Camera Angles in Resident Evil Remastered



Resident Evil Remastered(2002, Capcom) is unique not only in the fact that it was one of the first zombie horror games to come to console, but also in the way it used its cameras. Capcom comprises their camera work in Resident Evil from fixed angles. These fixed angles allow for a more purposeful and immersive design and fits in with the horror genre style of gameplay perfectly. The creators of the game were able to place these cameras in such a way as to facilitate jump scares by hiding enemies and encounters, establishing immersive shots for narrative and dictating what the player could see. This gave the creators a large amount of control over how the game was to be played.
Enhancing the part of horror in this early gen game was amplified most by the camera work. By establishing angles that convey different meanings (i.e. undershot for a powerful look on a character or a wide/long shot for an encroaching horde) the creators of Resident Evil were able to convey exactly what they wanted the player to feel in that specific part of the game. Also, due to the repetitive nature of the camera angles and cuts from one to the next, the player may feel a constant state of tension during play: what’s around this corner, will I be attacked if I go here? This camera placement combined with the old style ‘tank controls’ (a type of movement where the character turns using the button/analog inputs: left and right turns the character, up moves forward and down moves backward) made for very difficult gameplay that only enhanced the fear effect of the game. This was difficult because the camera angle never moved and the player had to negotiate traps, enemies and basic movement all relative to the current character position, not the camera as is the norm in modern day games.


Image retrieved from: http://www.cheatcodesgalore.com/wii/games/Resident_Evil_Archives_Resident_Evil_Zero/Resident_Evil_Archives_Resident_Evil_Zero-3.jpg

Combat scenes like in the picture above are filled with high tension as the player doesn’t know what else is waiting for them, depth perception becomes less reliable and negotiating movement in tight quarters like this (as most of the game is designed) becomes almost impossible.
Fixed camera angles also allowed for more powerful narrative scenes in Resident Evil. Rather than using camera movement in narrative scenes to show the entirety of an environment, the fixed camera angles allowed for more specific, emotive angles to enhance the gameplay. It’s also a great opportunity some great environmental storytelling.

Image retrieved from: https://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2880212-resident_evil_0_screens_05_bmp_jpgcopy.jpg

The kind of scene as featured above allows for the creators place exactly what they in front of the player to tell something, anything that the creators may wish the player to discover, either for a little narrative spark or to help progress the game. For example, there are no enemies present in the above scene, but to the far left are what can only be assumed as bottles of alcohol and a wine glass, knocked over and largely consumed, there is a body present so the player can assume that the deceased had drunk the contents. There are also suitcases and under the table and atop the bed with an unpacked suit hanging on the right hand wall, suggesting the deceased was either unpacking or getting ready to leave. This all purposeful and carefully chosen to communicate these elements to the player for whatever reason the creators chose.

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