8 Resident Evil Games With The Weirdest Stories

The Resident Evil games have always been known for being on the weird end of the spectrum compared to most other games in the survival horror genre, particularly when it comes to their stories. Though the first game may have followed a group of survivors trying to escape a zombie-filled mansion, the plots of future games have become increasingly bizarre and outlandish, though this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

In fact, one reason why Resident Evil series has amassed such a passionate and loyal fanbase is because there’s no telling which way the franchise will go next. This adds a sense of unpredictability and excitement to the stories which makes them an absolute joy to watch unfold in real time. In terms of overall weirdness, these Resident Evil games listed below definitely take the cake for being the most out there and strange in their presentation and narrative.

8 Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

A What-If Story That Feels Like The Best Bits Of Raccoon City

Systems

Released

March 20, 2012

OpenCritic Rating

Weak

Now admittedly, Operation Raccoon City is designed to be a “what if” scenario that doesn’t take place in the series main canon. This meant Capcom was able to get a little bit experimental with the overall structure of the plot, and as a result, it led to an honestly baffling sequence of events. Part of the reason for this is because of how fast-paced the game is, where the story feels like it’s moving 100 miles an hour.

For example, one moment, the squad of undercover Umbrella operatives will be tasked with taking down the bulking behemoth, Nemesis, who has gone rogue at Raccoon City Park. In the next mission, they’ll be face to face with none other than Leon S. Kennedy, who can actually be killed at this point in the game depending on what the player chooses to do. It’s an interesting hypothetical scenario to check out, but the randomness of it almost makes it feel like a weird best-bits compilation of the Raccoon City incident.

7 Resident Evil 6

Strange Bosses, Random Reunions, And Body Doubles

The Resident Evil 6 story, or more specifically, the four campaigns that make up the game, are packed full of weird moments and characters. Leon’s story, for example, starts in a zombie-infested town, before then taking him and Helena to a church where they must do battle with Helena’s brainwashed sister. Then, they take a plane to China where a brand-new outbreak has taken place, before the final battle which commences with a giant T. rex.

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If this sounds outlandish, the other campaigns are just as weird, though, in all honesty, this does help to make them feel different and unique. The central villains of this game, Carla and Simmons, are also pretty strange, even by Resident Evil standards. Carla is a clone of Ada Wong who was created by Simmons after he was rejected by the woman herself, but because Carla’s identity isn’t revealed until much later on, it leaves first-time players scratching their heads as to what exactly is going on for a lot of the plot.

6 Umbrella Corps

Umbrella Corps’ Single Player Story Feels More Like Doom Than Resident Evil

Systems

Released

June 21, 2016

OpenCritic Rating

Weak

Umbrella Corps marks a point when Resident Evil went just a little too far for its own good, becoming entirely centered around twitch-trigger action as opposed to survival horror. Despite being a primarily online experience, Umbrella Corps does have a story, one which gets pretty out of hand in the first few hours.

3A-7 takes center stage as one of Umbrella’s top soldiers who gets thrown into zombie-filled hordes in order to test out new and exciting gadgets. Out of the blue, the higher-ups turn on the agent, turning him into an unrelenting killing machine. Nonsensical is one word for it, but some have theorized that the soldier in question could potentially be Hunk. If so, everyone’s favorite mask-wearing soldier has a wild backstory, to say the least.

5 Resident Evil Gaiden

Leon And Barry Take On A Zombie-Infested Ship Full Of Whacky Secrets

Resident Evil Gaiden

Systems

Platform(s)

Nintendo Game Boy Color

Released

June 4, 2002

Resident Evil Gaiden drops two fan-favorite characters, Leon and Barry, onto a passenger ship that has recently been overrun by zombies. Already, this is a pretty random tag team, considering the two have virtually nothing in common, but what makes the story so wacky is that these two actually become enemies at about the midpoint of the game.

