For the past 25 years,Resident Evilhas been one of the most popular franchises produced by Capcom, and the series has seen many significant changes throughout its long run. From a massive shift from survival horror to action horror, and then back to survival horror,Resident Evilcontinues to evolve with the times. While every change was not met with a favorable reception, many fans remain loyal to the franchise.
However, despite all the significant changesResident Evilhas seen through the years, the wide variety of herbs players can find in the game mostly remained the same. In celebration of its 25th anniversary,Capcom released real-life versions of the iconic herbsin the form of bath salts, which is why now is the perfect time to delve into the history of these herbs and how they evolved with the games.
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Resident Evil: The Different Kinds of Herbs and Their Uses
In mostResident Evilgames, players will find three major herbs, which serve as the primary healing items in the franchise. Each kind of herb has a distinct color and healing properties. Out of the three types of herbs, the Green Herb is the most common. When used, theGreen Herb restores a portion of the player’s health, making it a valuable resource to have throughout the game. On the other hand, the Blue Herb neutralizes most toxins and is primarily used when the player is poisoned. Lastly, the Red Herb cannot be used independently, but it serves as an enhancer when used alongside other herbs.
One of the major survival horror mechanics around herbs is what to mix them with and when. For example, when two Green Herbs are combined, the amount of health restored is doubled, andResident Evilplayerscan combine a total of three Green Herbs that would restore the player’s health. Additionally, a Blue Herb can also be mixed with a Green Herb, restoring some health and curing poison. On the other hand, combining Green Herb with a Red Herb would fully restore the player’s health, while a Blue Herb mixed with a Red Herb would cure poison fully. Lastly, combining all three herbs would fully restore the player’s health and cure poison.
Resident Evil: The History of Herbs and How They Evolved Throughout The Years
During the classicResident Evilgames, herbs usually appear in small pots and are scattered around the map. Lore-wise, these herbs are native to the Arklay Mountains, the region where Raccoon City was located.The Umbrella Corporationdiscovered its medicinal use and created other species of herbs that can be found outside Raccoon City, such as in Rockfort Island and the Antarctic Base. While the mechanics of mixing herbs remained mostly the same, players can only combine two inResident Evil 5andResident Evil 6. The mixing mechanic was not featured inResident Evil: GaidenandResident Evil: Revelations.
Capcom decidednot to include the Blue Herb inResident Evil 4,but the studio replaced it with Yellow Herbs, increasing the character’s maximum life. However, Yellow Herbs are only usable when combined with either Green, Red, or both. When combined, herbs turn into powder form, and while the games do not show how the character uses them, it is assumed that this powder form is applied directly to wounds. InResident Evil 6,herbs are converted into health tablets that characters would ingest to receive medicinal properties.
Although other health items such as the First Aid Spray are common inResident Evilas well, some games won’t give players certain achievements when a First Aid Spray is used. This is why most players prefer to look out for herbs, given that most games allow them to use as many as they can without any consequences tied to achievements. In the end, while most players don’t think much of them, the herbs have actually become iconic items intheResident Evilfranchise, which is why players are seeing some form of them in merchandise and otherResident Evilcollectibles.
