For 25 years, Resident Evil has been one of the most popular survival horror franchises in video game history. Ever since the release of the first Resident Evil game in 1996, the franchise pioneered the survival horror term and set the blueprint that many other games in the genre eventually followed.
While most Resident Evil fans are more familiar with the mainline entries in the series, which comprises the numbered titles alongside Resident Evil: Code Veronica and Resident Evil Village, Capcom has also released several Resident Evil spin-offs. Now, for players looking for a good Resident Evil game outside the main story, here's a breakdown of the most popular Resident Evil spin-off games.
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Although Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and its sequel The Darkside Chronicles are technically spin-off titles, their stories are actually a summary of the main games from Resident Evil 0 up until Resident Evil Code Veronica. However, both The Umbrella Chronicles and The Darkside Chronicles also offered original scenarios. The former featured Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine's encounter with Project TALOS, and the latter delved deep into Leon Kennedy and Jack Krauser's relationship.
Unlike the main series, both The Umbrella Chronicles and Darkside Chronicles embodied the light gun shooter gameplay, making them popular on the Nintendo Wii. Both games were then ported to other consoles and are perfect for players who want to know the story of the Resident Evil franchise up until Code Veronica in a nutshell.
Veteran Resident Evil fans would know that Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village are not the first games that embodied a first-person perspective. The game that first introduced first-person gameplay to the Resident Evil franchise is Resident Evil Survivor, which was released in 2000 for the original PlayStation. The game follows an amnesiac pilot investigating the Umbrella Corporation, who finds himself trapped on an island filled with zombies and other BOWs. Although its first-person gameplay didn't really ruffle any feathers since it is a spin-off game, Capcom was able to implement it well.
However, one of the biggest criticisms about Resident Evil Survivor is its extremely short story. On average, experienced Resident Evil players can finish the game in as fast as an hour, which is laughably short, especially since most entries in the franchise span from 5-10 hours to complete.
Out of all the Resident Evil spin-off games, it is without a doubt that Resident Evil Revelations is the most popular. In fact, some fans consider it as part of the mainline series because of how much the story impacts the characters, plot, and organizations that players will encounter in the main franchise. In addition, Resident Evil Revelations saw the return of series veterans Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, who hadn't been on a mission together since the first Resident Evil game. Set in between Resident Evil 4 and 5, Resident Evil Revelations reveals the origins of the BSAA, the Terragrigia Panic, and the bioterrorist organization Il Veltro.
After its successful launch in 2012, Resident Evil Revelations received a follow-up game in the form of Resident Evil Revelations 2. The sequel stars Claire Redfield, who was kidnapped by a mysterious organization alongside Moira Burton, the daughter of former STARS member Barry Burton. It is worth noting that both Resident Evil Revelations 1 and 2 were praised due to their return to the survival horror genre, especially since the main games at the time leaned more toward action horror.
It is no secret that many Resident Evil games were set in the fictional American town of Raccoon City. Even after the city's destruction in Resident Evil 3, Capcom continued to return to Raccoon City to tell the stories of characters that weren't seen in the mainline franchise. In Resident Evil Outbreak, players follow a group of individuals trying to make their way out of the zombie-infested Raccoon City.
Both Resident Evil Outbreak and Outbreak File #2 featured multiplayer co-op, allowing players to work together to see the characters through. However, given that online play was still in its infancy in 2003, the Outbreak spin-off games didn't get the credit they deserve. Despite not being well-known entries in the franchise, Resident Evil fans have asked Capcom to remake the Outbreak series. Unfortunately, the studio has not revealed any plans or intentions of reviving this Resident Evil spinoff series at this time.