When we hear that a game is being remastered we know what to expect since it will just be a fixed up version of the title we already experienced, but a game remake is a whole different story. Capcom took the remake part seriously when they developed the Resident Evil 3 Remake as it is vastly different from the original classic. The question is: are the changes a good or a bad thing?
Story
The T-virus infection has spread throughout Raccoon City and all hope is beginning to look lost. In hopes of escaping the increasing number of the zombie horde that invades the city while bringing along as many survivors as possible, Jill must make some hard decisions and precise shots. What she wasn’t ready for is the secret weapon that relentlessly chases after her as she does everything she can for a safe exit and a better future.
Gameplay
Replacing the tank controls that the classic titles used and giving players the easy-to-use, full control mechanics is easily the best switch they added. Along with that change comes pretty much everything else that would bring the game to a modern-day horror-themed action title. You can move while aiming your gun, quickly switch between them with shortcut keys that are editable, and even have an action button specific to the character being used.
The action button aspect I am referring to is the dodge or evade maneuver that Jill can do. When you are playing as Carlos, he doesn’t seem to be as agile as Jill and so instead you get a push attack and counter. Just like a perfect dodge with Jill will give you a short slow down effect for your to aim your held weapon at the enemy you just avoided for a clean attack, Carlos will do a powerful strike with a perfectly timed press of the action button.
You still have to manage your inventory though as you have limited space. Everything typically only takes up one spot, but there are certain items that take up more than one and weapon upgrades that make the gun bigger and thus take up two spots as well. Space management is a necessity when it comes to collecting items while making your way through levels, holding on to quest items that can unlock strong boxes or even doorways, and just generally making sure you have what you need to survive.
Shooting the weapon is fully in the player’s control, given you aren’t in assisted mode. This means you decided whether to do a hipshot or aimed shot, what weapon is on which shortcut button, where the shot is going to hit, and maintain movement while aiming and even firing most weapons. Just be ready for some tough fights because a headshot does not guarantee a kill, but it does the most damage. However, there is a section I consider the “critical spot” for each enemy and by shooting this spot you have a chance of it being a one-hit kill. This is how you sometimes see a zombie’s head explode from one shot.
Nemesis is a very intense enemy in this game and also the star of the entirety of this series’ third installment. The good news is, there are two ways to slow him down: using the electricity boxes that are located in a fair few locations when he is next to one or just simply doing enough damage that he falls down. I said slow him down because this will not stop him and if he gets back up while you are still in the area he will be on you in seconds, regardless of the distance you have on him. Do not take this man lightly!
Visuals
Here is where we can appreciate this remake for what it is. Simply speaking from the aesthetics, this game is worthy of spending time to just look at the surroundings it provides. While all the action and scenery have a gloomy aspect, there is beauty in the craftsmanship that made it happen. Be sure to take the time to just look around you when you are in a nice viewing area like waterside and up high.
Sounds
It was like an improved version of what we got from the classic game. Believable zombie growls, sound effects that can be used to know when danger is near, the musical score for both calm and intense moments, and, of course, the famous “STARS” growl from Nemesis himself.
Replayability
While the story will be the same, they do add quite a few ways to give an entertaining re-run of the game. Once you beat the game a new menu called “Shop” opens that lets you buy things like Recovery coins and the Infinite Rocket Launcher. You get currency for the shop by completing challenges in the game, such as beat the game without opening the item box, beat the game only healing once or less, beat the game in under 2 hours, kill X amount of zombies, get X amount of kills with a handgun, find all the Charlie locations, and so on. These challenges they set up are pretty fun and a good way to test your skills out. How many do you think you can complete in one run?
There is also the increase in difficulty options, this time going as high as “Inferno,” which is above “Nightmare.” You could beat these with the items you get from the shop menu, but do you have what it takes to run them legitimately?
What Could Be Better
Where are all of the puzzles?! I have always known Resident Evil games to have a variety of puzzles that require somewhat ridiculous solutions and items to be found in order to continue. There were only a handful of puzzles in this game, many of which were completely optional. It felt more like an action game than an actual survival horror game. While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it left me wondering why they decided to avoid adding more puzzles.
Yeah, not having to use tank controls was definitely a good call… for default controls. However, there are players that prefer tank controls and even I can admit that I like using that style sometimes. Not to mention it could have just been another personal challenge to add to the game for ourselves. So, why not at least make the classic controls an option?
Conclusion
Resident Evil 3 Remake is an exhilarating experience! It isn’t much like the original classic and is more action-focused, but it is still a great experience of its own. Since the game isn’t very long, I have already completed two runs and plan to keep going to complete the challenges offered. It’s a lot of fun, but don’t expect it to be too similar to the original.
Side Note - While the online game Resident Evil Resistance did come along with my purchase of RE3, I will be reviewing that game separately. You can expect to see the review up this weekend, but if you are interested then feel free to check out my first impression from the open beta last week.
