Resident Evil Gaiden
Encyclopedia
Resident Evil Gaiden, known as Biohazard Gaiden in Japan, is a survival horror game for the Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...

 co-developed by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...

 and M4, and first released on December 14, 2001. Received generally unfavorably by critics, the game marks a departure from other entries in the series, insofar as areas are explored with the playable character seen from a top-down perspective, with battles fought in first-person view. The story told revolves around a viral outbreak on a passenger ship and has Leon S. Kennedy
Leon S. Kennedy
is a player character appearing in the Resident Evil series of survival horror video games. Leon is a protagonist in Resident Evil 2 and the main protagonist of Resident Evil 4. During the events of RE2, Leon is a new police officer who arrives in Raccoon City late for his first day on the job,...

 and Barry Burton return as protagonists.

Gameplay

The game features three playable characters and consists of exploring areas, collecting items and combating enemies in the process. Unlike previous entries in the series, Resident Evil Gaiden assumes a top-down perspective for the environment portions that, upon approaching an enemy, changes to a first-person
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...

 combat mode with a reticle constantly moving to the left and right. To attack, the player has to press the action button while the reticle is in range of the enemy.

Plot

The title depicts a viral outbreak on a luxurious passenger ship and is set in December 1998, during the events of Resident Evil Code: Veronica
Resident Evil Code: Veronica
Resident Evil Code: Veronica, released in Japan as , is the fourth installment in Capcom's Resident Evil survival horror series, originally released for the Dreamcast in 2000...

. It introduces an underground organization established to put an end to the global operations of Umbrella, a company responsible for the Raccoon City disaster. Leon S. Kennedy, one of the protagonists of Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game originally released for the PlayStation in 1998. Developed by Capcom as the second installment in the Resident Evil series, its story takes place two months after the events of the first game, Resident Evil...

, joined the initiative and received orders to investigate the ocean liner Starlight which is rumored to be carrying a new type of bio-organic weapon (BOW) developed by Umbrella. Eventually, the headquarters lose contact with him and Barry Burton, a support character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...

 from the original Resident Evil
Resident Evil (video game)
Resident Evil, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game by Capcom. The first installment in the Resident Evil series, it was originally released in 1996 for the PlayStation and was subsequently ported to the Sega Saturn and PC. In 2002, a remake of the game was released for the Nintendo...

, is sent in to find his whereabouts.

After discovering that the crew and the passengers on the ship have turned into zombies, he crosses the path of an orphan girl named Lucia who, for some reason, can sense the presence of Umbrella's new BOW and also possesses some other mysterious abilities. Lucia is then kidnapped by the monster, but Barry eventually reunites with Leon and they cooperate to put the BOW to flight and save her. The group learns that the monster is supposed to have green blood and, afterwards, witnesses an explosion set the ship on fire. They split up and Leon and Lucia activate the sprinkler system to prevent the engine room from blowing up. Later, the two overhear Barry communicating with Umbrella to arrange some sort of trade-off, their suspicions confirmed upon meeting him again. Barry threatens Leon with his gun, kidnaps Lucia and escapes to an Umbrella submarine with her. Meanwhile, a second explosion hits the Starlight and Leon makes his way to the engine room to investigate its source. He finds out that the BOW destroyed the fuel converter in an attempt to blow up the ship and destroy all evidence. He successfully fights it off but the damage done to the ship is too severe.

The scene then shifts to the submarine where Barry reveals to the captain that he pretended to abduct Lucia to trick Umbrella into evacuating them from the Starlight. He also learns that the company wants Lucia as she is the host of a parasite which grows into another BOW within ten days. Barry forces the surgeons on board to remove the parasite from the girl, but it breaks free from the containment glass and drains the life from the captain, turning him into a zombie. The parasite escapes, kills the whole crew and eventually turns into a mature BOW. Barry and Lucia navigate the submarine back and board the near-sunk ship in order to rescue Leon, but they are followed by the grown-up monster. Although they quickly discover what appears to be Leon, the two have to find out that the BOWs are actually shape-shifters and that one of them has assumed the form of their partner. They manage to escape and come across another Leon in the engine room. Together, the three go back to the deck where the BOW pulls Lucia into the sea. Barry rescues her, but then another Lucia appears right next to them. The real girl grabs a knife and cuts her hand to show her red blood, thus confirming her identity. The group defeats the BOW in one last battle and escapes to the submarine. Lucia, having lost her mysterious powers with the parasite's extraction, is offered to live with Barry's family. In the game's final shot, Leon's neck is shown bleeding green blood, revealing him to be not the real Leon but the second BOW in disguise, now unable to be sensed by Lucia.

Development

While the technical implementation of the game was done by the now defunct British company M4, two employees of Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...

 were involved with the development as well. Shinji Mikami
Shinji Mikami
is a Japanese video game designer best known for creating the seminal survival horror series Resident Evil. He also contributed to some of Capcom's most popular post-32-bit era franchises, including Viewtiful Joe, Devil May Cry, and Ace Attorney, where he served as an executive producer...

 served as an advisor for the game and the story was written by Hiroki Kato, the director of Resident Evil Code: Veronica
Resident Evil Code: Veronica
Resident Evil Code: Veronica, released in Japan as , is the fourth installment in Capcom's Resident Evil survival horror series, originally released for the Dreamcast in 2000...

.

Reception

Resident Evil Gaiden received generally unfavorable reviews from critics. GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...

 remarked that the visual presentation is taking away from the intended creepy atmosphere. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

 criticized the game's unpractical save system for a handheld game and was unsatisfied with the puzzles being reduced to collecting keys and items. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...

 addressed the same issues in their review, though they applauded the clever storyline for its many twists and turns. Computer and Video Games
Computer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...

also criticized the graphics, but found the puzzles to be on par with that of other installments in the series, and commended the battle system.
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