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Resident Evil’s inventory system requires careful shifting of contents, but the ending leaves the player just enough slots to survive.
It’s no secret that Resident Evil defined the survival horror genre. By providing the player with limited amounts of ammo and health items, gamers found themselves dying and reloading much more than they were used to, and they loved it. It was a challenge like no one had really encountered before. And it opened up the doors for other game developers to do the same.
Another feature that made Resident Evil so challenging was its inventory system. Chris Redfield only had a total of six slots for items, while Jill Valentine had a little bit more room with eight slots. Holding onto enough weapons, ammo, puzzle items and everything else required constant planning and shifting of contents. One area of the game that provided the player some relief in inventory management was Resident Evil‘s ending. In the game’s final moments, Chris or Jill would ascend an elevator to a helipad, signal a helicopter for rescue, and defeat the monstrous Tyrant with a rocket launcher. Thanks to some careful planning, the devs were able to make sure these events happened no matter what.
During the Arkay Labs stage of Resident Evil, the player will eventually receive a message from Brad through their radio asking for a sign from anyone who may still be alive. Soon thereafter, the end of a passageway will be reached, wherein a battery can be found on the ground. In order to leave the area, players have to use the battery to power the elevator up to the helipad. Doing so initiates a three-minute countdown until the entire place explodes but, more importantly, it guarantees the player always has an empty inventory slot when they reach the helipad.
By design, that inventory slot doesn’t stay empty for long. The player must race to pick up the flare (renamed Signal Rockets in the 2002 remake), which is sitting beside some crates. Using the flare/signal rockets immediately to signal Brad in his helicopter. This enables the player to use this plot-critical item while once again opening up the inventory slot so the player has room for the next stage of the finale.
Once players have done enough damage to Tyrant, Brad will throw a rocket launcher down to the helipad for assistance. It fits perfectly in the open inventory slot, so players don’t have to worry about juggling items in the heat of battle. Using the rocket launcher will destroy the Tyrant once and for all, allowing the player to be rescued via helicopter. As they escape, the facility will blow up and the day will be won.
As can be seen, replacing the battery with the flare/signal rockets, and then with the rocket launcher, is a strategy devised by Capcom to keep the player in motion and keep things tense during the explosion countdown and final fight with the Tyrant. It is much appreciated, as having to juggle inventory items to make room for these vital objects would have made the ending much more difficult and frustrating.
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