The Hunt for Resident Evil 1.5

by Richard Mandel

Do you like tales of lost treasure? This is the story of a quest to find a lost treasure . . . only it wasn't your typical treasure. It wasn't a chest full of pirate gold and jewels or a cave full of riches from a long-forgotten kingdom. It wasn't some prized antique or rare collectible, or even a chance discovery made in someone's garage sale or a backroad flea market stall. The item in question was a lost video game. That's right, a lost video game, one that had almost been completed but was canceled only three months prior to its planned release date and, in the time that followed, would become something of a legend among video game fans. It was the original version of the video game that fans have come to know and love as Resident Evil 2. That original version was the treasure being sought. This is the story of the fourteen-year search by a group of dedicated fans from around the world to find a playable development build of that lost original game. This is the story of how a build was finally tracked down, incomplete and badly broken, and how those fans took it upon themselves to both finish the game and make it fully playable. This is also the story of how that effort went awry and how another group of fans had to take action in order to ensure that this original and unaltered development build, despite its incompleteness and many other flaws, finally saw the light of day. This is the story of the hunt for Resident Evil 1.5.

338 pages, Paperback

Published April 22, 2019

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rare occasion - I am the first person on good reads to write a review for this book. That’s a heavy weight to carry.

The book is very niche read - it’s about a Resident Evil title that was scrapped, only for RE2 on PSX to be released subsequently. I’ve played the MZD version of RE 1.5 and it’s an interesting piece of history, but perhaps little more. It’s a curiosity with only limited depth and playability. The criticisms which led to the title being cancelled and succeeded by RE2 appear warranted.

The book meanders at times, and features heavy amounts of drama that is now circa 7+ years old. Perhaps with a bit of tighter editorial processing, it would be shorter, more direct, and more to the point. That said, the verbosity of the text is perhaps to be applauded, because it is, after all, a historical record of two things - people and a rare video game. At times the two are almost inseparable given the role of people in the release of this title.

Overall if you are a resident evil fan, you should pick up and give this well researched book a read. It’s the only one about RE 1.5 and therefore as a source of information is invaluable.

And once you’ve read it, give the game itself a whirl online.

[Tadek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books documenting the life and times of niche scenes related to video game RE/modding/piracy/lost media/etc ought to become a trend.