Hideo Kojima, the visionary behind Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding, has recounted his own frustrating experience playing the original Resident Evil in 1996. He drew a direct comparison between his early encounters with the survival horror classic and the character of Bryan from Zach Cregger's recent Resident Evil film.
Kojima shared his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter), stating that while initially not particularly interested in the film, he decided to watch it due to director Zach Cregger's involvement. He described the movie as employing a "relentless barrage of classic horror techniques, terrifying situations, and jump scares that never lets up until the very end."
However, Kojima emphasized that the film is not merely an adaptation of the game's narrative but rather a depiction of the player's experience. "This isn’t a film adaptation of ‘Resident Evil.’ It’s a film about the experience of playing ‘Resident Evil,’ controller in hand," he wrote. He then detailed his personal connection to this portrayal.
"It reminded me of how I felt when I first played the original ‘Resident Evil’ on PlayStation back in 1996," Kojima explained. "I was just like Bryan in this movie. I kept getting game over after game over, shouting ‘F***!’ over and over again. lol"
The recent Resident Evil film has garnered praise for capturing the authentic terror and occasional absurdity of playing a Resident Evil game, particularly for those new to its challenges. Kojima's retrospective on his own initial playthrough of the 1996 title suggests that the film successfully resonated with long-time fans by evoking similar feelings of dread and repeated failure.