Resident Evil: Resistance Score: Asymmetrical Spin-Off
When Resident Evil: Resistance launched in April 2020 as a bundled multiplayer component to Resident Evil 3 Remake, it entered a gaming landscape already crowded with asymmetrical titles. Yet, despite its association with one of gaming’s most revered franchises, Resident Evil: Resistance was met with a mix of cautious optimism and outright skepticism. Was it a bold experiment that expanded the Resident Evil universe, or an awkward spin-off that failed to capture the essence of the series? The score for Resident Evil: Resistance is, much like its gameplay, asymmetrical—a fascinating but flawed experiment that shines in concept but stumbles in execution.
At its core, Resident Evil: Resistance is a 4v1 asymmetric survival horror experience. Four players take on the roles of “Survivors”—ordinary civilians trapped in a sinister experiment orchestrated by the nefarious Umbrella Corporation. Their goal is to cooperate, solve puzzles, and escape a series of deadly arenas within a time limit. The fifth player assumes the role of the “Mastermind,” a villainous overseer who views the entire scenario through security cameras, deploying traps, zombies, and other bio-organic weapons (B.O.W.s) to delay and eliminate the Survivors before they can escape.
The concept is brilliant—a natural extension of Resident Evil’s core themes of survival, resource management, and bioterrorism. It cleverly translates the series’ mechanics into a multiplayer format. Survivors must conserve ammo, heal teammates, and coordinate under pressure, echoing the tension of classic Resident Evil titles. The Mastermind, on the other hand, embodies the corporate malice of Umbrella, manipulating the environment like a puppeteer of horror. This duality is where Resistance truly excels. Playing as the Mastermind is a unique power fantasy—there’s a visceral thrill in placing a licker in a dark corridor or unleashing a Tyrant at the final exit gate. The strategic depth is significant, requiring careful resource management and map knowledge to outsmart the human opponents.
The game’s presentation also deserves praise. It is steeped in Resident Evil fan service, featuring maps inspired by Raccoon City locations like the police station and downtown streets, and a roster of characters and monsters pulled from series lore. The Survivors, each with unique abilities and backstories, feel distinct. January Van Sant, a hacker, can disable the Mastermind’s cameras, while Tyrone Henry, a firefighter, can buff team defense with his kicks. Similarly, the Masterminds—including familiar faces like Daniel Fabron and Alex Wesker—offer varied playstyles, focusing on traps, brute force, or infection strategies. This variety provides meaningful replayability and strategic diversity.
However, Resident Evil: Resistance is hamstrung by significant imbalances and technical issues that prevent it from achieving greatness. The most glaring problem is the balance of power between Survivors and Mastermind. In early matches, a skilled Mastermind can feel overwhelmingly dominant, effortlessly wiping out inexperienced teams with relentless monster spawns and well-placed traps. Conversely, a coordinated team of veteran Survivors can easily steamroll through objectives, rendering even a proficient Mastermind helpless. This imbalance creates a frustrating experience where victory often feels predetermined by the skill level of one player rather than a hard-fought battle.
The game’s progression system, tied to unlocking new cards and abilities for both roles, exacerbates this issue. New players face an uphill battle against opponents with superior, upgraded arsenals. A Mastermind with access to high-level cards like the powerful William Birkin B.O.W. or an infectious zombie horde build can feel insurmountable to newcomers. This barrier to entry likely drove away a large portion of the player base early on, leading to longer matchmaking times and a shrinking community.
Technical problems also plagued the experience at launch and persisted throughout its lifespan. Network latency could cause debilitating lag, resulting in zombies teleporting, hits not registering, or controls feeling unresponsive—a death sentence in a game demanding precise teamwork and timing. While patches alleviated some issues, the game never achieved the polished feel required for a competitive multiplayer title.
Furthermore, Resistance suffers from a lack of post-launch support. Despite a promising foundation, new content updates were sparse and eventually ceased entirely, leaving the game with unmet potential. Maps and modes became repetitive, and without a steady stream of new objectives or characters, player interest waned. It was clear that Resistance was always intended as a complementary experience to the RE3 remake rather than a standalone live-service titan, but its abandonment felt premature.
So, what is the final score for Resident Evil: Resistance? It is a game of compelling contrasts—a innovative, love letter to fans that is simultaneously undermined by imbalance and neglect. It scores highly for its creative premise, fan service, and the sheer fun of its asymmetric gameplay when it works. Yet, it loses points for its technical shortcomings, steep learning curve, and ultimately, its unfulfilled potential.
In the end, Resident Evil: Resistance stands as a fascinating footnote in the series’ history—a bold experiment that demonstrated how Resident Evil’s DNA could be translated into a multiplayer format. It provided moments of genuine terror and triumphant cooperation, but it failed to sustain a lasting community. For those who experienced its highs, it remains a cherished, flawed gem. For Capcom, it served as a valuable lesson, perhaps paving the way for more refined multiplayer endeavors in the future. Resistance may not have been a masterpiece, but its ambition deserves recognition. It was a experiment worth conducting, even if the results were imperfect.
