Title: Resident Evil 3 Remake
Developer: Capcom, M-Two
Publisher: Capcom
Released: April 3, 2020
Platforms: PC Game, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Article Reading Time: 10 minutes
Another Great Remake of Racoon City Evil
At the beginning of 2019, Capcom brought a remake of Resident Evil 2, a game they’ve been working on for years and have been incredibly passionate about. It showed that it was a great action survival adventure game that kept the spirit of the original, but at the same time, we got some excellent visuals and modified modern gameplay. It’s no wonder that Capcom took home several awards for the game and often got maximum marks in reviews. Resident Evil 2 was a straight-up remake that made the dream of many fans of the series come true, and they couldn’t be happier. They subsequently began calling for a remake of the third installment as well. However, it was clear that Capcom was already working on it, and its announcement was only a matter of time.
Capcom had already counted on a remake of the third Resident Evil installment during the development of the remake of the second installment and entrusted its development to a new studio, M-Two, led by former Platinum Games studio head Tatsuya Minami. It’s no wonder, as both games take place virtually simultaneously, each giving a slightly different perspective on events and complementing each other perfectly. Moreover, both are about a pandemic sweeping the world far faster than any other disease in modern history. Those are the first words of the play, which, given the current situation, certainly doesn’t give one much reason to be happy. However, it’s great that the remake of Resident Evil 3 has been given as much care as the second installment. The developers didn’t just want to remake the original game in a new visual coat; they decided to keep the characters, iconic locations, story skeleton, and foremost enemy and make a modern version.
The Nightmare Begins
Resident Evil 3 mainly follows the story of a S.T.A.R.S. unit member, Jill Valentine, who survived an incident at the Arklay mansion in the original Resident Evil, located in the Arklay Mountains above Racoon City. She is now trying to escape Raccoon City at any cost, where zombies are swarming, and the apocalypse is imminent… It’s a challenging task, as she and the members of her unit are being hunted by a giant monster called Nemesis, which I’ll get to later in my review. While it may not seem like it from the previous text, Resident Evil 3 has an exciting and well-written story (one that no film adaptation would be ashamed of) that has been adapted in many parts. This makes the game a new and fresh experience, plus the developers have not forgiven themselves for a few surprises for fans of the original. But the biggest boast is the main character, Jill Valentine, who is well-written and has many intense moments, which can also be said about her colleague Carlos or other characters you meet while playing. All the characters are completely redesigned and have a new design (Jill is now portrayed by Russian model Sasha Zotova). This helps make them more believable and makes it possible to relate to them.
I mentioned that Resident Evil 3 takes place simultaneously with Resident Evil 2 and gives a different perspective on the events. That’s true, but the gameplay is different for both games. While Leon and Claire’s adventure was the true survival horror adventure where you had to count every bullet, Jill Valentine’s journey is much more straightforward and action-packed. And the way the game wants to scare players has changed, too. Whereas in Resident Evil 2, the fear was built on not knowing what would jump out at you, whereas in Resident Evil 3, you fear a clearly defined and, again, as is usually the case, almost immortal arch-enemy that is constantly after you.
Escaping Raccoon City
I don’t think the more action-packed poisoning is a bad thing; in fact, it’s a change I quite welcomed, although I’m also aware that if you haven’t played the original and are expecting the same experience as the remake of Resident Evil 2, you might be a little surprised and disappointed. I, however, am happy with the remake of Resident Evil 3, as I got exactly what Capcom promised before release… A more significant, more action-packed expansion for the second installment. That may be why I enjoyed that return to Raccoon City from the first minute to the last, thanks to perfect modern gameplay that stands up to many contemporary titles. Resident Evil 3 is one big linear action game that will lock you in your chair after just a few seconds and won’t let up until the end. Few games can do this these days, and Resident Evil 3 is one of them.
When you accept that you’re looking at a much more linear and action-packed Resident Evil, with no room for tricky puzzles, decision-making like the original, or vital survival elements, you’ll have no problem with it. The game has very well-written characters, dialogue, and action, during which Jill Valentine and her colleague Carlos, who were given much more space in the remake, dispatch dozens of zombies and other mutated monsters whose design is terrifying.
Despite the absence of several enemy types, there are plenty of adversaries to go around, and you’ll be able to use various weapons against them, be it a pistol, submachine gun, shotgun, or grenade launcher. There’s no shortage of grenades, either. There are more bullets compared to the second installment, and you don’t have to think as much about each shot, but you still have to save on medium difficulty and you can’t mindlessly shoot every zombie with hundreds of bullets.
DOOM has yet to become Resident Evil 3, although it’s not as strict on bullet economy, first aid kits, etc. The action system has mostly stayed the same from the second installment, with the only significant new feature being the ability to dodge zombie and boss attacks, which brings a nice boost that you get used to right away.
