A concept that has always fascinated me in storytelling and art is de-familiarization.
“A theory and technique, originating in the early 20th century, in which an artistic or literary work presents familiar objects or situations in an unfamiliar way, prolonging the perceptive process and allowing for a fresh perspective.”
I shared the definition from dictionary.com because I didn’t specifically know the term de-familiarization until recently (I have Adam Jameson to thank for enlightening me). How I always explored my interest was in comparing and contrasting different uses of similar ideas. Using one thing as a foundation, as a seed, to create another thing.
More specifically, using our knowledge of a thing to create a new thing.
It’s an idea that I’ve come across primarily in sequels, and I wrote about it back in 2018. If you don’t feel like reading the whole thing (it primarily focuses on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which will be a draw for some and repellant for others), here’s the opening paragraph to establish the basics of what I’m referring to:
“Blockbuster sequels will tend to use set pieces, images or dialogue from their predecessor as a means of both re-establishing prior themes and a promise that the sequel will have a larger scope. What’s interesting is that while studios have always been sequel hopeful for their blockbusters, these formal ideas were previously retroactive, with the filmmakers looking back on the predecessor as they’re making the sequel and finding a way to incorporate these familiar images and moments.”
But this idea has also had a fascinating presence in video games; a new, minor twist to a foundational gameplay mechanic can create all sorts of new opportunities.
There are plenty of examples to cite throughout the history of the medium. But I came across a brilliant example playing the demo for the Resident Evil 3: Nemesis remake. I may not be a video game connoisseur, and it may be a demo, but the experience of coming across the title character in said demo is one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had playing a video game.
And it’s all because of de-familiarization.
My Residence With Evil
My introduction to the Resident Evil franchise was the 4th entry. First on the PS2 (shout out to Jeremy Allen for secretly lending it to me), then again on the Wii (shout out to the Plymouth Meeting FYE employee for not asking me for ID). I also played 5, skipped 6, then played 4 countless times throughout the intervening years, and then played 7 a few years back.
It wasn’t until the Resident Evil 2 remake that I decided to actually explore more of the franchise beyond whichever just came out. I’m still not a fanatic, but I played the REmake, recently started 0, and am going through Resident Evil: Revelations, with plans to devour whatever else I can get my hands on.
Frankly, you could write a book about how much the series has changed through the years. It has evolved and rebooted in countless ways, all while maintaining a sense of identity. I initially struggled to see any proper connective tissue between 4 and 7 (beyond Umbrella, herbs, and of course, obscene mutated monsters and horrific violence) when those were my primary reference points. But after going through more of the franchise, the distinctions and similarities and that general Resident Evil feel stood out all the stronger.
But rather than writing a book, I’m going to specifically refer to the specific experience I had going from the remake of Resident Evil 2 to the demo for Resident Evil 3: Nemesis remake. This experience was due to RE2‘s Mr. X being the foundation that evolved into the title character for RE3.
As I haven’t played the originals, this gap (at least on a conceptual level) is probably familiar to anyone that has.
Mr. X
There’s little comfort to be found in Mr. X’s insistence on walking.
Yes, you can outrun him. Yes, you can hide from him. But once you hear him coming, once you hear those almost rhythmic footsteps (which are so traumatizing I sometimes mistake my character’s footsteps for his), you have to run. You have no choice. That your pace is faster than his just reminds me of a quote from another one of my favorite muscular henchmen; “there can be no true despair without hope.”
If you don’t outrun him, or if your hiding spot doesn’t stay hidden, he punches you. Like his brisk pace, there’s no comfort to be found in there just being one punch, and it’s an instantaneous reminder why you have to run. Because you don’t want to give him the time to punch you again.
And I’ve only talked about dealing with him solo. I haven’t even touched on what it’s like to run from this big, almost-Looney-Tunes-esque-but-somehow-horrifyingly-real slob of muscle when you have any other enemies around. Running into a zombie and it biting at your neck would otherwise be a frustrating experience; with Mr. X on your tail, it’s an almost unfathomable horror. Being slowed down and injured when close to an ever-pursuing hulk is, after all, not ideal.
Nemesis
I downloaded the demo for the Resident Evil 3 remake. Having not played the original, all I had to go on for Nemesis were comparisons to RE2’s Mr. X. Developers spoke about Nemesis tracking the player the same way Mr. X did, about players not knowing when or where he’d show up, being able to grab the player with a tentacle, etc.
To summarize all this, producer Peter Fabiano said they are “determined to surpass (Mr. X) with Nemesis.”
When I saw this, I didn’t think much of this beyond “cool!” As a fan of RE2, I was already excited for its follow-up. As a fan of Mr. X, I was excited for his follow-up. Little to think beyond that.
After downloading the demo, the pre-Nemesis material went about as expected. I was given a goal. While trying to achieve that goal I shot, stabbed, and ran from zombies. I also gathered ammo and created ammo to shoot the zombies, and I also gathered first aid and herbs for whenever one of those undead dipshits bit me in the neck.
That last simplistic summary of the gameplay shouldn’t be seen as a criticism of the game. It’s just the foundation both the RE2 remake and the rest of the franchise helped establish. It’s not a bad thing in any capacity, it simply…is.
Nemesis arrives, and he takes those ever so familiar first few steps towards me. So I looked at him with the same, basic sense of foundational understanding that I looked at the rest of the demo with. I did A when confronted zombies in RE2, I do A when confronted with zombies in RE3. I did B when confronted with Mr. X in RE2, so I do B when confronted with Nemesis in RE3.
So I turned around, started to run-
And then I hear him running.
And then he hits me not once, but twice.
I don’t exactly remember what happened during those disorienting seconds between the shock of the double-hit and when I started running towards the steps, but, eventually, towards the steps I ran. I didn’t hear him running, and for a brief moment, I felt free, I felt safe.
That moment ended when he landed right in front of me.
It would seem that he can leap. He can’t quite leap tall buildings in a single bound, but he can leap far enough for me to nearly piss myself.
I can wax poetic about the fear of a foe that can only walk all I want. When I first came across Nemesis, I would have given anything to hear Mr. X’s briskly paced footsteps in Nemesis’ place.
The Player’s Place
It, of course, wouldn’t be fair to leave the player in a spot where they’re totally helpless. You could use weapons to slow down Mr. X, but it wasn’t an essential part of of avoiding him.
With Nemesis, it’s….recommended. But this isn’t enough. The player needs a means of surviving his new pace and attacks, which comes in the form of “new” environmental aids and a “new” control (new is in quotes because I’m presuming they were a part of the original Resident Evil 3).
In terms of the environment, you’ll come across barrels of gasoline that will, in classic video game fashion, blow up when shot. There’s also a generator that will release an electrical field when you shoot it. These things make it easier to stop the running beast in his tracks.
But an occasional environmental assistance isn’t enough, as the game needs to provide a new consistent means of defending yourself. And so the game gives you an ability you didn’t have in RE2; the ability to “quick-step”. Once the big guy gets near you, you can “quick-step” and, if your timing is right, avoid his hit.
Coming Back Around
These new abilities essentially put you at the same “can just barely survive” position you were in with Mr. X.
But the similarities between the foe and your ability to survive the foe don’t make the game (or, at least, the demo) unimaginative or repetitive. I may have only just played a demo for the game, but I maintain that confronting Nemesis in that demo was one of the most memorable gaming experiences of my life, and it’s precisely through the similarities that the experience is able to evolve, and the familiar is able to develop a new life.
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