Developer: t0fuzzer
Release Date: TBA
Graphics: 3D
Genre: Survival Horror
Players: 1 or 2
Description
The Green Herb Engine is a game engine for the original PlayStation (PSX) that aims to replicate the look and feel of the original Resident Evil. Its long-term goal is to provide a foundation for creating a classic survival horror experience, reminiscent of the genre-defining titles released on Sony’s 32-bit console.
At the moment, most of the available information comes from a series of videos published by the developer on YouTube, where progress is showcased on a regular basis. In addition, the developer maintains a Patreon page, where supporters can receive updates, gain access to more detailed information, and even test the engine depending on their subscription tier.
Extra Info
Based on the footage shared so far, the engine already allows players to control Jill Valentine using her original PS1 model, moving through environments that closely resemble the iconic Spencer Mansion. Several enemies have also been implemented, including Hunters and Tyrants, which can be seen roaming the environment, chasing the player, and attacking to deal damage.
Player movement appears to closely match the original game, successfully capturing the distinctive feel of classic survival horror controls. However, some elements are still incomplete: certain enemy animations are missing, and their behavior has yet to fully replicate the complexity of the original AI.
The developer has clarified that the use of assets from the original game is temporary, meaning that original characters, enemies, and environments are expected to replace them in the future.
The engine also includes several debug and performance indicators displayed on screen. These include the engine name, a real-time FPS counter (consistently running at around 30 FPS), animation sequence data, enemy AI states, and character health values.
One of the most impressive aspects shown so far is the camera system, which accurately reproduces the fixed camera angles of the original Resident Evil games. As the player moves through specific areas, the camera dynamically changes along with the background, closely mimicking the classic presentation style.
Sound has also been implemented, with the engine already capable of playing audio, including music from the original title.
The Green Herb Engine is still a work in progress, but it already demonstrates a strong understanding of the technical and artistic foundations behind classic survival horror on the PlayStation. If development continues at this pace, it could eventually become a powerful tool for creating new experiences inspired by the golden age of the genre.
Recent Experiments
Another notable experiment involves the use of masking techniques, allowing sprites to appear correctly in front of 3D characters. This is a key feature for accurately recreating the visual layering seen in the original games.
Some questions to the Developer
Coop mode possible?Funny you ask — I actually have a TCP networking layer already working via DuckStation injection, so the groundwork is there. Co-op is deep in the backlog but it's definitely something I want to explore down the line. But for local co-op with secondary joystick. Absolutely yes to that.
Wait this is amazing. There's so much that could be done if completed! How long did it take you to get this far?Thanks! Research started very long time ago, then on off. Then simple things, then gradually improving. Early engine ideas started April 2022 when I managed to load Jill's head.
I wonder if you can make an Alone in the Dark: the New Nightmare demo with this same engine.I have been analyzing this game, and of course I played it, very nice lightning effect there with flashlight. From what I can tell they created two version of prerendered backgrounds, the normal and illuminated version, and light is just unmasking the illuminated background + lightning effects. While this is not part of Resident Evil engines, I would be possible to work on this. I am very curious what community has say on these topics. Thanks!
Very impressive. What sdk are you using? And about how much time did this take to implement?I am using all glory original PsyQ 4.6. Old compiler. This is result of many years of research, of course I was off a bit too, dayjob you know. But I took deeper dive at R3000 assembly and C, and then started experimenting more and more. The animation thing was a big blocker for me, once I got to understand this, it became much easier. Never thought I get that far actually....
this on the githubs?Not yet, its planned at some point, I will release soon tool to build custom iso based on orignal game assets and my engine. So I dont get too much of Capcoms attention