Resident Evil 3 (2020) [PS4]

“You want STARS? I’ll give you STARS!”
-Jill Valentine

If I’m not careful, I’m going to get something of a reputation for being the “Resident Evil guy” here at The Well-Red Mage. So far I’ve reviewed Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil 2 (the 1998 one). I’ve also featured on an episode of the Side Quests podcast, where I spoke to the lovely ABXY Mage regarding Capcom’s campy horror original from 1996. For whatever reason, I never actually reviewed last year’s stunning Resident Evil 2 remake, so I’m going to do the honest thing and review the follow-up rebuild of 1999’s Resident Evil 3: Nemesis instead.

For those not in the know, this horror gaming franchise came about in 1996, when visionary game designer Shinji Mikami and his team were given a mission, to make a more modern, higher budget version of 1989 horror title Sweet Home. The resulting game, Biohazard in Japan and Resident Evil in the west, was something of a game changer when it first released on the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The game followed the story of a group of elite police officers, sent to investigate a series of grisly murders in the forests outside fictional Raccoon City. After an ambush by unseen enemies, a handful of survivors wind up in a creepy old manor house, crawling with abominations and filled with really weird puzzles. Playing as either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, the player was tasked with discovering the truth and getting out of there in one piece.

For a rundown on its 1998 sequel, check out my Resident Evil 2 review.

1999’s Resident Evil 3: Nemesis saw the return of Jill Valentine as she tried to escape the apocalyptic ruin that is Raccoon City. The dead walk the streets, shady Umbrella corporation mercenaries lurk in the shadows and poor Jill gets chased down by a towering, rocket launcher wielding gentleman called Nemesis, who wants only to wipe out all members of the elite STARS unit that was present at that ill-fated mansion investigation.

I could talk about that 1999 title all day if you let me, but that isn’t why we’re here, is it? We’re here to fast forward 20 odd years to 2020, and Resident Evil 3’s much-demanded remake. So strap on your rocket launcher, make yourself a Jill sandwich and let’s reach for the STARS!

The 8-Bit Review

Visuals: 10/10

For a world so jam-packed of utterly gross things, Raccoon City and environs sure looks beautiful. The level of detail is what I can only describe as mind-boggling, alleyways are full of impenetrable shadow, slashed by harsh lights to better throw spooky zombie shadows ahead of the old shufflers themselves. City streets are blocked by all manner of crashed cars and the whole lot seems to be on fire. Capcom’s RE Engine makes for gorgeous titles, something we’ve been aware of since its inception back in 2017 with the seventh entry in the series, but this time the studio behind Mega Man has crafted its visuals to a fine art. 

One thing that immediately drew my eye was the realism of Raccoon City. Yes, all of the companies are of course fictional, but you can’t deny that “Donut King”, “Charlie’s Toy Barn” or “Kendo’s Gunstore” could exist in the real world, pre-disaster Donut King would have looked very cozy, once the corpses were dragged out and the whole thing disinfected!

It’s not just the commercial lots that look thoroughly immersive, either. The city has its share of grotty industrial complexes, rancid sewers and, obviously, cutting edge (as of 1998) secret Umbrella research laboratories that have been irresponsibly placed closely to Raccoon City’s important infrastructure (a hospital? Really?). Everywhere Jill and Carlos visit looks grim, terrifying and about as welcoming as my local supermarket at the time of writing (that other, real-life virus that was doing the rounds…)

Staying on from 2019’s prequel remake, the characters look absolutely stunning in Resident Evil 3. Facial detail and animation are sublime, cutscenes show off the range of animation that Jill, Carlos, Mikhail and the other survivors deserve, with Jill especially seeming almost live-action at times. Even lesser characters like Tyrell and Dr. Bard haven’t had any less attention in this respect. Poor Jill’s pain faces made me feel sorry for her for sure! Special points here also go to whoever animated the face of ruthless mercenary Nikolai, his fizzog is so expressive that his slimy nature made my skin crawl at least once.

