S&M, Large Claws, and Resident Evil 4

              When talking about survival horror games, it is hard to keep the conversation from reverting back to Resident Evil.  We have just had too much time together for me to push her out of my memories.  She stole so many firsts from me, the most embarrassing being the first time I refused to play a game because I was too terrified.  It took me three years to finally nut up and virtually confront my fears, decapitating and exploding zombies as I went.  The catalyst for my new found bravery was a simple one: Resident Evil 4 was coming out soon.

The logo.

                Resident Evil 4 was released in 2005 and it featured a huge departure from the series’ traditional core mechanics.  No longer was I forced to navigate through cramped hallways with set camera angles and only three directions to aim.  Now the game had become a third person shooter where gunplay reigned supreme.  The over-the-shoulder camera angle when aiming became a revolutionary mechanic in gaming that practically every third person shooter since has adopted.  Foes could be targeted anywhere and would react differently depending upon the area they were shot.  With a more lethally capable player in control, the amount of enemies present drastically increased.  Onslaughts of infected villagers and deformed beasts attacked me mercilessly lending a far more fast-paced feel to the gameplay.

The wonderful pitchfork wielding town folk.

This feel of more action-oriented gameplay is where a great divide formed with long time Resident Evil fans.  They argued that the survival horror aspect of the game had died with Resident Evil 3 and that Resident Evil 4 was a pure action game.  The creepy nature of the game had been lost with the tank controls, narrow corridors, and set camera angles.  I do not believe I could disagree more with this thought.  Resident Evil 4 is still terrifying, just in its own unique way.  I could delve into the gameplay mechanics to explain myself, but instead I will simply direct attention to a monster present in the game, the Garrador.

Meet the Garrador.

“Man with claws,” that is what the term Garrador means and I don’t think a more literal name could have been picked.  The creature is a colossus of a man with almost three foot long claws and an odd outfit that seems to mix chains, a helmet, and perhaps black leather pants.  Yes, his attire sounds like the makings of some kinky S&M feature but sexual fetishes aside, this guy is scary bad news and my first encounter with him did not end kindly for me.

Lasik gone horribly wrong.

The first time I encountered a Garrador was in a prison dungeon deep within the confines of Ramon Salazar’s castle.  I entered the dungeon unaware that a monster laid dormant in one of the cells.  As I approached the cell, a brief shot was shown of the bound Garrador, specifically zooming in on what looked like his gouged out eyes.  When I kicked the door of the cell down to pull the ill placed lever the Garrador burst to life.

All he wants is a hug.

I tried unloading shotgun shells into its face, but it didn’t take long to notice that was not going to work.  All it did was infuriate him and cause him to embed the three foot long claws deep into my skull.  One face palm inducing “You are dead” screen later I was back in action.  I realized that he was blind and could not detect me unless I made noise.  I proceeded to move around behind him to which I was awarded with a sweet spot.  On the monster’s back was a parasite that I knew if fired upon would end his life.  I got the parasite in my sights and unloaded a well placed shotgun round into his back.  While the creature writhed in pain I let out a premature moment of joy that was immediately cut short by a charging Garrador who proceeded to decapitate me.  If my character could speak to me with his severed head, I’m sure he would have insulted my intelligence, my mother, and possibly my manhood.

A charging Garrador.  Look at those claws!

The next time I went into the fight with clear objectives and an understanding of my enemy.  It was a cake walk after dying two times previously.  All I did was walk silent circles around my foe, breaking my silence only to pepper the monster’s parasite with shotgun shells.  I was always on the move so as to not get caught with one of those claws in my skull once more.  After 4 or 5 rounds to the back, the Garrdor dropped and I did a little corpse desecrating victory dance on my to the dungeons exit.

This is just one of many monsters present in Resident Evil 4.  Maybe the encounter doesn’t sound terrifying as much as it does highlight my stupidity, but I assure you, the first encounter with a Garrador is not easily forgotten.  Being stalked by a blind giant who loves S&M and large claws is a scary moment.  I couldn’t run or make a noise without being bull rushed so it completely changed the gameplay style during the attack causing me to slow down and think.  There are so many different monster encounters in this game that force you outside of your comfort zone and each one of them is terrifying in their own way.  Resident Evil 4 is not where survival horror went to die; it is where survival horror evolved into something magnificent.