Safe Rooms are a paramount element ofResident Evilgames. They offer brief reprieves from the horror and safety from all enemies, and allow players to save their progress, usually on typewriters, thoughResident Evil 7broke the literal mold from otherResident Evilgames by featuring cassette players. Earlier titles required players to have the ink ribbon item to save, meaning players had a limited number of saves.
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A key component of these rooms is not only the safety from zombies and other Umbrella monsters, but the music, which is often somewhat relaxing to bring about an air of calm for the players. These tracks are often favorites among fans for what they mean in the game, and also the genuine appeal they have.
9Resident Evil 3
Resident Evil 3brought a whole new reign of terror toResident Evilfans with the release of Nemesis, a terrifying juggernaut of unstoppable strength and brutality, on a tenacious mission to hunt down and kill all remaining STARs team members. As one of the surviving members of the Spencer Mansion incident, Jill finds herself in his cross-hairs and must escape his deadly grasp while also fleeing the zombie-ridden streets of Raccoon City, with the help of the newsidekick character Carlos.
The save rooms offer a brief respite from the survival horror, with a chilling piano melody that plays frequently over the swelling of violins in the background. The song ebbs and swells in moments, like the beating heart reminding the player they are still alive, and preparing them to leave their safe haven and confront the horrors once more.
Dead Aimwas somewhat of an outlier in theResident Evilseries, putting players in the shoes of a character outside the usual roster of favorites, and offering a new sort of gameplay disparate from what players were accustomed to. Though it brings in grotesque monsters that are a mainstay of the franchise, it plays like a light gun shooter game, emulating a shooting gallery and featuring on-rail movement.
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The save room theme was also a diversion of the franchise. Instead of featuring soft, soothing melodies of orchestral instruments,Dead Aimemploys synth music, daring to try something new. The theme song is catchy, but the tempo is not too quick to encourage a time of relaxation before the next bout of shooting begins.
7Resident Evil: Directors Cut
TheDirector’s Cutofthe originalResident Evilsaw the same telling of Alpha Team, the Spencer Mansion, and Wesker’s betrayal more or less beat for beat as the original, though with some slight changes made in other departments. Along with updated controller support for the PS1 release of this game, it also features a live-action version of the opening trailer that shows the members of STARS Alpha fleeing from the zombie dogs, and a new save room theme.
Resident Evil: Director’s Cutfeatures what sounds like a xylophone beat at the forefront of a violin orchestra in the back, bringing low and high notes that join together in surprising harmony. The tones are rather dissonant to each other, yet it works to create a song that is chilling and eerie, in keeping with the oppressive atmosphere of the mansion and the horrors that lurk within.
6Resident Evil 2
The originalResident Evil 2features the well-known and infamous Raccoon City incident, a bloody stainonResident Evil’stapestry of history. The game features a total of four varying scenarios, the A and B run for the protagonists, Claire and Leon. Each one featured differences in the locations available to them and the bioweapons they would face, but all told the story of their fight to survive and escape the doomed city.
The save room offered only a brief respite from the onslaught of horrors, as Claire and Leon must escape before the city is nuked to contain the infection. In this title, the save room welcomes players with the gentle ambiance of orchestral violins and pianos, similar toResident Evil 3but remaining a wholly unique and memorable song. There is the barest hint of ominousness hidden beneath the piano, contained to the dark swellings of the violin.
5Resident Evil 0
Resident Evil 0filled in the scenario of what the Bravo team did, as the Alpha team infiltrated the Spencer mansion. After suffering an engine malfunction, the Bravo team was forced to land their helicopter in the Arklay Mountains, and therethe team finds a train, now motionless on the tracks. Investigating the inside of the train, the passengers and crew have been found as zombie-like creatures, unaware of Umbrella and its engineered viruses. While exploring, Rebecca comes across Billy Coen, a convicted felon. Despite their mistrust of one another, the pair must work together to escape and survive.
Scattered throughout the train and the other locations Rebecca and Billy explore, there are typewriters for players to save their progress. As they enter the safe room, they will be greeted with the gentle trillings of four different piano keys in a tune that is melancholic and nostalgic, especially for those that have played the title. Beneath the piano is the rising of violin strings, simmering just beneath the surface that further enforces this feeling.
4Resident Evil (Remake)
Brought to life in modern engines for modern hardware,Resident Evil Remakeinvited a new generation of players to enter the survival horror. Whereas the Bravo team tackled the train of leeches inRsident Evil 0,RE1took gamers through Alpha Team’s mission in the Spencer Mansion, where they control either Jill or Chris and explore what mysteries lay within. The mansion plays host to many bioweapons, from the shambling t-virus-infected humans that resemble zombies more than anything, to hunters, crimson heads, and Cerberus. Beneath the mansion hides a secret laboratory, hosting one of Umbrella’s most dangerous experiments: the Tyrant.
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With dangers around every corner, its natural players would want to frequently save their game to avoid losing progress, which they have the option of doing in any of the designated save rooms. InResident Evil 1, the theme is called Save Heaven, which features guitar strings playing over a haunting vocal track that doesn’t sound too dissimilar from a mournful ghost. Though it is somewhat eerie, the song also presents a feeling of calm, perhaps more so from fans association rather than the song itself.
3Resident Evil Code: Veronica
This often-forgotten spin-off title holds a cult following, with its fans hoping to see it enterCapcom’s hallowed halls of remakes. Picking up with Claire’s story following the events ofResident Evil 2,Code: Veronicafollows the story of the younger Redfield sibling as she begins her search for her brother Chris, but ultimately ends up imprisoned on Rockfort Island, a prison complex owned by Umbrella. Sometimes after her capture, she is released following a T-Virus outbreak that has occurred, and teams up with fellow inmate Steve Burnside to escape.
Code: Veronicafeatures a unique save room theme that doesn’t distill as much horror and haunting as earlier entries, opting for a more hopeful theme. A piano opens the melody, followed by violin in the background, and soon after the chimes of what could be a triangle or xylophone inject a bit more lightness into a song that might otherwise be a tad dark. It remains relaxing enough as other save rooms, giving players a reprieve from horror.
2Resident Evil 7
Resident Evil 7is often cited as the game that brought backsurvival horror into theREseries, following the action-orientedRE6that was looking to cash in on the success of the movies, even though the tragically overlookedRevelationsseries did bring back horror and main character favorites like Jill to its fans. Still, RE7 holds a special place in the hearts of fans for its grungy, grimy, southern horror atmosphere that saw new protagonist Ethan Winters searching for his wife in the armpit of Louisiana.
In this game, save rooms were still present but lacked the signature typewriter to save at. Instead, players would interact with a cassette player to record their progress, as it was more in keeping with the setting. The song was also a huge divergence from what fans were used to, but its uniqueness was brilliant. The track is grimy, disjointed strings of a guitar that sound distorted as though playing through an old cassette overlapping one another. Though it’s eerie, the song is slow and steady enough to bring about an air of calm.
1Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil Villagecontinued the story of Ethan Winters, this time searching for his kidnapped daughter in a sleepy Romanian village, encountering the ruler of the region, Mother Miranda, and the Four Lords who each have a piece of his infant daughter. Mother Miranda masqueraded as Ethan’s wife Mia in other to steal their daughter to use her as part of a ritual to resurrect her daughter.
ThoughResident Evil 8’sbase game save music was rather lacking compared to past entries, the trauma packDLC provided moresafe music alongside other additional goodies. This allows players to use the fantastic theme from the previous game as music for the save room: Go Tell Aunt Rhody. This is the only save room music that features lyrics, which is risky, but with such a fantastic and haunting track, it’s a risk that pays off.
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