It’s not all in the face, either. The character models look appropriately weighty and move like real people would. For example, Carlos feels heavier and more unmovable than Jill, one being quite lean and the other being a big beefy soldier with a beautiful hairdo. As such, Carlos seems more solid, whilst Jill’s animations are a little flightier. This is best demonstrated in each character’s dodge move. Jill lunges away or past enemies, whereas Carlos is much more aggressive, his dodge doubling as a shoulder charge that can knock enemies down if timed correctly.

Looking even weightier is Resident Evil 3’s infamous star player, the Nemesis. Those punches hurt, and you know why they hurt, as they seem to hit Jill with the force of an intercontinental ballistic missile. When he lands in front of you the ground shakes and debris is kicked up and, when armed with his trademark rocket launcher, that accursed red laser sight will strike fear into your soul as he scans the area.

Joining the handsome, leather and bin bag clad monster are some other classic Resident Evil beasts. First mention does, of course, go to the zombies. Whilst there have been games in the series without this staple enemy type, I didn’t personally care for them (apart from 7, that somehow still hooked me despite the lack of shambling corpse folk) and perhaps that’s partially because they weren’t around? Anyway, the zombies this time around look really, really gross. Whilst a fair few of them are carried over from the Resident Evil 2 remake, they still look really intimidating and unpleasant (don’t worry, Overalls Guy and Hi-Vis Man are back and still hanging around together, clearly Leon decapitating them with a Lightning Hawk wasn’t permanent). Expect gaunt and haggard faces, drooping jaws, missing limbs and plenty of good, old fashioned blood for that classic horror feel. There’s also a rather nasty variant of zombie toward the endgame called a Pale Head, a rotten looking, naked dude with a bulbous head who’s gross countenance really matches how awful they are to fight.

Joining the undead hordes are a couple of other famous adversaries, with the zombie dogs and Lickers returning from 2 also, along with another veteran monster that was there right at the start in 1996 but hasn’t had all of the love since: the venerable Hunter. This huge, reptilian terror is capable of killing Jill in one hit, and it shows, thanks to the Hunters’ broad shoulders, armoured body, loping gait and bloody massive claws. I’d also be cruel not to mention the Ugly Duckling of the world of Resident Evil 3, the Hunter Gamma, a giant, slow-moving amphibian looking thing with tiny arms and a massive mouth that, rather grossly, extends out of its’ skull like a venus fly trap.It’s quite the scary, grotesque horde that Jill and Carlos will face on their escape to Raccoon city, thanks in no small part to the excellent visual design of these enemies.

The final thing I need to mention about the graphics here is how things weather realistically. I first noticed this in Resident Evil 2 and I was really happy to see it carried across into the game. For example, Jill is obviously a lot cleaner at the start of the game than she is by the end. After navigating the city, sewers and other environs, her clothing is far more dinged up and her skin is visibly dirtier, the same also applies for Carlos (though his hair somehow remains wonderful throughout). It is best seen, however, in Nemesis. After each run-in he looks more and more battered and bruised. When we first meet him he’s wrapped in what appears to Biohazard stickers holding bin bags together, even his face, but after a few encounters his bin bags are all ripped, his nasty looking face is bared for us all to adore and he is covered in visible injuries.This is even more pronounced after the game’s halfway point, when our STARS loving villain makes a few…changes, making him almost unrecognisable from his initial form.

Resident Evil 3 is a macabrely beautiful looking game, the RE Engine seems to be perfectly geared to deliver immersive, realistic horror visuals, complete with gross enemies, almost real looking survivors and a city so real looking, you’d almost think it was!

Audio: 10/10

So, this remake of Resident Evil 3 has amazing visuals, but does the audio curtains match the visual drapes, so to speak? Well, let’s break it down and find out, as tradition dictates.

