There’s the cartoonishly muscular Chris Redfield from Resident Evil 5, and the towering version from RE Village, but for me, the STARS frontman exists in one form and one form only – the slick-haired, Zippo-owning live-action Chris Redfield from the original survival horror game. It’s almost 30 years since Shinji Mikami, who would later direct Resident Evil 4 and The Evil Within, introduced us to the world of Umbrella, and the iconic characters from RE1 have undergone a lot of changes since. But even now, with whispers on the wind of Resident Evil 9 or maybe a Code Veronica remake, the herald of housebound horror hasn’t forgotten his original cast – in a seriously wonderful new video, the actors behind Chris Redfield, Barry Burton, and Rebecca Chambers pay tribute to Mikami-san.
With the original Resident Evil easily available on PC now thanks to the GOG re-release, and rumors swirling about the possibility of RE9, it’s the ideal time to look back on the horror game series’ roots and earliest days. At Gamescom, we spoke to Mikami about his upcoming projects and why he doesn’t want to return to survival horror – but just because he’s moved on, that doesn’t mean Mikami has forgotten the game that first made him one of the world’s most esteemed designers and directors.
In the original Resident Evil, the first time we see the STARS, they appear as real actors in live-action cutscenes. Chris Redfield is played by Charlie Kravlavsky, Barry Burton is brought to life by Greg Smith, Albert Wesker is originated by Eric Pirius, and Rebecca Chambers is played by an actor who simply goes by ‘Linda.’
Their performances and Resident Evil’s accompanying production design bring that first game to vivid, energetic life – it has the same aesthetic and tone as a splatterhouse B-movie. Now, a full 28 years since RE1 was released, this entire cast returns to say thank you to Mikami.
In an interview with Residence of Evil, the YouTube channel that recently brought us the excellent short film The Keeper’s Diary, Kravlavsky, Smith, Pirius, and Linda all share messages with Mikami. It’s a wonderful moment where the entire Resident Evil series seems to come full circle – you can watch it below:
If that makes you nostalgic for classic Resident Evil, try some of the best zombie games, or maybe go back to the past with the best old games you can still play on PC.
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