Resident Evil 3 Review

Nemesis:

Through the excellent remake of Resident Evil 2 (review here), Capcom managed to restore – in the 3rd person episodes of its series – the survival horror feature that the audience eagerly wanted to return to the franchise. So, on these new bases created by the Japanese studio, it made sense to maintain the necessary momentum to carry out the implementation for the remake of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, the game that was originally released in 1999, between Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil: Code Veronica, and starred Jill Valentine, one of the classic figures of the first Resident Evil.

Before I start my impression of the remake of the third title, it is good to say the following: With the purchase of Resident Evil 3 we gain access to the second (online) game, called “Resident Evil Resistance“, for which we will record our impressions in another, corresponding review. Also, those of you from the older title and possibly waiting to revive a one-on-one faithful revival of Jill’s escape from Raccoon City, it is a good idea to keep your expectations low, as you will find that several features (areas, objects, modes and much more), which characterized the original title. We will see all this below.

Story:

For those who do not know, the story of Resident Evil 3 finds us following in the footsteps of Jill Valentine, who is a member of the STARS police team we met in the first title of the popular series . Jill, therefore, tries to escape from the now infected Raccoon City, but her escape fails due to Umbrella’s new bioweapon, a weapon known as “Nemesis”. So, our heroine is invited to travel through the inhospitable streets of Raccoon City in order to discover a new method of escape. It goes without saying that, as a classic Resident Evil, the story and dialogue in the game are captured through the familiar, b-movie style that the series is accustomed to.

It is good to say that the story of Resident Evil 3 takes place one day before and one day after the events of Resident Evil 2, so, in addition to the fact that through the new title you will meet new characters, you will also have the opportunity to connect and certain events that occurred during the second title. Leaving the part of the story, we go to the important, to the core of the title, which is the gameplay.

Gameplay:

Resident Evil 3 was by birth a more action-packed title. After all, older players will surely remember the fast pace, but also the construction of ammunition (using the Reloading Tool), in order for Jill to cope with the threat and the constant persecution she experienced from Nemesis.

The remake of Resident Evil 3, therefore, uses this base. That is, we have a city, in which the inhospitable environment we will meet in places the familiar red explosive barrels and electric generators, which we can use against the multitude of dead zombie enemies or against Nemesis – it all depends on the approach and tactics. that we will follow. And it is the presence of Nemesis that contributes to the action and horror element of the title, since with his appearance the rhythms and the pulses rise, since in each of his appearances we are called to either face it or escape from the furious bioweapon.

If we face him and manage to “throw” him, we save some time until he replenishes his energy and the pursuit continues, while other times, if he falls, he rewards us with various items of equipment. Thus, in the normal difficulty it offers, the title can be completed with an aggressive approach, since there is a multitude of ammunition (which we find or build as in the recent Resident Evil 2) in the various locations of Raccoon City. However, the game can certainly be completed with a defensive approach / escape from enemies, to ensure that the use of our ammunition will be in the inevitable clashes with the Bosses.

The most defensive approach and tactics in the game is possible to happen since we have a Jill who in her repertoire of skills has dodge, with the correct use of which we avoid catching and attacking enemies. In addition, with the correct use of the dodge we can simultaneously carry out a counterattack, through which time freezes for a few seconds and gives us the benefit of marking and hitting the enemy in vulnerable areas.

Of course, in addition to the approach that we will choose to have, the game pushes us anyway to learn and use this mechanism, since some boss fights and enemies include in their repertoire deadly (OHKO – One Hit Knockout) moves, which we send directly to the “retry” screen. Therefore, the use of dodge is essential. At this point it is worth emphasizing, especially for the audience that comes from the remake of Resident Evil 2, and felt suffocation or headache with Mr. X, how it is certain that he will not feel the same problem as Nemesis and his pursuits – at least in the normal (standard) difficulty offered by the game. This is because the appearances of Nemesis are more pre-determined (scripted) than the persistent and random ones of Mr. X.

Besides, as mentioned above, there is the possibility to “drop” the Nemesis in order to save some time to get to the destination, while we must not forget the proper use of avoidance, which helps us a lot in this pursuit. Thus, our assessment is that the action part of Resident Evil 3 has been implemented correctly, since there are options to approach the gameplay for the player, while at the same time the game offers a fast pace, which is always accompanied by good escalation from the pursuit offered by Nemesis.

Of course, the survival horror element is not absent, as the RE engine delivers with exceptional lighting and visual effect the dead-living Raccoon City, its rotten inhabitants, the dark alleys and the scary creatures that lurk in every corner. Also, the management of the ammunition has an important role in the “terror” caused by the game, since many times we will have to get involved in inevitable situations and conflicts that will really stress us. This is something that Resident Evil 3 Remake achieves with great success.