Part 1 of 3 — The Rebirth of Survival Horror
In the first instalment of our three-part series, Typewriter Sessions turns its attention to one of the most ambitious and celebrated remakes in gaming history: Resident Evil (2002).
Released for the Nintendo GameCube, Capcom didn't simply remaster or recreate the original 1996 classic. They went back to the foundations of Resident Evil and rebuilt it from the ground up — reimagining its story, environments, characters, puzzles, atmosphere and horror to create something that was simultaneously familiar and entirely new.
But how did this extraordinary project come to be?
In Part 1, we travel back to the early development of the remake, examining Capcom's decision to revisit the game that defined survival horror, the people behind its creation, the technological ambitions of the GameCube project, and the direction taken by the development team as they sought to make something far more than a simple remake.
We explore how Shinji Mikami and his team approached the seemingly impossible task of improving upon a genre-defining classic — and why the decision was ultimately made to completely recreate Resident Evil rather than simply reproduce it.
From the earliest concepts and development decisions to the game's extraordinary visual presentation, oppressive atmosphere and commitment to genuine survival horror, we examine how Capcom transformed the Spencer Mansion into something darker, richer and more terrifying than ever before.
Because this wasn't simply Resident Evil brought back to life.
It was Resident Evil reborn.
Join us as we uncover the development, ambition and creative vision behind one of the most important survival horror games ever created.