Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness - All you need to know before watching the Netflix series

The characters and settings are unique and intriguing. This is not surprising considering Japanese creators have always managed to create complex and excellent stories, whether it’s anime or video games. The Metal Gear series by Hideo Kojima, the Final Fantasy series, Monster Hunter, and The Legend of Zelda are examples of video game series that have amassed a cult global following with stories spanning across decades.

The Resident Evil series is probably the only franchise to have released a series of films over the last two decades in an interconnected universe. These films starred Milla Jovovich in the lead as Alice, a character written specifically for the films. This infuriated the gamers worldwide as they wanted their beloved original characters like Leon S Kennedy, Claire and Chris Redfield, and Jill Valentine to feature as the primary protagonists. Director Paul W S Anderson instead opted to continue with his wife Milla’s character Alice as the lead and the face of the subsequent sequels, which included five films. Claire Redfield and Jill Valentine did feature heavily in a few of the sequels, while Leon S Kennedy and Chris Redfield appeared in one film each.

What to expect from Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness?

A new film, a complete reboot of the franchise, is expected to be released in November this year titled Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. However, Netflix has released the CGI-animated limited series, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, on July 8. The series is a direct sequel to the video games Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes released for PlayStation 4, XBOX One, and PC in 2019 and 2020 respectively. The series is set a few years after the T-Virus outbreak in Racoon City in 1998. It features fan-favourites Leon S Kennedy and Claire Redfield as the primary protagonist and the story is set between the events of the 4th and 5th video game instalments.

What is the basic lore of Resident Evil?

In 1998 a deadly virus called the T-Virus spread across Racoon City which essentially turns the civilians into zombies. It all started when three mad scientists discovered a wildflower from Africa and a virus along with it called the Progenitor Virus in the 1960s. The scientists launch the Umbrella Corporation to further research on the virus to create bioweapons and super-powered humans. They eventually become rivals and begin their independent research, which as you would expect eventually leads to the creation of the T-Virus.

Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, part of the S.T.A.R.S (Special Tactics and Rescue Team) first encounter the virus before it was released on Racoon City and manage to escape - this was the premise of the first Resident Evil game. In Resident Evil 2, Leon S Kennedy, a newly appointed police officer at Raccoon City, and Claire Redfield, in search of her brother Chris, arrive at Raccoon City on the day of the outbreak. The third game is set 24 hours prior to the outbreak in Raccoon City with Jill Valentine as the protagonist. The fourth game is about Leon S Kennedy who has become a US government special agent sent into a European countryside village to rescue the President’s daughter.

Infinite Darkness is the story after Leon returns to the US after his mission rescuing Ashley, the President’s daughter. The voice actors of the video game remake of Resident Evil 2, Nick Apostolides and Stephanie Panisello, return as Leon and Claire. The animation in the trailer resembles the animation from Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes, rendered in Capcom’s in-house RE Engine. With this year’s success of Resident Evil 8: Village, released for the PlayStation 5 and the XBOX Series X and S, and the release of the live-action reboot in November, Infinite Darkness is the right appetiser for the Resident Evil fans.