On the website GameJolt, user and developer Lord DeeJay, as part of Team Bravo, has just released “The Arklay Chronicles,” a Resident Evil game that fills in some of the gaps prior to the events of the first installment in the series. Taking place in July 1998, players will take on the role of a number of iconic characters from the franchise, such as Forest Speyer, Barry Burton, and Albert Wesker. A release trailer shows some of the familiar locations that form the game’s story, including the Spencer mansion. It also shows that it plays from an over-the-shoulder perspective, similar to Resident Evil 4 and the remakes of 2 and 3.

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As the name implies, this entry takes place around the Arklay mountains which is secretly referenced in Resident Evil 7 and forms the area that sets the events of the first game into motion. In its current state, “The Arklay Chronicles” consists of one chapter, but is said to have multiple endings and “a lot of surprises.” Players interested in trying out the game can do so by downloading it from Lord Deejay’s GameJolt page.

Many have been celebrating Resident Evil’s 26th anniversary recently, with Slitterhead developer, Bokeh Games, announcing that it would be unveiling a special video on its YouTube channel soon. Given the huge popularity of the series, it’s not surprising that some have gone out of their way to create their own installments. But at the same time, there are plenty of fans out there who are keen for more official content, with last year’s Village proving that the franchise is nowhere near ready to call it a day.

The original 1996 game helped to influence some of the best survival horror games ever, popularizing the genre. Despite games five and sixth almost ruining the series for some players with its increased focus on action, the rediscovery of the franchise’s horror roots for seven and eight have helped to keep the story alive. At the time of writing, there’s no word about when additional chapters of Team Bravo’s game will be coming out.

Resident Evil Village is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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Source: GameJolt