivalHorror".

** The environments in the original game are extremely bright and colorful, being heavily inspired by [[Film/TheShining the Overlook Hotel]] and ''VideoGame/SweetHome''. Later games, including this game's remake, would have a more [[RealIsBrown conventional horror aesthetic]].

** The game is the only one to have difficulty that is based on the characters; Jill = Easy (8 inventory slots, lock picking desks and certain doors Chris needs a key for, and an exclusive weapon) and Chris = Hard (6 inventory slots and a flamethrower that has limited use, more enemies and they take more damage, less power ammo and other resources, and some resources are locked in desks that require keys to open). Jill compensates a bit by having less health than Chris. The remake ironed this out a lot by making enemy health and placement consistent across both characters, nerfing Jill's grenade launcher and moving the magnum up to before Hunters appear, and giving Chris some advantages like higher headshot chances and faster running speed. The rest of the series made all characters equal in performance apart from some sensible gender-related distinctions like durability and strength and inventory space.

** The game itself focuses more on puzzle solving with the puzzles themselves being very outlandish. Later games would tone down the puzzles and rely more on actionized scenes. Likewise, the atmosphere in the first game was more mysterious, being something like a modern day haunted house with many rooms to explore and files indicating what happened before everything went to hell. Most of the sequels would rely on being [[ActionizedSequel more actionized and bombastic]] in scope to raise the stakes, though a few games would revert to the slower paced exploration in a mysterious location setting like with the first game.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The Flamethrower that Chris can get is indeed awesome, but it burns through all of its fuel very quickly. It is really only useful in one boss fight and even then you have to get right up to the boss and risk getting hurt, and there are no refills for the fuel.[[note]]There is an unused 3D model of one in the original version's files, however.[[/note]] The Rebirth Mode in ''Deadly Silence'' puts a Flamethrower in the mansion basement that has the same purpose in the original mode (opening a door), but you get to roast several zombies along the way.

* OffWithHisHead: Hunters can [[OneHitKill slice your head off in a single stroke]] and Rebecca can suffer the same fate if she is not rescued in time.

In 2002, Capcom produced a completely [[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRemake revamped version]] of the game for the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo GameCube}} in an effort to bring the main series to Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s new home console. This new version, known amongst fans as the ''[=REmake=]'', featured revamped character models set against full-motion backgrounds, CGI cut scenes (which replaced the cheesy live-action versions from the original), a brand new soundtrack, wholly redone (but still cheesy) voice acting, updated gameplay mechanics, and story line revisions that bring it in line with the sequels released up to that date. The remake was exclusive to Nintendo consoles for many years (it was re-released for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} in 2008) until Capcom announced an HD remaster of the game for the [=PlayStation=], Xbox and PC platforms as a digital download. The UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation 3}} and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} versions were released in Japan in November 2014 (the former has an exclusive physical release in the region), while the UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation 4}}, UsefulNotes/{{Xbox One}}, and PC versions achieved [[MemeticMutation complete global saturation]] alongside the overseas releases of the other versions in January 2015. Upgrades from the [=GameCube=] version include fully remastered graphics, the ability to switch between widescreen and "standard" screen sizes, an option to choose between the original's "tank controls" and a modern control scheme inspired by more recent entries in the franchise, and [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil5 B.S.A.A.]] outfits for Chris and Jill. A UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch version was released on May 21, 2019.

Along with the second entry in the series, ''Film/ResidentEvilWelcomeToRaccoonCity'' uses this game as partial source material.

** The game itself focuses more on puzzle solving with the puzzles themselves being very outlandish. Later games would tone down the puzzles and rely more on actionized scenes.