Firstly, soundtrack. One of the complaints I saw a fair bit of from Resident Evil 2 was the lack of a memorable soundtrack (I’m still mad at Capcom only including the legendary RPD main lobby theme, aka pure atmospheric perfection, as paid DLC!) The sequel remake improves the odds here well, bringing classic themes like the “oh thank all of the gods, a save room” theme back to the fore and including plenty of atmospheric tracks for when Jill is out and about exploring. Expect some big, orchestral tracks when Nemesis shows up too, ramping up the tension and sense of emergency very effectively. Obviously music doesn’t follow you everywhere, as sound plays an important role in staying alive in this game and a too-forced soundtrack would drown out some of the more subtle audio cues of lurking enemies.

That’s right, there’s plenty of gross, shambolic noises to be heard whilst you’re trooping around Raccoon City. Zombies grunt, groan and shuffle their feet, often giving away their positions as they mill around just around that next corner. Zombie dogs still have the wherewithal to bark and growl and the sound of Lickers’ claws on the floors and ceilings of the RPD are still as haunting as ever. Returning legends the Hunter Betas hiss and roar with bloodlust when they see you, always preceded by their loping footsteps and their more unfortunate Gamma variants screech and make rather sloppy, gross noises to keep you in the mood for terror. Though, as fans of the 1999 original iteration will tell you, Nemesis’ token catchphrase of “staaaaars!” still takes the cake. You hear that sound and it’s time to get a shuffle on!

Voice work is, as with the last couple of Resident Evil releases (and not at all like the ‘90s originals) top notch.

Nicole Tompkins absolutely knocks it out of the park as Jill, delivering a totally believable performance as somebody who hides their fear and vulnerability behind bravado and anger. She also gets to deliver some killer one-liners against the Nemesis, though sadly her original zinger “you want STARS? I’ll give you STARS!” serves as more of a throwaway line this time, probably because it sounds a bit ridiculous when you look back on it. Co-star Carlos, Jeff Schine providing the voice, is also fantastic, he brilliantly portrays a man used to hiding his trepidation with humour and makes the character really relatable to me (though that freakin’ hairdo helps with that too!) Carlos was a bit of a flat, uninteresting character in 1999 but this remake, and Jeff Schine, have breathed real life into him. To be fair, everyone with speaking roles does an absolutely stellar job, from mercenary leader Mikhail and his shady fellow Russian Nikolai all the way down to one scene wonders like Brad Vickers or the ever unfortunate Marvin Branagh (at least we know what happened to him now).

Resident Evil 3  serves up an extremely rich, well-produced soundscape to go with its visuals, resulting in a highly immersive and rich universe.

Gameplay: 10/10

Yes, I know, this score is going to be a bit divisive, but hear me out, dear reader.

I absolutely adored Resident Evil 3’s gameplay. The pacing, feel and build of it were all, quite literally, perfect for me. First of all, let’s address that pacing, shall we? Many critics seem to have been at odds with the speed Resident Evil 3’s narrative moves at. Whilst last year’s caper had plenty of (often daft) puzzles and backtracking (three times, RPD, three times!), Jills’ adventure doesn’t really leave much room for backtracking and puzzles are lighter on the ground, replaced by somewhat more action and a few set pieces. Don’t get me wrong, what puzzles there are are well-built and serve to break up the pace, but there’s thankfully no rebirth of the “find this car battery inside a statue” puzzle or “muck about with some clocks to reveal a key, I guess” puzzle. It doesn’t exactly make it super realistic (who would want that?) it just takes away some of the silliness that plagued earlier games in the series. 

As for the backtracking, it isn’t like there’s none at all. A big chunk of the first half of the game is set in downtown Raccoon City, having Jill explore several streets and structures in an attempt to get the subway systems’ power back online and the train routing to safety. Once Jill gets on that train, however, there will be no returning to downtown and anything you left behind is gone forever (I forgot a bloody inventory expanding hip pouch the first time around which made inventory management a pain later on). Whilst the hospital later in the game also allows for some backtracking, the rest of the game is a bit of a whirlwind that keeps the player moving at a neat trot through the story, adding a real sense of emergency to Jill’s escape attempt. 

