When Capcom released the remake of Resident Evil 2, the world loved every second of it. Often being listed as one of the best games in its genre, it came as no surprise that these REmakes were here to stay. Fast forward to today and we already got our hands on the Resident Evil 3 Remake. Is this just an easy way to make money or does this remake offer the same level of quality? Time to find out!
A brutal opening
I must admit, when I first booted up this remake, I was a bit skeptical. Clearly the success of Resident Evil 2 encouraged Capcom to go on the same path once more and I was a bit afraid this game would be rushed and unpolished. Needless to say, that’s not the case at all. The opening scene is one of the best I’ve seen in recently released games and immediately sets the tone for the adventure. You play as the iconic Jill Valentine who’s forced to flee from her apartment the moment it explodes. Jill isn’t a regular girl, she’s a highly skilled S.T.A.R.S. agent and thus also a target for this unknown attack. What follows is an adrenaline-packed escape from your burning apartment all while being chased by an incredible strong enemy. Fans of the franchise will immediately recognize Nemesis and its tremendous power where the only option is to run away. These first ten minutes in the game really set the tone. This game is more action-orientated than the previous Resident Evil Remake but that doesn’t mean it’s any less scary. A lot of time and love went into the character and world creation, really bringing new life to the classic game. I was amazed by the quality of the opening scene, Jill never looked this good and Nemesis never looked this scary. After my escape, it was time to walk the streets of Raccoon City once more.
Extremely realistic
The looks of the new Raccoon City immediately sent shivers down my spines. Capcom really managed to create the most unsettling and realistic zombie invested streets in video game history yet. Everything just adds more to the dark atmosphere. Broken cars, fences, neon scenes, people running around like crazy… This is the most believable interpretation of a zombie outbreak I’ve ever seen. Maybe the actual lockdown due the COVID-19 has something to do with this extremely realistic feeling but it doesn’t take away the fact that this remake is extremely beautiful. It’s a shame we don’t spend that much time on the streets as the game is clearly a more guided action-packed version of the franchise.
While playing, you shift characters between Jill and Carlos Oliveira. Carlos is equipped with a military graded machinegun that easily takes down multiple zombies in seconds. These segments are action-packed and come closer to modern thrid-person shooters than the true Resident Evil horror. Of course, this isn’t negative as it gives the game a lot more variation while playing, it’s just a shame we couldn’t always soak up the atmosphere as some segments feel a bit rushed.
It’s over too soon
The thing I disliked the most about this reimagined campaign is its length. You’ll be able to finish this in between five to seven hours worth of gameplay, which is rather short if you ask me. That being said, the game never gets boring or disappoints. The campaign offers a wide variety of challenges, environments and monsters you’ll have to defeat. But since it’s this good and so much fun to play, it’s simply a shame that it’s over too soon. Especially when you compare it to the original, there’s a lot of content missing in this remake. From branching paths to the Mine Tower and even characters and additional costumes, a lot of content got cut in favor of this remake. Perhaps it’s to keep the flow going in the campaign mode but I’m pretty sure it got something to do with the success of the Resident Evil 2 Remake. Although I adore this new adaption of Resident Evil 3, I simply can’t shake the feeling the campaign could have been so much more with just a little more time in development. Am I disappointed with some of these decisions? Yes, absolutely. Is it a bad game? On the contrary. The Resident Evil 3 Remake does offer a thrilling trip to Raccoon City and its improved visuals are unparalleled. It’s because of those qualities that the lack of content in the campaign mode is so bittersweet.
Resident Evil Resistance
If the campaign was the only mode of this Remake, it wouldn’t justify the premium price tag of the product at all. That’s why you’ll get two games for the price of one! The Remake is the first one and Resident Evil Resistance is the second one, offering a multiplayer experience set in the Resident Evil universe. The premise of Resistance can best be described as the same as the canceled Fable: Legends. A group of players has to escape a certain environment all while a Mastermind is trying to stop that from happening. If you take on the role of the Mastermind, it’s your job to place traps, spawn and control monsters while constantly stalking the survivors with your cameras. If you manage to keep the survivors away from the exit, you’ll win as Mastermind.
On the other side are the survivors, who’ll have to work together as a team, using their special skills. Some survivors can hack into computers while others are heavily armed, to name just a few examples. As a survivor, you’ll need to gather a couple of objects to advance towards the exit. If you’re able to reach it before the Mastermind stops you, you’ll win.
It’s a fun mode that pretty challenging at first but the more you’ll play, the better you’ll understand the rules and ways to bend those for your own benefit. What I like the most about it, is the fact that it lacks microtransactions. Everything is upgradable just by playing, which immediately reminded me of the better days. It’s not just an afterthought, this mode is a pretty solid Resident Evil multiplayer experience and really justifies the price of the Remake after all.
Conclusion:
The Resident Evil 3 Remake offers quality content, including an adrenaline-packed campaign mode where you’ll have to fight for your survival. The atmosphere was never portrayed this well before and the only major downside about the campaign is its length. When something is created with this much love, we would have loved to walk the streets of Raccoon City a bit longer. The new multiplayer mode does add some nice additional content to the deal and it’s not just a simple afterthought, it’s a mode worthy of spending a lot of your time with. This REmake won’t have the same impact as the Resident Evil 2 Remake but it’s still a very enjoyable and thrilling game for sure!
