Resident Evilhas been a constant in the video game world, offering up equal levels of chills and laughs. It has also seen several reinventions, introducing new generations to its world of zombies, evil corporations, and boulder-punching.
However, it isn’t necessarily something that parents would want to share with their kids. The franchise has its share of gore and creepy imagery, which may give young ones nightmares. However, a few options exist that can introduce children to some elements of the franchise in a more approachable package. Several are based on beloved franchises and can appeal to multiple generations of gamers at various levels.
6Scooby Doo! Classic Creep Capers
Resident Evil Light
Scooby Doo: Where Are Youfirst hit the airwaves in 1969, and the franchise has since been a fixture of animation culture, following four teenagers and their talking dogon groovy mysteries.Scooby Doo: Classic Creep Caperstakes the original cartoon and fits it into a light-hearted “survival horror” video game.
The title takes the iconic teenage sleuths and puts them in an earlyResident Evil-style video game, complete with fixed camera angles, clue-collecting, and light puzzle solving. When Shaggy gets attacked by monsters or caught in a trap, he doesn’t get hurt, just scared.
Metroid Fusionwas the first Metroid game released for the Game Boy Advanced. In this chapter of the franchise, the heroic bounty hunter, Samus Aran, must navigate a space station ravaged by the dangerous X parasite.
Metroid Fusionhas the classic upgrades and exploration of the franchise, and at the same time, it is akin to a 2D sci-fiResident Evil. The idea of exploring a spaceship whose entire crew was killed is a creepy prospect, akin to navigating Resident Evil’s Spencer Mansion. The Samus Doppelganger known as SA-X can bejust as terrifyingas one of Resident Evil’s near-invincible tyrants. Samus is powerless to stop it, leaving running and hiding as her only option. Yes, Samus is a woman.
4Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Wii)
Nostalgic Cartoon Visuals Make Busting Feel Good
Ghostbusters: The Video Gamewas released in July of 2009. The game’s protagonist is a nameless new weapons tester hired by the iconic team of Peter, Egon, Ray, and Winston, voiced by the original actors. This game was essentiallyGhostbusters3beforeGhostbusters: Afterlifecame out.
While Terminal Reality created the main version of the game for PS3, Xbox360, and PC, Red Fly Studio developed the version for the Wii and PlayStation 2. It is played in an over-the-shoulder perspective akin toResident Evil 4. The cartoonish art style will not only appeal to young ones but also adults who watched the cartoonThe Real Ghostbustersin the 80s. A number of unique locations are available to explore,either alone or in co-op, and the game has some interesting ghost variety, including collectible database entries.
Hello Neighborputs one in the position of a young man attempting to break into and snoop in the house of a reclusive neighbor, whose AI was designed to adapt to the player’s every move. The endgame is to discover what he is hiding in his basement.
The titular neighbor’s house is a maze of obtuse puzzles, something that visitors of the originalResident Evil’s Spencer Mansion should feel right at home with. The Neighbor is as relentless asResident Evil 2’s Mr. X orResident Evil 3’s Nemesis. While he won’t kill the protagonist, running into him is still terrifying, with that sinister glare on his face. Parents may appreciate the absence of blood, butHello Neighborcan bejust as darkas the most mature-rated games.
2My Friendly Neighborhood
RE-Styled Puppet Horror With A Message
My Friendly Neighborhoodis a more recent entry on this list. It takes war veteran-turned-handy-man Gordon into an abandoned children’s television studio to disable its broadcast antenna. This brings him into a maze of children’s television sets and relentless sentient felt puppets.
The gameplay is classicResident Evil, filled with inventory management, puzzles, and limited saves. Both the young and the young-at-heart will be enamored by this bonkers love letter to classic public access television. Also, underneath the cooky encounters is an earnest message about learning to open up to others and what it means to be a good neighbor.
Luigi’sMansionwas a launch title for the Nintendo GameCube. Instead of a traditional platforming adventure like his brother is known for, Luigi must navigate a creepy mansion in search of the kidnapped Mario whilesucking up ghostswith his Poltergust 3000.
This game is essentially what would happen if Nintendo made an entry in theResident Evilfranchise. The titular mansion of the title has spooky vibes similar toResident Evil’s Spencer Mansion, but wrapped up in a cute, cartoony package. It has plenty of rooms to explore and keys to find, as well as a playfully haunted musical track.
