Resident Evil: 10 Quotes That Perfectly Sum Up The Franchise

The Resident Evil franchise helped epitomize the gripping fear that comes with playing a survival horror video game, and it has refined that formula over the years. The last two RE titles brought the series back to its roots and showed gamers what it meant to be terrified. There are many quotes that characters have uttered along the way, which perfectly capture the spirit of Resident Evil.

Some of these quotes might be humorous, while others are horrifying, but all of them capture a snippet of what makes Resident Evil what it is. The franchise is bound to have a lot more quotes that sum up the spirit of each new game destined to be released in the future.

10 Horrors Lurking Around Every Corner (Resident Evil)

“Stop It! Don’t Open That Door!”

Comical as it is in the modern age, this cheesy line actually has plenty of merit in the Resident Evil universe. Around every corner and behind every door lies another horror just waiting to attack players, and chew their faces off.

Indeed, the first Resident Evil featured some of the scariest moments in the franchise, and many gamers were reluctant to enter a new area of the mansion. That premise has worked wonders for subsequent Resident Evil games over the years by using horror to elicit a genuine emotional response.

9 Barry Burton’s Weapons Knowledge (Resident Evil)

“I Found This Weapon. It’s Really Powerful, Especially Against Living Things!”

It’s safe to say that the script for the original Resident Evil game is hardly the franchise’s best, as its characters are often full of clunky dialogue. Barry Burton is one of the worst offenders of the bunch; he either states the obvious or over-dramatizes every situation.

This goofy line does sum up Resident Evil, however. Sprinkled throughout the franchise are tons of destructive weapons that are designed solely for one thing — to eradicate hideous genetic bioweapons both great and small.

8 Martin’s Sage Advice (Resident Evil 2)

“If You See One Of Those Things, No Matter Who They Were, You Can’t Hesitate! Take ‘Em Out If You Can, Or You Run!”

The remake of Resident Evil 2 managed to tighten up the dialogue of the original, and both the script and voice acting were much better as a result. When players encounter the badly wounded Martin in the lobby of the RCPD, he has some sage advice to share.

This quote is relevant across the entire spectrum of Resident Evil games, particularly since ammunition tends to be rather scarce. If players can take down one of the hideous horrors, then they should — provided it won’t leave them dry when a bigger monstrosity rears its head.

7 Carlos On Nemesis (Resident Evil 3)

“Never Seen Anything Like It, But It’s No Zombie. It Knows What It Wants And Won’t Stop ‘Til It Gets It.”

Carlos delivered this poignant and humorous quote in the remake of Resident Evil 3 when speaking to Jill. The quote speaks to the entire spectrum of RE titles, primarily because zombies are considered the foot soldiers and pawns of most games.

As players progress through each entry in the franchise, bigger and badder Resident Evil horrors await, and they are far more ferocious and tenacious than the shuffling undead. Most higher-ranking creatures have an appetite for blood, as well as unstoppable levels of aggression.

6 Chris Redfield On Umbrella (Resident Evil: Code Veronica)

“It’s Payback Time! We’ve Got To Destroy Umbrella, Now! Let’s Finish This Once And For All!”

The Umbrella Corporation has always been a linchpin of Resident Evil games, even when it was seemingly defeated and turned into a force for good. Throughout the first several Resident Evil games, Umbrella was the de facto antagonist force behind the viral outbreaks.

As such, this quote holds a lot of merit, particularly because of how entrenched Umbrella is in RE lore. Destroying it completely seems impossible at this point, and it remains to be seen if it will slip back into its old ways in future games.

5 Jack Krauser’s Relevant Revelation (Resident Evil 4)

“You May Be Able To Prolong Your Life, But It’s Not Like You Can Escape Your Inevitable Death, Is It?”

Jack Krauser delivered this utterly ironic quote in Resident Evil 4, and it stretches far beyond just that one game. Since Resident Evil popularized and established the survival horror video game genre, it’s only natural that it live up to that formula.

As such, players die often, and from all manner of bio-engineered horrors. Staying alive is possible through the application of first aid sprays and medical herbs, but as the ammo dwindles and the creatures become more ferocious, death does feel inevitable.

4 Chris Redfield Reflects (Resident Evil 5)

“Casualties Continue To Mount Over The Long Years I’ve Struggled. More And More I Keep Wondering If It’s All Worth Fighting For.”

There are a lot of facts about Chris Redfield that Resident Evil players don’t know, but they are aware that his life was forever changed the moment he walked into the Arklay Mansion in the first game. Since then, he’s been through just about every horrific scenario known to humankind, and some too awful to imagine.

Along the way, Chris has lost a lot of people and it’s bound to weigh on him. Indeed, players feel the weight of all the death and destruction that has taken place throughout the franchise’s chronology, but it wouldn’t be Resident Evil without it.

3 After Being Named A Suspect In The President’s Death (Resident Evil 6)

“Looks Like Things Just Went From Bad To Worse.”

Resident Evil 6 was considered a major misstep in the series, focusing more on kinetic action sequences as opposed to good old-fashioned survival horror. Yet, this quote does manage to sum up the franchise as a whole.

It occurs after Derek C. Simmons names Leon and Helena as suspects in the President’s death. As Helena becomes incensed at the accusation, Leon drops this quote, which encapsulates a typical Resident Evil game to the core.

2 Ethan After Surviving The Ordeal (Resident Evil VII)

“They Say That When One Door Closes, Another Opens. Well, A Door Closed Tonight. And What A Long Night It Was.”

Resident Evil VII is considered one of the scariest video games ever made, and the effects are meant to last long after players manage to make it to the end. Key Resident Evil VII character Ethan Winters acts as the window through which the audience experiences the horror, and this quote sums that up nicely.

When beaten, every Resident Evil game feels like one part of a never-ending nightmare. One chapter closes, but another chapter is poised to begin, with even more horrors to fight. Each ordeal feels exhausting and overwhelming, much like a long night that never seems to end.

1 Alcina’s Threat (Resident Evil VIII)

“Rest While You Can, Because I Will Hunt You, And I Will Break You!”

Alcina Dimitrescu was one of Resident Evil VIII’s best characters, and her quote directed at Ethan Winters symbolizes the franchise monsters writ large. In Resident Evil, rest seems like a scarce commodity, with the tension never letting up for a moment.

When not hiding out in a safe room, players feel like they’re being hunted by every imaginable terror, from zombies and undead dogs to lethal lickers and towering Tyrants. In every game, the player is the prey, never the hunter.

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