In a shocking turn, Barry reveals himself to be an Umbrella agent. After more offshore hijinks, he then ends up running into a second Leon, and must try to deduce whether it’s the copper himself, or a fake. Capcom is allowed to get away with this kind of story considering the game is non-canon, but this certainly hasn’t stopped fans from loving it all the same because of how out there it is.

4 Resident Evil CODE: Veronica

No Player Can Predict Where CV’s Story Is Going To Lead On That First Playthrough

Resident Evil CODE: Veronica starts off relatively normal, at least in the context of this series. Claire Redfield wakes up in a prison cell on the mysterious Rockfort Island after a failed infiltration attempt on Umbrella’s HQ. Once Claire reaches the palace though, and runs into the outlandish Alfred Ashford, the story begins to run off the rails.

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Creepy videos revealing the Ashfords’ upbringing shed light on some of the series’ most unnerving villains, while Steve acts as a “knight in shining armor” at several points and has a sizable impact on the story, despite being little more than Claire’s errand boy. Nobody on their first playthrough can ever forget when the story suddenly takes Claire and Steve to Antarctica, and the game suddenly shifts perspectives to Chris, leading to a face-off with none other than Albert Wesker. A fantastic ending for sure, but the road the game took to get there is as weird as can be.

3 Resident Evil Village

Village’s Storybook-Like Aesthetic And Tone Adds So Much Weirdness To The Game’s Narrative

A lot of Resident Evil fans consider Village to be the most dream-like and fictional of the series, which makes sense considering its storybook presentation. Ethan is dropped into what feels like a Tim Burton movie, with terrifying lords and ghouls popping up from the shadows as he tries to find his way through a disturbing village. Ethan’s goal in Village is to find the body parts of his daughter, Rose, in an attempt to bring her back to life.

After facing a vampiric giantess, a possessed doll, a fish monster, and a man who can summon metal, Ethan discovers that he’s actually been dead this whole time. It turns out, Ethan died at the hands of Jack in Resident Evil 7 and has been living on as a decaying form of the Mold. Only Capcom could bring all of this strangeness together to create a genuinely immersive and heartfelt story that features one of the series’ most emotional endings.

2 Resident Evil 4

What Is Supposed To Be A Regular Rescue Mission Turns Into A Horrific Freak Show

In most Resident Evil games, the player has no idea where the story is going to lead once they finish that first area or level. Never has this been more true than for Resident Evil 4, a game that keeps the player guessing constantly as to how it’s going to one-up itself in the next scene.

Leon, on his mission to rescue the President’s daughter, Ashley Graham, finds himself in a village surrounded by infected bloodthirsty villagers. So far so normal, but after taking a wrong turn, and getting infected themselves, the duo end up in an ancient castle ruled by a badmouthed royal lord. After an epic encounter with Krauser, who everyone thought was dead, Leon then navigates his way through an island that is full of nightmarish horrors. Part of Resident Evil 4’s appeal is how strange yet charming it is, and that most definitely applies to its story, which is full of the series’ signature weirdness.

1 Resident Evil: Survivor

The Twists And Turns Of Survivor Create A Story That Is Impossible To Pin Down

Resident Evil Survivor is often remembered by veteran fans for being the first true FPS entry in the series, but it’s also become renowned for its story, which might just be the most obscure in the franchise. The game takes place not long after Raccoon City’s destruction, and follows a pilot suffering from amnesia after a helicopter crash.

At first, he starts to believe that he’s Vincent Goldman, the conductor of the horrific experiment taking place on Sheena Island, which makes it seem as though players are assuming the role of a villain. For a lot of the game, this mystery about the pilot’s identity is hinted at, until it’s then revealed that the protagonist is, in reality, an agent sent by Leon himself. The whole of Sheena Island is extremely mysterious and full of weird encounters that add to the strange atmosphere and narrative of the game, almost feeling more like Silent Hill than Resident Evil with how much it keeps players in the dark.

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