History Videogame / ResidentEvil1

** A smaller edit was to make severed heads and limbs instantly vanish upon hitting the ground. Originally, they were to remain visible. This was even taken out of the original Japanese retail version, so only the Japanese demo version and the PC edition left this detail in.

** The MultipleEndings. Depending on your actions and where you explore, you could have your support character killed off as early as mid-game. For example, answering no to both of Barry's questions in the caves will get him killed by a Hunter shortly after you run into Enrico. There's another scene in the game where Jill gets trapped in a hole and Barry runs off telling you to wait until he comes back, which is exactly what you need to do in order to save him and get the good ending. There's one problem: the game lets you control Jill the very moment he leaves and the next thing you find is a secret passage to an unexplored area, and considering it takes a good while for him to show up again, there is no indication that you should wait for him to come back.

** The Saturn version has a different set of alternate outfits that are just redesigned versions of the default S.T.A.R.S. uniforms.
** The ''Director's Cut'' version has the same outfits from the original release, plus new default outfits (not just for Chris and Jill, but also Rebecca) for the Arrange mode.

* GameFavoredGender: In Jill's scenario, to the point that she is essentially easy mode. 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:

** 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.

** The mansion having traps that could kill you was an element that wasn't used again until ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' and later where the traps made more sense. It was HandWaved by the developers saying that Spencer loved spy novels and wanted his mansion to have hidden rooms and traps. The idea of a mansion having deathtraps was a concept used in ''Sweet Home'', which is where the developers got their inspiration from when it came to creating this game. Likewise, the characters in this game refer to the zombies and other bioweapons as "demons" on occasion whereas they just call them zombies or monsters in later games. ''Sweet Home'' had demonic creatures.

** 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.

** In Chris's campaign, he has only a knife at the start of the game due to him losing his gun on his way to the mansion, though he would find Jill's gun very early on. Later games would always start the player character with a handgun or at least justify not having one the first few minutes of the game.

[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chris_jill0_3461.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:280:Welcome to the world of survival horror. Good luck.]]

* ClownCarGrave: Zombies will sometimes pop up in rooms after you have already cleared that room and even any surrounding rooms. Where are they all coming from? Yes, they can open a few doors, but there are still instances where the player character will come from a completely zombie free area, and then have a zombie come into the room from right behind them. There are also instances of the [[FromBadToWorse Hunters]].

* ItWasADarkAndStormyNight: A storm is starting up when the S.T.A.R.S. reaches the mansion. It never rains, but occasionally you hear thunder and see a flash of lightning.

** While there is still a mid-game temporary character swap, it's only for one character (playing as Chris may make you switch to Rebecca briefly) instead of both character scenarios having such set-pieces.
** The final fight with the Tyrant on the helipad is dependent on what ending you're going for, with the fight being skipped if your character's partner (Barry[=/=]Rebecca) is dead. Later games let you fight the final boss no matter what.

** In Chris's campaign, he has only a knife at the start of the game due to him losing his gun on his way to the mansion, though he would find Jill's gun very early on. Later games would always start the player character with a handgun or finding one within the first few minutes of the game.

* EverybodysDeadDave: Whether you choose Chris or Jill, you still spend most of the game running around on your own. Whenever you find another member of your team, they're almost always either dead or dying (except for each other and Rebecca/Barry). You can end the game with the playable character being the only one that survives as well.

* 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:

** 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.

** 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, 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.

* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: More due to the [[BadBadActing hilariously lifeless line-readings]] of Richard's actor in the original; he reacts to the blood spurting from the giant snake-bite on his shoulder with a soft little ''"ouch"'' that sounds more like he banged his hand something.

* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: More due to the [[BadBadActing hilariously lifeless line-readings]] of Richard's actor in the original, but after he flatly tells Jill that ''"This house is dangerous... there are... terrible demons here"'', he reacts to the blood spurting from the giant snake-bite on his shoulder with a soft little ''"ouch"'' that sounds less painful than if he had just stepped barefoot on a piece of lego.

** There's no quick turning.

** 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.

** Nearly all the boss enemies can be [[SkippableBoss bypassed]] in some way, even the FinalBoss[[labelnote:Methods of skipping]]The first fight against Yawn can be skipped if you're quick enough to grab the Star Crest and leave the room. Plant 42 can be skipped only with Jill if she makes the V-JOLT. The Black Tiger spider can be skipped by ignoring it and destroying the web on the doors, though it is risky since you're constantly being attacked. The second Tyrant fight can also be skipped if your supporting character (Barry/Rebecca) dies.[[/labelnote]] The sequels heavily cuts down on skippable bosses while the remake kept them in.

** 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 (which also determines whether the Tyrant is dead or is roaming free). While the next two games would have small variations in their endings, the rest of the games would stick to one ending 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 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/SweetHome1989''. 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".

[[CapcomSequelStagnation In true Capcom fashion]], the original ''Resident Evil'' received numerous re-releases. The UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn and PC both received ports of the original game with some exclusive new content in 1997, while the [=PS1=] received a revised edition titled ''Resident Evil: Director's Cut'' (which added a new difficulty setting with different item and enemy placements and came packaged with a playable demo of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2''). Capcom released a third edition for the [=PS1=] in 1998 (''[[ColonCancer Resident Evil: Director's Cut: Dual Shock Edition]]'') that added vibration and analog support for the [=DualShock=] controller as well as a different soundtrack. The UsefulNotes/NintendoDS received its own version of the game in 2006 titled ''Resident Evil: Deadly Silence''; this version added an enhanced Rebirth mode, numerous touch screen puzzles, and multiplayer game modes.