Mr. X: The Relentless Pursuer
While in the second part you were chased by Mr. X, in Resident Evil 3 you’ll be taken care of by an even worse monster, which even today gives many fans the creeps and makes them scream STTTTAAAAARRRRRSSSS all the time. That monster is, of course, Nemesis, which is why many fans even wanted a remake of the third installment. Even considering my conversations with the developers, I hoped that Nemesis would be a standalone unit that would hunt down Raccoon City and show up when I wasn’t expecting it. But since Resident Evil 3 is linear and practically constantly drives you down one ready-made path, having Nemesis move freely wouldn’t make sense. His sequences are so scripted, which didn’t matter the first time I played it because every time he appeared a little unexpectedly, I got adequately freaked out and went on the run. The scenes with him are great, I had a lot of respect for Nemesis every time because I knew I was facing a huge colossus that had the upper hand, and if I made a mistake, a loading screen would follow. With Nemesis, you can have some great fights while playing, which is alright. They don’t offend, but on the other hand, I imagine them being even better.
The game takes place in Raccoon City, taking you to several diverse locations, including streets, various shops, hospitals, or labs with more than one secret. Fans of the original will marvel at how familiar locations have come to life in the new visual representation or what changes have been made. Some have been heavily reworked and made smaller to make the action go faster so you don’t wander too much. However, you might be disappointed about the ancestry of several locations from the original, some of which should have been included in the remake. Again, this brings me to the fact that the new Resident Evil 3 is more of a modern take on the old work rather than a 1:1 and should be approached accordingly.
Anyway, it’s still possible to search for hidden rooms and other bonuses, but you no longer find yourself in a massive maze with many locked doors and various branching and secret passages to get lost in. What’s left are unique safe rooms to save your game at your typewriter or toss items from your inventory into a crate. You can gradually increase your inventory, but it’s nice to put found items away somewhere so you don’t lose them. I would only criticize you for not combining items in the crate. They must always be in the inventory to be combined. This makes handling them harder with a smaller inventory capacity.
Intense but Short
Resident Evil 3 is a relatively short game. If, like me, you play on medium difficulty for the first time, you’ll finish the story campaign in something like six or seven hours, and more experienced players can do it even faster. And it’s also because the difficulty could be higher on medium difficulty. In fact, I even had trouble dying unless you count the opponents who can take Jill down for a blow. But I wasn’t. Who knows how enthusiastic about this attempt by the developers to increase the difficulty at any cost, and it’s not the right solution. After finishing, you can replay everything with greater difficulty or try to collect everything but don’t expect a second campaign with a different character than the one you did in Resident Evil 2. Also missing is the decision-making from the original, which could have easily influenced the ending. This, in turn, contributes to the game’s lack of replayability, as it fails to surprise on the second playthrough, which Capcom probably counted on a bit, so they added a multiplayer game, Resident Evil: Resistance, to the game, which, while not offensive at all, was not enough as total compensation.
For the remake of Resident Evil 3, Capcom reused its modern RE Engine, which was used not only in the remake of Resident Evil 2 but also in Resident Evil 7 and Devil May Cry 5. It does a fantastic job here as well. Especially regarding character and enemy models, they are incredibly detailed with awesome animations. Apart from the characters, the environments are also thorough, and the effects are also significant, so when it comes to the visual aspect, your eyes are in for a real treat, and you won’t be disappointed. Especially since the game is well-optimized and even runs at 60 fps on PlayStation 4 and PS5 as part of an update that came later. The soundtrack is also fantastic in Resident Evil 3. The dubbing is also worthy of praise, which only emphasizes the high production values of this remake. Capcom left nothing to chance.
Resident Conlusion
Resident Evil 3 is a superb remake of a beloved classic video game that effectively holds your attention from start to finish. The game prioritizes high-quality action, which complements Jill Valentine’s adventure and the more cinematic approach. Additionally, it features impressive design, well-developed characters, and exceptional audiovisual presentation. However, some players might find the shorter duration to be a downside.
Purchase Resident Evil 3 Remake
Resident Evil 3 Remake on Steam – Face the horror of Raccoon City with stunning visuals and intense action.
Buy Resident Evil 3 Remake for PS4 on PlayStation Store – Survive the nightmare as Jill Valentine in this thrilling remake.
Get Resident Evil 3 Remake for Xbox X/S and Xbox One on Microsoft Store – Escape the city, evade Nemesis, and uncover the truth behind the outbreak.
Play Resident Evil 3 Remake on you Nintendo. Buy at Nintendo Switch Store the cloud version of the game
