Now Playing: Resident Evil 3 Remake

I recalled very little of the original Resident Evil 3 going into this remake so, like my review of the Resident Evil 2 remake, this review isn’t going to serve as a comparison of the original – not what it’s gained, or what it might have lost during the transition – but instead, a review of what we’ve got now.

And as much as I did enjoy playing this remake, I have to say I’m still quite disappointed by it. If I did have to make a comparison it would be that this remake is to Resident Evil 2 what Resident Evil Zero was to Resident Evil – a shorter, more linear, action focused but ultimately forgettable companion piece.

I played through the campaign three times on all of the initial difficulty modes. My first run, on Standard, even when exploring every map for every collectible and item, was still over in 4 hours. My second run on the easiest ‘Assisted’ setting to pick up the few odd collectibles I’d missed was over in less than 2. And my third run on ‘Hardcore’ wasn’t much longer. I didn’t bother with the difficulties unlocked beyond Hardcore because after three separate runs, I felt like I’d seen everything the game had to offer.

I can’t say I didn’t enjoy each of my runs and I liked the addition of the ‘coin shop’ which lets you buy various items and weapons to mix up your play as you progress through the various difficulty modes. But that’s really what the game is focused upon – multiple, multiple runs on higher difficulties and more challenging ranking objectives. If you’re someone who just likes to play through a campaign once and move on, you’re going to feel very short-changed by this remake. 

And to be frank, this remake does feel like it was knocked out on the cheap. It’s not just the length, but how much content is recycled from the Resident Evil 2 remake. The ‘sewer’ section in this remake may have a different layout, but it’s essentially the same environment you fought through in Resident Evil 2. You also return to the gun store from Resident Evil 2, and get to enjoy an extended return to the police station from Resident Evil 2. When a chunk of your game is just recycled content from the last and barely scrapes 4 hours in length, it ends up feeling more like a DLC.

And that’s the best way to describe how I feel about this remake – it feels like a DLC for Resident Evil 2. And I really liked Resident Evil 2, so I that’s why I still enjoyed playing this. But I’m damn glad I didn’t buy it at release or pay full price for it. That said, I picked it up at 50% off and I still feel a little ripped off.

The disappointing thing, is that this remake could have had so much more to offer – more locations, more puzzles and more sections where you switch between Jill ‘potty mouth’ Valentine and Carlos. We could have seen more of the city, more new locations and more new enemy types. The boss fights in the game are all pretty fun but also pretty easy once you’ve learnt the pattern. 

And that’s kind of the problem with this ‘multiple run’ approach to design – once you’ve done it once, it gets easier every time. There’s no more surprises and despite the increasing difficulty, the game actually just gets easier, particularly if you use the coin shop to unlock various health, defence and attack boosters, not to mention unlimited ammo weapons. And why wouldn’t you? It’s all the game really has to offer beyond your first run – the ability to unlock items that makes each repeat play even easier than the last.

Overall, I enjoyed playing this remake enough to play it through more than once, but by my third run, even I’d had enough. If you enjoyed the Resident Evil 2 remake then I’d still recommend picking this up but only on a significant discount.

6/10