Roleplaying in Resident Evil

Both the 1996 and 2002 versions of Resident Evil contain a noticeable degree of roleplaying. A number of events in the game's plot determine and are determined by other elements of the game's progression, from how the supporting role will help the player; whether they live or die and how the game, itself ends.

Determining Jill's progression[]

Where to find Barry[]

Was the Ceiling Trap triggered?

Yes

No

Jill alone with Forest

Jill and Barry find Forest

As shown in the chart above, where and how Jill and Barry will meet depends around the ceiling trap. Were Jill to claim the shotgun early and unwittingly activate the trap, Barry will come to her rescue. When she investigates the east-wing balcony, she will be alone when discovering Forest Speyer's remains. However, if the ceiling trap was avoided (or, alternatively, the player decided to claim the Armor Key before claiming the shotgun at all), then she will discover Barry inspecting the body.

The rope[]

In versions of the game based around the 1996 original (therefore, excluding the GameCube and Wii-ports), Barry will meet Jill Valentine after her second battle with the Yawn. Descending down the pit, Barry will accidentally drop the rope and rush out of the room to search for another - he will return within a set time limit with a second rope, ready to pull you back out. If the player decides to continue their search by going further down, Barry's fate may be sealed.

Who goes first?[]

This is again unique to the pre-remake versions.

In the underground tunnels beneath the courtyard, Jill will develop trust issues regarding Barry, and will be confronted with a choice at one point - should she allow Barry to come with her or not? If she still trusts Barry enough to let him come along, she has another choice to make - should she search the area first or Barry? If she does not, Barry will investigate anyway, which forces her to make a different choice - should she wait for Barry to return or not? This RP-element ties in with the previous, rope-based decision. If the player chose to wait for Barry to return, and go first, he will survive to the end and the mansion will be destroyed in the game's ending.

If the player chose to continue searching, or in the tunnels, decided that Barry should go first, but agreed to wait for him, he will make it as far as the Tyrant activation, being sent away to the helipad by Wesker. As he has failed to achieve Jill's trust, he does not knock Wesker out. En route to the helipad, Barry will be discovered collapsed on the ground and dying. Because he was not with Jill earlier, the team has not decided to destroy the mansion.

Were the player to decide on varying options, such as laccompanying Barry in the tunnels but letting him go first, or refusing to accompany him but not agreeing to wait for him, depending on whether the player responds to the sound of a gunshot in time, he will be found dying when Jill prepares to return to the surface following Enrico's death.

Freeing Chris[]

Rescuing Chris Redfield from the prison cell determines the very end of the game. If Chris is not freed, the bomb will not be activated, and the mansion will not be destroyed.