The popular Soulslike adventure gets a new spin on survival horror thanks to a fan effort that blends Dark Souls and Resident Evil. The classic action RPG by FromSoftware is set in the futuristic and occasionally horrifying fantasy land of Lordran. In honor of Halloween, a fan of survival horror has made a video set in Resident Evil Village. Horror fans can celebrate the season with a collaborative effort that merges the two games’ respective fan bases: Dark Souls and Resident Evil.
The YouTube channel Rustic Games BR has uploaded a fantastic video that reimagines Dark Souls as a classic Resident Evil game. The film does a fantastic job of emulating the old fixed camera angle of the survival horror franchise, and the moody lighting and dark settings add to the overall eerie feel. Images from Dark Souls show the Chosen Undead fighting against horrific foes like a zombified Hollow and a formidable undead soldier. The original Resident Evil camera works quite well with the gameplay, allowing players to line up slow, methodical assaults and reposition themselves for better camera positions. Additionally, rustic Games BR adds the classic Resident Evil inventory system to Dark Souls to top off the creepy atmosphere.
A recent PS1 demake of Bloodborne takes FromSoftware’s scariest game. It turns it into a vintage pixelated adventure, while Dark Souls has some horror undertones. Yharnam, a city steeped in the gothic tradition, has been transformed with painstaking accuracy to resemble a PlayStation classic, replete with crunchy sound effects and extremely crude visuals. Reminiscent of the original horror RPG, players can once again use Trick Weapons and gun parries to ruthlessly dispatch monsters in the Bloodborne remake.
There have been many homages and fan projects made to the Resident Evil series because it is one of the most well-known and longest-running survival horror titles. While producer Capcom keeps pumping out updated remakes of classic games, fans have been busy making stunning demakes that re-imagine recent series entries using the original games’ fixed-camera perspective. Even last year, Rustic Games BR made a demake of Resident Evil 4 for the PlayStation 1 that reimagined the third-person action game with clunky tank controls and pixelated graphics from the original game’s release in 2004. While the games in the series have undoubtedly advanced, the success of fan creations like the Resident Evil 4 demake and the Resident Evil/Dark Souls crossover shows that the series’ classic visual aesthetic continues to resonate with modern gamers.
While not strictly a survival horror game, Dark Souls’ dark fantasy setting lends itself well to a demake in the vein of Resident Evil. The slow, deliberate combat evokes the clumsy handling of early Resident Evil games. At the same time, the Chosen Undead’s armor is brilliantly illuminated by every flash of lightning in this magnificent tribute by Rustic Games BR. Now that October 31st has rolled around again, players may get into the Halloween spirit by treating Dark Souls like a medieval horror game.
