Resident Evil Survival Unit: Reasons to play this bold new take on the classic horror series

Survival-horror enthusiasts have spent countless hours in the Resident Evil universe, racking up headshots galore on mutated horrors and finding themselves on the receiving end of some of the most perfectly executed jump scares the genre has to offer.

This is what the iconic Capcom series has always done best, but its latest foray onto mobile devices, Resident Evil Survival Unit, published by Aniplex and JOYCITY, takes the property in a brave new direction.

In many ways, base-building and real-time strategy were always a great fit for the biohazardous property, as its virus-ravaged apocalyptic setting adds a compelling twist to these pursuits, but there are many reasons why you should give Resident Evil Survival Unit a try, and we’ve provided a run-down of the main ones right here.

Experience Resident Evil as you’ve never done before

RESI has led the way in survival-horror gaming since the mid-90s, but despite its potential for versatility, the series has largely stuck to its third-person action guns.

Sure, there have been spinoffs and experimentation with other genres, but Survival Unit is a unique take on Resident Evil that takes it to places fans would never have expected it to go. Base-building and real-time strategy are such a great fit for Resident Evil that you’ll wonder why it took three decades to spin off in this direction.

Both the survival and the horror elements the series is renowned for are on full display as you attempt to build up a stronghold in the ruins of a hauntingly familiar city while its mutated populace lays siege to your group. This is every inch Resident Evil, but it’s also an exciting new take on its universe.

Classic RESI heroes serve the nostalgic fan service faithfully

Resident Evil Survival Unit takes the horror series into unfamiliar territory, but fans will see plenty of faces they know and love while strategising in the ruins of the city. The game brings together iconic characters from 30 years’ worth of RESI, including Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, Robert Kendo, Becca Woolett, and Alyssa Ashcroft.

They can be deployed as field commanders during character team-up segments that task players with assembling the right crew for the job at hand. There are original characters to get acquainted with, too, such as Raccoon City Hall official Kate Anderson and an unnamed Operative, a biotech student searching for his missing parents among the ashes and rubble of civilization.

Fight against nightmarish creatures that amp up the horror

It just wouldn’t be a Resident Evil game without mutated creatures, alongside those cannibalistic hordes, to dial the horror up to 11. Survival Unit co-developers Aniplex and JOYCITY brought in gaming royalty to design its most terrifying addition to the series’ mutant menagerie, with world-renowned artist Yoshitaka Amano making a significant contribution to it.

Amano created a nightmarish abomination for Resident Evil Survival Unit called Mortem, an eerie presence that lingers in the unknown and offsets the series’ zombie genre tropes and trademark jump-scares with a creeping sense of psychological horror.

A thriving community in the making

Since Resident Evil Survival Unit was announced in the run-up to Gamescom back in August, a growing community has amassed around the game like a swarm of ravenous infected that’s just caught the scent of fresh survivor blood.

More than 2 million players pre-registered their interest in the game when its sign-up links went live on Google Play and the App Store, which bodes well for its multiplayer features.

While Resident Evil Survival Unit’s real-time defense battles are single-player, there are competitive and co-operative elements too, including joint operations, shared events, and leaderboards, and there will be no shortage of fellow survivors to explore them with.

The game also comes as entirely free-to-play

Resident Evil Survival Unit won’t cost you a penny… unless you choose to invest in its array of optional in-app purchases. The game is free to download on iOS and Android devices, and all of its core content will be available to non-paying players.

Those aforementioned in-app purchases are to speed up progression and unlock bonus characters, among other nice-to-have but non-essential features. If you like the sound of Resident Evil Survival Unit, it’s now available to download for free from the App Store and Google Play.

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