Resident Evil Survival Unit: Characters, gameplay and everything else you need to know

The virus is spreading once again, and this time it’s infecting mobile devices. 

Resident Evil Survival Unit brings its terrifying pandemic to iOS and Android, but this isn’t the same survival-horror strain we’ve seen before. It’s a new variant that throws base-building and real-time strategy into the mix, but blends these elements with classic series tropes.

The game generated plenty of pre-launch hype since its first trailer landed back in August which saw it reach 2 million pre-registrations ahead of its global launch on the App Store and Google Play. Here is everything to know about Resident Evil Survival Unit.

What is Resident Evil Survival Unit?

Co-developed by Aniplex and JOYCITY, Resident Evil Survival Unit is an all-new mobile entry in the iconic horror series, but this is Resident Evil as you’ve never seen it before.

The game swaps third-person survival-horror escapades and jump-scares for base-building and real-time strategy, with a post-apocalyptic, mutagenic virus-riddled twist.

Set in a parallel universe to the one we know from the mainline Resident Evil titles, Survival Unit takes place against the backdrop of a crumbling city that’s overrun with infected hordes, and tasks players with building a stronghold amid all of this world-ending chaos.

You’ll find yourself constructing a base, gathering resources, deploying your band of survivors to ward off the infected, and expanding your influence in a devastated world where you’ll encounter other groups of survivors, not knowing whether they’ll be friend or foe.

The gang’s all here

Although Survival Unit offers a different take on Resident Evil, you’ll encounter some familiar faces among the rubble of the old world. Series icons Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, and Jill Valentine will all feature in the game, except here you will be deploying them as unit commanders, rather than pulling off headshots fleeing from waves of infected.

They’re joined by new characters Kate Anderson, a Raccoon City Hall official, and Anthony, a biotech graduate student searching for his missing parents in the ruined city.

On the antagonist side of the fence, players will encounter the same decomposing hordes they’ve relished facing off against countless times on home consoles; but there will be original mutated creatures stalking our band of survivors too.

One such creature, Mortem, is a nightmarish creation designed by world-renowned artist Yoshitaka Amano. Amano worked as a guest designer on Resident Evil Survival Unit and aimed to capture a psychological sense of fear with this new big bad, which is described as an “eerie presence that lingers in the unknown”.

How to play

Resident Evil Survival Unit launched for iOS and Android devices worldwide on November 18th so you can download it right now from the Google Play Store and the App Store. It’s free-to-play with in-app purchases available.

The game also has an official YouTube channel that fans can tune into to view the trailers and footage that have been released so far.