"Resident Evil 3 Remake": Much too short a top horror

“Resident Evil 3” gets a new look.

Image: Capcom

After the incredibly successful remake of «Resident Evil 2» last year, the equally hot third part of the zombie outbreak in Raccoon City follows. Highest ratings of the second part give reason to hope for another masterpiece, but can “Resident Evil 3” also deliver?

“Resident Evil 3: Nemesis” from 1999 is not necessarily the best Resident Evil game to this day. The original was originally planned as an independent expansion to part two, which was also noticeable in the game. In contrast to the acclaimed second part, Capcom focused a little more on action than horror, but the third part had to accept the accusation of copying too much from the second part.

But the eponymous tyrant «Nemesis» became a fan favorite, which still makes the third part one of the most important titles in the series. Anyone who played the original will remember the fearsome “Starrrrrrrs” that the brutal giant gave to the heroine Jill in his unstoppable pursuit. The fact that he mostly broke through a wall out of nowhere or jumped down somewhere is still the reason for the constant paranoia of many players when they have to walk through long aisles in games – at least for me.

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The trailer for «Resident Evil 3 Remake».

Video: Youtube

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But not the same story

Nemesis should not be missing in the remake either, and even with the first pictures of the behemoth in the announcement trailer, many a player of the original had flashbacks of this constant fear of the tyrant. But like 21 years ago, a woman bravely faced him: Jill Valentine. The tough ex-member of the S.T.A.R.S special unit of the Raccoon Police Department has suffered from constant nightmares since her traumatic experiences in the notorious villa from part one. Now she is investigating the mega corporation Umbrella on her own.

The player experiences most of the game from their point of view and has to get a group of survivors out of the city with the help of a subway. Because Raccoon City is entirely in the hands of the zombie outbreak caused by Umbrella. Jill receives help from Carlos, the likeable member of the Umbrella Mercenary Squad, which the player can control in some places as in the original.

Unwanted super fan regardless of social distancing. The Nemesis is probably the most brutal burdock in game history.

Image: Capcom

On the other hand, the developers allowed themselves a little more room for interpretation in the story. Anyone who still remembers “Resident Evil 3: Nemesis” and knows every section by heart will now experience one or two surprises. Unmistakable sections, such as the second visit to the police station from part two, are again part of the game.

Since the third part uses the same graphics engine as part two, this was not a big surprise. Because as with the two original games, the remakes are very similar, especially visually.

Beautiful mess

The graphics in particular are one of the greatest strengths of “Resident Evil 3 Remake”, because the game simply looks bombastic. The streets of Raccoon City come into their own in the impressive RE engine. Seldom has a death-stricken city looked so alive. Since the third part takes place shortly before the events of the second, Raccoon City is currently in the middle of chaos and paints a realistic picture of a formerly busy metropolis that has been overrun.

Brightly shimmering neon signs adorn the house fronts and stand in strong contrast over the destruction and suffering in the streets. Fairly intact shop windows illuminate the streets as well as burning cars and sirens from accident-rescue vehicles. Hardly any other apocalypse ever offered more beauty in all its horror. The detailed environment tells its own story and, thanks to the potent graphics, always appears frighteningly credible.

Rarely has a ruined city looked so beautiful. The RE engine shines with its lighting effects and credible representation of an overrun city.

Image: Capcom

This also applies to the main characters, who were all modeled excellently. The protagonist Jill received a complete overhaul, which some fans noted rather unfavorably. Some see in their new look a reference to the main actress of the film implementation, Mila Jovovich, although this actually plays a completely different role in the film than Alice. Can also be pure coincidence, but there is a certain similarity. The improved synchronization is also positive, which this time is clearly better than in the remake of part two.

Missing content

On the other hand, control with all its strengths and weaknesses was taken over from part two. Although you are now light years away from the notorious tank controls of the originals and, the game sometimes feels out of date. Aiming is unusual, especially on the console with controller. While part two with Leon and Claire was a police novice and a student at work, which would explain the less experienced use of weapons, Jill and Carlos are two trained weapon experts. One should actually expect that the two have a little more practice in aiming with pistols and assault rifles.

Since part three, like the original, focuses more on action instead of horror, you also encounter more undead and other opponents, which does not exactly simplify the control, which takes some getting used to. Fortunately, Jill and Carlos receive a little more ammunition than their two colleagues from part two and can also bring them a bit more generously to the undead.

Where «Resident Evil 3 Remake» saves compared to the second part is unfortunately a mystery. The third part plays a little more straightforward. Re-exploring less than repeating the same locations as in Part Two. At that time you knew almost every place after sleeping several times and various puzzles sent you back to old places again and again. Part three rushes you through the levels, at the latest when you are being followed by Nemesis. In view of the well-designed level, this is a bit of a shame.

Unfortunately, the game also saves a lot on content and so it ends after playing through the story. There is no alternative route and no alternative mode. After playing through on the highest level of difficulty, the nightmare mode is still released, which re-throws the distribution of the opponents and in some places even makes more sense than the standard version, but this invites at most for a second round. There is also a shop where the player can spend points on new items, but these are just nice gimmicks and no game-changing innovations – somewhat disappointing for a full price title.

Interesting multiplayer without concern

To mention for completeness would be the asymmetric multiplayer mode, in which a player as a mastermind makes life difficult for four other players. The four survivors must complete certain tasks in a level and eliminate traps and monsters placed by the mastermind. Although this is a nice idea, hardly any “Resident Evil” fan is interested in a multiplayer mode and so this does not really add up to the scope. The «mercenary» mode as in the original would have been a better choice here.