Resident Evil: The Arklay Chronicles Is The Free Prequel You Need To Play
26 years ago, Capcom creaked open the doors of the Spencer Mansion and redefined the horror genre for the ages. With eight main Resident Evil games and umpteen spin-offs now under its belt, the series continues to go from strength to strength. The expansive lore has subsequently gone far beyond Raccoon City, but now, someone has gone back to the very start.
In 1996, the OG Resident Evil followed Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine as part of the elite S.T.A.R.S task force that entered the Spencer Mansion and discovered the crimes of the Umbrella Corporation. This has been catapulted forward to the events of Redfield in Resident Evil Village, but if you want to know more about where it all started, Resident Evil: The Arklay Chronicles aims to flesh out the story.
What Is The Resident Evil Prequel Game?
Available over at Game Jolt, Resident Evil: The Arklay Chronicles chronicles the period of history just before the Spencer Mansion incident. Taking place in July 1998, the story revolves around events just before Chris and Jill enter this haunted house of horrors. You'll play as familiar faces including Kenneth Sullivan, Richard Aiken, Forest Speyer, Barry Burton, and Albert Wesker. If you've played the original, you'll know it doesn't end well for the above.
Various trailers have shown off what we can expect, with a modern reimagining of the Spencer Mansion bringing back memories of the '90s. Unlike the classic Resident Evil, Arklay Chronicles has a third-person over-the-shoulder perspective similar to the beloved Resident Evil 4 and the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.
If this wasn't enough, Arklay Chronicles is just the start of something much bigger. Chapter 1 is called "Bitten", while a second is named "Onslaught" - with an unknown release date. Although we only have a relatively short story so far, we're told it has multiple endings and plenty of surprises. Either way, we're sure to explore more of the Arklay Mountains, which are a famous Resiverse location and were even referenced in Resident Evil 7.
What's Next For Resident Evil?
Click to enlargeWe've already had a Resident Evil prequel in the form of 2002's Resident Evil Zero. Focusing on Rebecca Chambers and criminal Billy Coen, Zero took place in the confines of a zombie-filled train and helped set up major players like Wesker and William Birkin. Arklay Chronicles looks like it'll be a similar sort of story, but with modern capabilities.
Catching up with where we are today, fans already know the success of Village means a ninth main series game is on the way - rounding off the Winters Trilogy. If that wasn't enough, we're still holding out hope for Capcom's promised DLC, which many guess will be a Lady Dimitrescu prequel. Capcom can be a little slow to release entries to the franchise, and just like a fan-made Code: Veronica remake, it's over to the players themselves for Arklay Chronicles.