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 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.

* BlindIdiotTranslation: The original game is notorious for its bad translation and Z-grade acting. Subsequent games - and the remake - toned this down, mainly due to better budgets. Some lines actually became iconic and were kept as continuity nods. What's more ironic about this is that, apparently, they didn't have someone on-staff for the original game to provide a proper translation. They just wrote the dialogue in Japanese and translated it into English as best as they could. Adding to the irony was that English voice actors were used throughout the game, and yet, the cast read from a script that obviously had improper English. [[note]]Pablo Kuntz, Wesker's voice actor, has gone on record stating that this is because the English-speaking cast had all been living abroad in Japan for years by the time they were cast. By then, they had gotten used to locals speaking in oddly phrased English and thus [[GotMeDoingIt didn't see anything odd about the lines they were asked to read]].[[/note]]

* BlindIdiotTranslation: The original game is notorious for its bad translation and Z-grade acting. Subsequent games - and the remake - toned this down, mainly due to better budgets. Some lines actually become iconic and were kept as continuity nods. What's more ironic about this is that, apparently, they didn't have someone on-staff for the original game to provide a proper translation. They just wrote the dialogue in Japanese and translated it into English as best as they could. Adding to the irony was that English voice actors were used throughout the game, and yet, the cast read from a script that obviously had improper English. [[note]]Wesker's voice actor, Pablo Kuntz has [[WordOfGod gone on record]] stating that this is because the English-speaking cast had all been living abroad in Japan for years by the time they were cast. By then, they had gotten used to locals speaking in oddly phrased English and thus [[GotMeDoingIt didn't see anything odd about the lines they were asked to read]].[[/note]]

[[CapcomSequelStagnation In true Capcom fashion]], the original ''Resident Evil'' received numerous re-releases. The UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn and PC both received ports of the original game with some exclusive new content in 1997, while the [=PS1=] received a revised edition titled ''Resident Evil: Director's Cut'' (which added a new difficulty setting with different item and enemy placements and came packaged with a playable demo of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2''). Capcom released a third edition for the [=PS1=] in 1998 (''[[ColonCancer Resident Evil: Director's Cut: Dual Shock Edition]]'') that added vibration and analog support for the [=DualShock=] controller as well as a different soundtrack. The UsefulNotes/NintendoDS received its own version of the game in 2006 titled ''Resident Evil: Deadly Silence''; this version added a Rebirth mode, numerous touch screen puzzles, and multiplayer game modes.

* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: The covers for all versions of the game (the original release, ''Director's Cut'', the remake, ''Deadly Silence'') have differences overseas. The Japanese versions all use a minimalist approach, such as having a shot of the empty main hall for both ''Director's Cut'' and the remake. The North American versions meanwhile, emphasize the horror and action you should expect, to the point of exaggeration. For example, ''Deadly Silence'' depicts Jill duel wielding a pair of pistols, something that is impossible to do in-game.

* 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. Then there is Barry kicking in a locked door, something neither Jill or Chris will even attempt.

* FauxActionGirl: Rebecca, who despite saving Chris a couple of times from Yawn's envenomation and Plant 42, cowers from a lone Hunter and can go the whole game without firing a shot. She doesn't even have the excuse of {=REmake=} Rebecca, who had been pushed to her limit by then, as this game saw Alpha team come in as soon as Bravo team went down.

''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/SweetHome1989''. 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".

* DoomedTacticalTeam: The S.T.A.R.S of course, more so Bravo team though, which only has Rebecca as its lone survivor. Though it is possible under the "bad" ending for Jill or Chris (depending on who you're playing as) to be Alpha Team's [[FinalGirl Final Girl or Guy]] besides their pilot Brad.

* DoomedTacticalTeam: S.T.A.R.S of course, more so Bravo team though, which only has Rebecca as its lone survivor. Though it is possible under the "bad" ending for Jill or Chris (depending on who you're playing as)to be Alpha Team's [[FinalGirl Final Girl or Guy]] besides their pilot Brad.

* DoomedTacticalTeam: S.T.A.R.S of course, more so Bravo team though, which only has Rebecca as its lone survivor.

* DoomedTacticalTeam: The Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.).

* CameraScrew: The game uses fixed camera angles, and when the characters move out of shot, the viewpoint changes. This can be disorienting at the best of times, and moves on to annoying if you're trying to dodge enemies in a corner-rich environment.

* BlindIdiotTranslation: The original game is notorious for its bad translation and Z-grade acting. Subsequent games - and the remake - toned this down, mainly due to better budgets. Some lines actually become iconic and were kept as continuity nods. What's more ironic about this is that, apparently, they didn't have someone on-staff for the original game to provide a proper translation. They just wrote the dialogue in Japanese and translated it into English as best as they could. Adding to the irony was that English voice actors were used throughout the game, and yet, the cast read from a script that obviously had improper English.