If you read the headline above and your immediate thought was “nah”, let me try to dissuade your concerns (and thank you for clicking anyway, I need the revenue to feed my cats as well as my cocaine habit).

Underwater sections are a divisive subject in gaming. When designed poorly, they can completely hijack the momentum of a game, beset by frustrating controls or tepid all-range exploration. Very few folks out there would say that a water level is their favourite part, whether it’s Sora floundering around the depths of Atlantica or the Ninja Turtles trying to disarm those goddamn bombs plaguing the dam. (Perhaps I should have said “god dam” there?)

To propose, then, that a franchise implement more water encounters is easy to dismiss, until you consider that this particular franchise has a rather stellar track record in said field — and they’ve barely even skimmed the surface.

The most obvious instance of a marine menace would have to be Del Lago; which served as the first boss of Resident Evil 4. It was an unforgettable encounter that pitted Leon’s flimsy motorboat against a ravenous salamander lurking in the depths. Armed only with a curiously infinite supply of harpoons, your task was to bludgeon the beast whenever it came within vision, while also trying to steer your boat clear of obstacles.

The core design philosophy isn’t necessarily that exciting, but the atmosphere is unrivalled, particularly whenever you’re knocked into the water and trying desperately to swim to safety as Del Lago closes in on you. With all things considered, it was unlike anything else you’ll find during Leon’s mission, and by far claims the distinction of being my favourite RE4 boss fight.

On reflection, it might even be my favourite in the series. It’s certainly a frontrunner, mixing intensity with spectacle and helping to ramp up the game’s boisterous personality in the early stages.

Sticking with the sagacious Mr. Kennedy, then, we next tackle the bombastic clusterfuck that was Resident Evil 6 and the scuffle against the hideous Brzak. Mechanically, this shark foe was emblematic of the game’s design mandate as a whole: frantically stabbing at a button when prompted on-screen, and trying to process all of the stimuli whizzing past your eyes.

If this sounds like a step down from Del Lago, that’s because it is — as is RE6, as a whole. When compared to the other bosses of its many campaigns, however, it still takes the lead by virtue of being as big, loud, and stupid as possible. It’s also a veritable set piece that doesn’t overstay its welcome, unlike some of the protracted bullet sponges you’ll come across later on.

And of course, there’s the queen of the seas, Neptune herself. Resident Evil Remake’s Aqua Ring is an iconic location, and though the gargantuan shark serves as more of a stage hazard than an outright boss fight, her petrifying presence elevates the entire Residence segment.

The original game predicated on some of our most primal fears; dangerous creatures such as spiders, snakes, and sharks. As it so often did, the 2002 edition just made everything bigger, and even when you know exactly what’s coming, there’s an unease in navigating around that flooded catwalk. Once the musical sting starts to play, you know that you’ll have to move fast, lest you be devoured whole.

Tragically, Resident Evil: Revelations — a game that took place out on the open sea — totally missed their opportunity to continue that distinguished lineage.

The only shark foe, the humanoid Scarmiglione, stalks you while on dry land, and I refuse to include the tepid Malacoda showdown as an underwater boss simply because that’s where it attacks you from. Were that the case, Resident Evil 5’s Ricardo Irving would qualify, and neither fight is really worth writing home about.

To my delight, the latest offering of Resident Evil Village — despite skewing less towards visceral horror than its predecessor — did dedicate a section to aquatic shenanigans in the form of Moreau’s Reservoir. As you navigate the flooded village across various roofs and debris, the beleaguered Salvatore circles hungrily before attempting to ram you into the drink.

It’s a definite improvement over Brzak, and the way Moreau’s hideous, mutated form threatens to gobble you up when you least suspect it really amplifies the entire sequence. It can certainly give you a shock, though his attacks are scripted in order for you to complete the puzzles and progress.

It’s pretty good, but I’m a greedy masochist who wants even more. Notably, you don’t get to actually fight back against Moreau until the water has been drained, and to allow for more precise platforming, Ethan can’t slip in unless his assailant has specifically triggered it.

What I’m truly seeking are open waters that you must brave in order to progress, perhaps without even telegraphing that something awful awaits. Thalassophobia is such a visceral sensation, and yet the preeminent survival horror franchise seems hesitant to test the waters, so to speak.

Particularly now, when the era of first person Resident Evil games is giving you a front row seat to the action, the opportunity for sheer terror has never been so readily available. Imagine nervously wading through vast waters as you wonder what else could be there with you. Are you safe? Or is there some awful, predatory monster that views you as just another snack?

Resident Evil 7 showcased just how distinctly Capcom can cultivate a true horror experience, and the gator-infested swamps in its End of Zoe DLC count amongst its most tension-filled moments. So now, as we approach 30 glorious years of blood, guts, and Jill sandwiches, the time has never been better to revisit some old classic enemy types; made more dreadful than ever with the aid of the vaunted RE Engine.

Truth be told, the scariest game I’ve played in years was Raft, for crying out loud. Imagine what a new Resident Evil leviathan could do to my fragile psyche.