Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is an on-rails shooting game and the second title exclusive to the Wii platform in the Resident Evil series. The player do not control the character's movement but only the shooting aspect, shown from a first-person perspective. The player's partner is also shown on the screen and there is an cooperative option for two players.

The game's plot is retelling the events of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil Code:Veronica, with a third act which ties the two together. For the Resident Evil 2 segment, the player takes control of protagonists Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, with Sherry Birkin acting as an escort character in one chapter. The Code: Veronica chapter features Claire, accompanied by fellow Rockfort Island prisoner Steve Burnside, and later her brother Chris Redfield.