The seventh installment also ends with an action-packed game, but it starts smaller and more modest. Each Resident Evil game gradually escalates: at first, it’s basically atmosphere and you have a gun at most, but by the end we’re usually fighting more, with bigger weapons against bigger enemies. There’s still a big difference in the amount of action each entry in the series has, but the seventh also goes over the top in the end. That’s not a bad thing. The franchise has always been largely action-horror and serious but also a bit artificial.

RE8 will be a bit more explosive, but it still has puzzles and exploration. This one also starts out less crazy than it ends up being. The fifth one was probably the most action-oriented. It also has co-op and is mainly about blowing things up (still a good game, by the way).

Capcom itself was also confused about what exactly RE was: more atmosphere/scare/exploration/puzzles, or big spectacle and Hollywood action. That’s why the sixth installment was so weird: it was split into parts with different aspects of Resident Evil in different proportions. Capcom was clearly looking for something, and so the sixth installment didn’t go over well with the audience.

Those looking for a game like RE but with less explosions and combat can look at Silent Hill. And those who don’t want to fight at all can opt for Alien: Isolation and other similar games. You just run away, but personally I prefer to get back at you. Whether it’s with a gun, or a grenade launcher.