The Nintendo Switch is receiving more Resident Evil love later this year with the release of Resident Evil 5 and 6 this Fall. During the post-E3 event, we got a chance to check out the co-op mode of Resident Evil 5 on Switch and it run rather smoothly.
Resident Evil co-op
Resident Evil 5 was originally released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, making it one of the ‘newer’ classics. RE 5 took another route and focused on action and co-op rather than suspense. Not everybody was satisfied by this new direction but the original setting of Africa in combination with a solid co-op expierence made sure the game was still loved by many. Fast forward to 2019 where the game will get a second shot at success on Nintendo Switch. It was playable during a post-E3 event and we decided we wanted to try out the co-op mode, the most acclaimed mode of the fans.
At first, we thought the split-screen was a bit odd. As you can see in the footage above, it’s not your classical split-screen placement. The reason for this is the screen tearing that would appear if both screens would be directly next to each other. Now, they are placed out of sync so you can truly focus on your screen. We played as Chris and Sheva, both having our own screen to focus on. The co-op in Resident Evil 5 is neatly done since it gives you the freedom of the singleplayer game while a second player is running around on the same map. You’re not stuck to each other and the screen never shifts to one player, enabling a rather unique co-op expierence. Since you’re both free to go where you want to go, you can give cover from a lot of different angles. Something we learned to use a lot during our demo.
Cover me!
Working together is key for your survival in Resident Evil 5 and it’s something I loved most during our co-op mission. We kept communicating on how to move forward, who should cover who and which items were best suited for which character. It’s pretty neat and those tactics are necessary to survive. Since we’re playing in Africa, the zombies are of a different kind. The people got infected by an unknown virus, transforming them in fast zombie-like creatures. These creatures attack in packs and aren’t just walking, they’ll run towards you once they spot you! These faster zombies are a bit more difficult to take down but since this is Resident Evil 5, you’ll also have access to a lot of powerful weapons. Ammo isn’t really scarce here, as said before, it’s a bit of an atypical Resident Evil game since gunfights form a huge part of the appeal here. Although it’s more action-packed, there still are some scary enemies that won’t go down easily, working together as one is the way to go and is handled extremely well in this port.
Still some flaws
Although the co-op offered fun and smooth expierence, this is still a port of a rather old game. Due to this, the game isn’t perfect and suffers from older graphics, clunky controls and some frame drops from time to time. Of course, since it’s still a demo, I’m guessing these things will get better closer to its release but the clunky controls won’t change that much if you ask me. Those controls are typical for Resident Evil games and elevate the suspense of taking down your enemies but in a fast-paced action game, it’s rather bothersome. I hope things will get a little better than this closer to the game’s release.
Early conclusion:
Resident Evil 5 will be a nice addition to the Nintendo Switch’s library. It’s possibly the best co-op expierence on the console and if you’re looking for an action-packed shooter, I’m sure this one will deliver. The only downside is that it isn’t a new game and it’s simply not the best Resident Evil of the franchise. We’ll see what the final product will offer once it launches this Fall.
