When most players finish Resident Evil, they'll be rewarded with an ending and the credits roll. But when the most dedicated and hardcore players finish Resident Evil under a set of ridiculously challenging conditions, the developers reward them with a thank you note.
With an updated version of the original Resident Evil out this week, players, such omeganemesis28 on reddit, are rediscovering the game's layered easter eggs all over again.
As a series, Resident Evil has always rewarded multiple playthroughs, whether it's new cutscenes by playing as different characters or rewards (costumes, modes) for finishing quickly. To have the developers thank you for playing, however, requires going really above and beyond.
This particular bonus requires finishing the game on Invisible mode, which works as described: enemies are invisible. To even unlock invisible mode, players must either finish the game on normal or hard difficulty with both Chris and Jill or complete the game in Real Survival mode. In Real Survival, the item boxes are not connected to one another and auto-aim is disabled.
Even though enemy placement is exactly the same, it requires players to have a deep understanding of Resident Evil to pull it off. Plus, you have to finish it in under five hours!
Ridiculous, right?
Pull it off, though, and you're rewarded with a cool message from series creator Shinji Mikami:
"Thank you for taking the time to play all the way through 'biohazard' (Resident Evil). If you're reading this letter, I salute you! You are truly a remarkable player! I imagine you must have had some pretty memorable experiences along the way!
The pain of seeing the "Game Over" screen time after time... The sweet taste of victory after you finally beat the game... The feelings of camaraderie you shared with your character... The excitement... and the overwhelming sense of dread.
We believe that games are more than just the product of a team of developers. It takes the support of dedicated players like you to make a game worthwhile.
For this reason we are truly delighted when someone enjoys one of our games as thoroughly as you have.
Therefore, on behalf of the entire staff, please allow me to express our gratitude and congratulate you on a job well done!
Thank you very much for playing!
Shinji Mikami
Dev Team Representative"
You can reach the author of this post at patrick.klepek@kotaku.com or on Twitter at @patrickklepek.