Summary
TheResident Evilfranchise is well-known for its creative ways to immerse players into the world of survival horror. From its first installment,Resident Evilincluded innovative systems for simple gameplay mechanics, such as interactive typewriters to save at and various plants to discover in order to heal. Having saves be tied to specific items like ink ribbons forced players to treat each item as a rare resource and further emphasized the survival aspects of the game. In the same way, the various Herbs that players discover in order to heal their character and remedy other ailments became a staple of the franchise.
With each new installment, the healing system of the game remained mostly consistent. The majority ofResident Eviltitles featured Herbs that provide unique buffs; Green Herbs to recover health, Red Herbs to amplify the effects of Green Herbs when combined, and Blue Herbs to neutralize toxins in the body, for instance. However, recent titles in theREtimeline,RE7andRE Village, reworked Herbs more significantly. It remains to be seen if Herbs are now a tired feature or destined to make a return in future installments.
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Why Herbs Are Healing Items In Resident Evil
In the lore ofResident Evil, Herbs are described as being medicinal plants native to the Arklay Mountain region of the American Midwest that each provide unique properties corresponding to their color. These powerful medicinal Herbs have been cultivated by the Umbrella Corporation and brought to various other locations visited in the franchise includingRockfort Island and Umbrella’s Antarctic base fromResident Evil Code: Veronica.
Different Herb varieties are also found in other settings around the world such as inRE4’s Spain,RE5’s Africa, andRE6’s China and Eastern Europe. It is never specifically mentioned whether these international Herbs are cultivated or by whom. As with the Arklay Herbs, these other Herbs are ground into a powder and either ingested or used topically.
The gameplay mechanics surrounding Herbs evolved over time. In allResident Evilgames up toRE6, Herbs and First Aid Sprays are the primary healing items. The only other means of healing arechicken eggs inRE4andRE5.RE6did attempt to innovate the Herb system by introducing Herbs that must be converted into edible tablets to be used, though it did little to add to the gameplay. The overall healing system saw its biggest update inRE7with the introduction of crafting First Aid Medicine.
First Aid Medicine could either be found in the game world or be made by combining a Herb with Chem Fluid. SinceChem Fluid is also used to make ammo and other resources, this system urged players to make wise decisions with them. InRE7, Herbs could still be used alone in order to heal if no Chem Fluid was available.Resident Evil Villagetook things a bit further by requiring Herbs to be combined with Chem Fluid to be used. The focus on crafting made Herbs feel even more valuable and put more responsibility on the player.
This system could be taken even further inResident Evil 9. Perhaps bringing back multiple colored Herb varieties along with Chem Fluid would create more crafting options. OrVillage’shunting and fishing could be expanded upon to provide other ways to heal as inRE4andRE5. Depending onRE9’s story and setting, maybe players can buy healing items, grow herbs in the ground, or something else entirely. Whatever routeRE9takes it must get creative in order to innovate this classic feature.
Resident Evil 9is rumored to be in development.
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