Resident Evil 3 Remake Impressions: This is shaping up to be something special

The remake is almost upon us. 

A short demo for the Resident Evil 3 Remake is now playable on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam - which is extremely good news to this Resident Evil fan. I counted down the seconds to its release, and hopped on the moment it was finished downloading (curse you, slow PlayStation 4 download times) - and boy, do I have some thoughts on this game. 

Awesome movie posters

The very first thing this demo does is dump you in a cutscene. You’re abruptly introduced to Jill Valentine, Mikhail Victor and Carlos Oliveira in an underground subway station, tucked away from the masses of zombies above. Jill is sent away on a mission to bring power back to the subway infrastructure, while Carlos accompanies her by way of walkie-talkie. We’re not given all the details here - so I’m not too sure where exactly this demo picks up from, but I’m guessing it’s shortly after the beginning of the game. 

The most noticeable thing by far is how far along the RE Engine has come in doing faces. Visually, these characters look insanely realistic - largely due to the engine’s new photogrammetry tech. I remember Claire in particular from the Resident Evil 2 Remake breaching the uncanny valley every once in a while, but what I saw here was much, much closer to the unbelievable realism of Capcom’s Devil May Cry 5. 

Resident Evil games are fantastic at paying attention to detail in general, which makes them great games to explore. Even movie posters in the subway station are amusingly packed with easter eggs - with references to movies like Aliens, Top Gun and Terminator. It’s all good fun, and a reminder to take in the scenery whenever possible. There's always something to see!

Raccoon City, as I live and breathe

1999’s Resident Evil 3 was set in Raccoon City just like Resident Evil 2, bringing back Jill Valentine for a much more action-packed take on the franchise. Playing through the demo, it’s hard not to have a grin on your face even while zombies are taking turns munching on Jill - because of how much love was clearly put into every crevice of Raccoon City. We only saw a glimpse of this now-apocalyptic city in the Resident Evil 2 Remake before checking out police stations and diving into sewers, but it’s lovely to finally see the actual city in all its glory. 

The moment you’re out of the subway station, you’re in a city on fire. Cars are strewn about the streets, and bodies litter the floors. Buildings are on fire, and zombies shuffle about undisturbed. It’s incredibly atmospheric, and that makes for a tantalising world to explore. It’s been mentioned that most of the stores and buildings you see in the remake can be entered - if not now, then later. That’s true. You’re clearly meant to play around in Raccoon City for a long time, which is music to my ears. 

I won’t spoil too much of what happens later on in the demo, only that it takes you to many more places than you might expect. It’s really fleshed out, giving you all the tools you need to explore every little nook and cranny you might find. In typical Resident Evil fashion, you’ll often find items later and have to backtrack far just to make use of them. You’ll unlock shortcuts, and crack open safes. Even without the tight, dark corridors (which I’m sure will come later), it still feels so wonderfully Resident Evil. 

Step one: Insert bullet in head

Being more action-focused than the horror-tinged Resident Evil 2 Remake, this game changes its combat formula up in a few small (but meaningful) ways. Jill has a quick step ability now, which is basically just a dodge button. This gets really useful when a pack of zombies team up on you all at once - which unsurprisingly happens a ton in this demo. If you time your quick step just right and dodge out of an enemy’s attack just before it hits you, Jill’s adrenaline gets a boost, and she can get in a couple of free attacks before the enemy recovers. 

Raccoon City also comes with a number of environmental hazards. You’ll find red barrels and malfunctioning electrical equipment in puddles littered around the city - and you can probably guess what they do. If you can’t quite get the hang of your dodge ability, all it takes is a good shot for these powerful hazards to cull multiple zombies at once from your tail.

The demo alone has a habit of tossing three or four zombies at you at once, leaving you to figure your way out of it.  Of course, if you take the lazy way out and destroy those hazards to kick a couple zombies off your tail, they can’t be used again. You might regret that if there were something significantly…larger chasing you instead. 

Nemesis my old friend, we meet again

I won’t tell you when Nemesis shows up or what triggers his appearance, but you will have to grapple with the big beastie himself at some point in the demo. As promised, Tyrant/Mr. X’s much more capable big brother is an absolute force of nature. Mr. X’s slow walk of fury is nothing compared to Nemesis’ marathon run of doom. Nemesis also has tentacles, which whip out and drag you towards it if you get too far. Read: you will never get too far. 

Nemesis isn’t one of those dumb meat-munching zombies you can run away from. He leaps into the sky and lands right in front of you if you manage to evade him. He smashes through walls to get to you if you turn a corner. When he gets his hands on you, a powerful combo of punches is enough to put Jill out of service for good in a matter of seconds. And this is all when the beast doesn’t even have his rocket launcher and flamethrower yet. Can you imagine what happens then?

Nemesis is a really great addition to this game. I imagine his presence will add a great deal of anxiety to gameplay, with him suddenly appearing every now and then without much warning. It makes the game a whole lot more dynamic, and throws off players that might not have had time to go scavenging for ammo before an encounter. It doesn't seem to make things stressful in an annoying way, however. He's an amazing villain, and you might even find yourself grinning the next time he bellows, "STAAAAARS," before bum-rushing you. 

Verdict

The Resident Evil 3 Remake is shaping up to be something truly special. While the demo doesn’t really touch on the horror roots of the franchise so much, it does provide that sense of anxiety in other ways. Nemesis himself makes the ‘survival’ part of this survival-horror game that much harder. 

This demo is a truly fantastic slice of the game, showing off many of its new mechanics - which might reassure purists that the more things change in this franchise, the more they stay the same. Raccoon City has never felt more alive and well-designed. Its maze of upturned cars, classic American diners and Mr. Charlie Bobbleheads are so much fun to experience and navigate.

Before playing this, I had hope that this game would reach the dizzying heights of the Resident Evil 2 Remake. Now, I’m certain it might even surpass them. 

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