Synergy in Resident Evil Games

Continuing with the idea of synergy in Resident Evil, let’s look at the games themselves. First, let’s remember that Synergy is defined by Wikipedia as “two or more agents working together to produce a result not obtainable by any of the agents independently.” As we look at the Resident Evil games themselves, it will become clear that synergy is one element that is lacking in the franchise.

Within the games there was not a great deal of corroboration for synergy with one another, not to mention a lack of synergy within each individual game. In this list of canon inconsistencies on the Resident Evil Wikipedia, there are discrepancies even within the games themselves. For example, in the first game there are two playable storylines based on which character was chosen. The stories themselves do not contribute to one another very well so both stories contain inconsistencies which remove major events and even characters which makes both scenarios partly non-canon. Capcom actually remade the first game into part of a first-person shooter for the Wii console that follows a set path with determined events that the company recognizes as canon. This of course means that the company does not recognize the first game’s storyline as canon.

The third game also has problems with synergy with game play that has the player make decisions that affect the story significantly. Since these decisions do not add up to one complete story, there are once again instances where major events and characters’ fates are altered significantly which renders it non-canon. Again, Capcom remade the third game into part of the same first-person shooter game as the first one and also follows a set path with determined events which Capcom recognizes as canon. Just like with the first game, the events of the third game are rendered officially non-canon because of Capcom’s remake. The funny thing about these remakes being considered canon by Capcom is that fans of the series do not consider them canon because they point out that some important events in the original games were not incorporated into the remakes and also that some of the scenarios are made to be retellings of events that had happened by characters that were not there to witness them.

Then there are spin-offs like Resident Evil Gaiden which was made in a partnership between Capcom and a European company. Some of its plot points have been ignored or even contradicted by later games that were considered canon. Since the contradicting games are recognized as canon, the game is considered non-canon by both fans and Capcom.

Because there are so many inconsistencies within the games, it is not hard to believe that there is no synergy with other media platforms such as the movies or books. As I have said before, Resident Evil is a wonderful franchise with an engaging story; but with all of the inconsistencies and altering storylines that make the overall story hard to follow, it separates and alienates fans, something  a franchise should never do.