This game was packaged with REmake as the Resident Evil Origins Collection. If you want to read our thoughts about that game you can read our review here.
After the success of the Resident Evil Remake remaster, Capcom decided to re-release Resident Evil Zero. Along with some new costumes, a new mode and a smooth resolution bump you get the same experience you got in 2002. However a spit-shine and extra clothing don’t fix the problems Zero has. While still a solid game, one sole mechanic and area make it the weakest of the classic Resident Evil games.
There still is evil in this place…
As the title suggests Resident Evil Zero takes place before the first Resident Evil. The player assumes the role of Bravo team’s rookie medic Rebecca Chambers, who after her helicopter crashes stumbles upon a train called the Ecliptic Express. While on the luxury train Rebecca discovers an outbreak of a disease of what is now known as the T-virus. During her struggle on the train she also comes across a fugitive serial killer called Billy Coen. The both decide to work together to survive the outbreak and so the adventure begins.
The story tries to build up a mystery but ultimately it’s mentioned so infrequently that players will be hard-pushed to care. As is the case in most classic Resident Evil games the interesting story is in its files scattered all over the place. This time the focus is between James Marcus and Oswell E. Spencer, two of Umbrella’s founders. It’s interesting to read about the origins of Umbrella and more importantly the T-Virus, and it’s also fun to see the first Resident Evil’s Albert Wesker and Resident Evil 2’s William Birkin just hang out looking at monitors for the entire game. The characters that are actually in the game are an absolute hit or a complete miss. Billy Coen is one of the coolest characters in the series and it’s weird to see him not return in any other games. The unnamed villain of the game is a good example of said misses. His design clashes with Resident Evil’s very American style. He looks like a JRPG villain and clashed very much with the designs of other characters and the environment of the game. Resident Evil Zero continues the fashion of having an okay plot with a very interesting history and lore told trough the various files the player can find.
The plot’s mystery is okay but the real meat is in the files.
The door to safety is shut. there is no turning back…
Resident Evil Zero plays like the classic Resident Evil games. Fixed camera angles, puzzles, small inventories and tank controls once again are the name of the game. The HD re-release adds analogue controls which might be something for new players who could never get accustomed to the tank controls. The problem with this control scheme is that it completely breaks the game. The entire game was designed with these controls in mind. Enemies attack in specific angles and most of the areas are designed as small corridors so being able to run around with ease makes the before-mentioned designs mute. Players will explore fairly open-ended locations and have to solve puzzles or collect keys to progress through a door they came across earlier. All while a horde of monsters tries to kill the player.
Monster designs in Zero are a little more generic than the other games. Most of the enemies fought are just big animals. With regular enemies it’s possible but all the bosses(with the exception of one) follow the same design idea. It makes Zero feel very bland and uncreative. One of the new mechanics is playing as two characters at the same time. While it controls well problems arise when playing on a higher difficulty. The AI is just not capable of defending itself at times which causes you to lose life or ammo, both of which are an extremely valuable resource. Another new mechanic is that instead of inventory boxes that store your items over all save-points, players can just drop their items wherever they want. It’s an absolutely baffling design decision that ultimately causes the entire game to fall flat on its face. If players drop a weapon or key somewhere and continue progressing to a point where they want or need the item, they will have to either go all the way back or just leave the weapon behind. It completely destroys the pacing and having to go back all the way for one item is a tedious task no one will enjoy. Combine that with the last part of the game being a drag and having a confusing layout, and it’s easy to see why this is one of the lesser received Resident Evil games. Resident Evil Zero would have been a great game if the item dropping mechanic didn’t exist. But then again great still isn’t amazing.
None of the boss battles stand out as they are all just big animals.
You must survive in order to expose this nightmare…
Resident Evil Zero still looks amazing with its pre-rendered cut-scenes. The Ecliptic Express is visually one of the most impressive locations the series has ever seen. However while REmake’s remastered CGI cut-scenes look great some of Zero’s cut scenes look very dated. Still, a lot of the environments look amazing and nail that Resident Evil design. Everything looks like it’s decaying and there are dead bodies littered everywhere. There is a sense of dread in every room and around every corner. The music is some of the best the series has ever had. Most tunes, while atmospheric, are a lot more noticeable due to the specific use of their instruments. While still not as cheesy as the first game or Nemesis, Zero does manage to have some goofy lines and voice acting. The game nails the visuals and outperforms most other Resident Evil games in music.
Even after so many years the game still looks gorgeous.
Closing note:
Resident Evil Zero is an okay Resident Evil game. It manages to do most Resident Evil elements right but once it tries to innovate with new mechanics the game doesn’t necessarily fall apart as much as it just starts dragging the entire experience down. The lack of inventory boxes makes returning to previously visited areas a drag and destroys the game’s entire pacing. Enemy designs are uncreative and the main antagonist looks like a Final Fantasy villain instead of a Resident Evil one. The partner mechanic has some cool new thing going for it but on higher difficulties the AI manages to cause some problems. The new Wesker mode is great tough. Players can go trough the entire game as Rebecca and Wesker who can do some pretty neat stuff. Overall Zero isn’t a bad game, it’s just an incredibly flawed Resident Evil.
