If you ask any gamer about the biggest and most successful horror game franchises out there, it’s more than likely Resident Evil will be brought up. While they are not the scariest games out there, the older games of the series still had a creepy atmosphere and were effective in what they tried to do. However, as the series progressed, the core hallmarks of the series shifted away from the complicated puzzles and limited ammunition of the early games and became more focused on third-person action, starting with the much praised Resident Evil 4. Not everyone was happy with this admittedly drastic shift, but I still found the game to be enjoyable, albeit in a different sense than before.

However, despite the overwhelming popularity of the series’ fourth main outing, many seem to have a rather different opinion on the next game in the main series, Resident Evil 5. With the introduction of game-long co-op and a very similar gameplay style to Resident Evil 4, it seemed as though the game was disliked from both perspectives of the fandom. Fans who wanted the game to be more like the older entries appeared disappointed that the differences were still present while fans who liked the newer games said it was too similar to RE4. Personally, I found this game to be an enjoyable experience and I don’t believe it deserves the bad reputation it receives. Case in point, the final chapter of Resident Evil 5, the Bridge Deck, is a very well-designed level that both completely tests the player’s skills and provides a great series of scenes and gameplay that coalesces into an engaging experience.

While the story of this game may not be very strong, the designers still presented the weight this level had on the story clearly. Albert Wesker, more or less the big bad of the entire series, is going to spread a virus across the entire world that will either kill off or turn the majority of people into monsters. You have to cross the bridge deck of the ship Chris and Sheva, the main characters, are on to get to Wesker and finally defeat him before he can accomplish his goals. The entire buildup to the Wesker fight is done very nicely through both the story presented in the beginning with these facts and the gameplay needed to get to him. The only thing separating you from Wesker is the largest room you have ever had to fight through, filled to the brim with enemies, ammo, and obstacles. It really feels like the game is throwing everything it can at you in one final effort and that gives a definite sense of finality to the entire section. Only adding to that is the awesome “In Flames” music playing throughout the chamber, which gives the sense that, despite impossible odds being stacked against you, you are breaking through every last one.

Kind of hard to evacuate if the bulkhead is sealed, ship designers.

The chamber itself, actually being the engine room, is, as previously stated, very large and is actually split into three “sections” of sorts due to a fire causing bulkhead doors to seal off different parts of the room. The first section plays like a relatively normal room for the game. There a twisty path through the room as you deal with a few enemies scattered all over the place. However, what makes this effective is how the game is starting off this massive room with the kinds of obstacles you would see anywhere else. It is a subtle hint to how the room contains the regular challenges and so much more. After getting to the main section of the area and pulling the switch to open the first of the bulkheads to progress, it quickly becomes apparent that this room is anything but normal.

These bulkheads take a fair amount of time to open all the way and, as the door opens, a large amount of enemies spawn in and attack from multiple angles while you have nowhere to run. After dispatching them, more enemies start firing from behind the opening bulkhead, including some rocket launcher wielders. Taking them out only provides temporary respite, as a humongous number of Majini, the regular enemies of the game, spawn from all over the place and attack from all angles when the door opens completely. This section has a varied layout that serves to make a great battleground for the fight. There are high catwalks and low areas with a lot of cover on both sides, along with a very high catwalk with rooms at the ends where supplies and cover can located. I found this to be refreshing, as many battles in RE5 take place in tight hallways with limited cover to choose from. Having such an open space with that many options presented in gameplay was a good decision and it was a very enjoyable fight. However, it only gets tougher once you and your partner open the final bulkhead.

As the last bulkhead opens, you are attacked by two Reapers, giant bugs that are definitely the most difficult regular enemies in the game due to their hard-to-hit weak points and practical invulnerability when not hit at those points, along with the ability to perform a one-hit kill. Dealing with one is trouble enough, so two is a problem, to say the least. It definitely doesn’t get any easier once you defeat them and the door completely opens, as two chaingun-wielding enemies spawn ahead, in addition to numerous Majini attacking from your back. While you can deal with all these enemies with conventional weaponry, a tactic I found that works is quickly getting to the mounted gatling gun on the side of the room and use it to shoot out the big enemies while the partner defends the person on the gun.

I really like how the difficulty through the room jumps with each opening bulkhead, from the initial sparse enemies, to the large amount of normal enemies, and finally the ending section with four of the toughest enemies in the game in addition to regular forces. It feels like a natural progression through the level and, indeed, is almost an allegory for the entire game’s development, from the rather easy beginnings to the more difficult sections at the end.