Missing this time around, much to the chagrin of diehard 1999 fans, are several locations. Fans have lamented the loss of the park, newspaper office, clock tower and graveyard (as well as a few other locations) in this iteration, as well as the cutting of the Grave Digger boss, but I personally don’t feel it detracts in any way. Trimming the fat has helped to keep the pace lively and the focus on Jills’ escape and, besides, the Grave Digger was a big, stupid worm thing that got electrocuted by a lamp post. It was rubbish. Come at me, internet (don’t really, hate mobs are scary!) My main concern was that we wouldn’t get to visit RPD again, seeing it at a different point in the narrative of Resident Evil, but we totally do, just not in the way I expected at all (it’s a pretty different change to the story, fans are sure to dig it!).

Also new and improved for 2020 are the boss fights. As one would expect, these are entirely the responsibility of Nemesis, who you fight a total of four times throughout the game in a variety of forms and arenas. I found these satisfyingly difficult on the standard difficulty, whether the big guy is trying to cook you with a flamethrower or just tentacles your face off. The third battle had me on the edge of my seat with dread as the big brute had me on the ropes even as I whittled down the rest of his health. 

Regular foes also provided me with plenty of challenges in this game. Even though Jill and Carlos are luckier with the ammunition than Claire and Leon last year, ammo conservation will still play a part here and you’re going to want to hold on to health items for as long as you can too. I often found it easier to take zombie’s legs off and finish them with the knife, for instance, as your average shuffler can take a lot of rounds to the head at times, whilst at others it’ll just pop with a gross animation. Lickers still take some extra work and planning to take down and the Hunters are just plain terrifying to go up against, unless you have a magnum or acid grenades to hand, that is. Nemesis obviously can take a whole load of damage across his various incarnations too.

Our protagonists this time around get damaged just as easily as ever, with that venerable fine/caution/danger meter in the inventory screen, along with Jill physically limping and groaning, giving you an indication of roughly how many more knocks they can take before it’s curtains. Whilst the ever-present herbs and first aid sprays are encountered along the journey, it’s definitely not a good idea to use them too liberally. 

It is lucky, then, that Jill and Carlos have one thing that Claire and Leon didn’t: a dodge mechanic. Pressing R1 and a direction will cause Jill to lunge in that direction and, with some practise, one can rather stylishly dive out of the way of any enemy’s assault, even those of Nemesis. Time it perfectly and you even get a window out slowed down-time for a cool counterattack. I never got tired of watching Carlos push over Hunters mid-lunge, like he was cow tipping!

There has been some consternation that Nemesis’s appearances are scripted, unlike the random nature of Mr. X’s appearances in 2. I think this is for the best, however, as Nemesis is so much deadlier than Mr. X, being both faster and having a wider range of attacks at his disposal. Also, I did find Mr. X a bit annoying after a while, the fedora-wearing git often ruining a puzzle by forcing me to jog Leon or Claire back to a save room (he was very polite and didn’t bother you in those).

Another gripe I encountered whilst reading other reviews and critiques for Resident Evil 3 was that there were too many save rooms. I mean sure, there are several points in which you seem to move three rooms from a save room and run into another, but I simply chose not to save in the superfluous ones to keep up that nice sense of tension. At the end of the day, if it makes this title accessible for more people, then how is that a bad thing? There is also an easy mode, sure, but then there are also some very challenging higher difficulty levels too. Anyway, enough of my thoughts on accessibility, I honestly don’t want to get drawn into an argument!

So yes, 2020’s Resident Evil 3 does change the formula up a lot from 1999’s iteration, as well as compared to last year’s Resident Evil 2, but there changes all work for the better. A leaner, faster experience allows the player to experience more of Raccoon City with less backtracking, and still enjoy some top-notch enemy encounters and boss fights along the way. 

Narrative: 10/10

Sorry Claire Redfield, I still love you and all but Jill Valentine might just steal the crown of Queen of Resident Evil from you!

This trimmed, re-jigged version of the Resident Evil 3 story might just be one of the best in gaming. Our story picks up a short time after the events of the original game, with a traumatised Jill being laid off the police force as part of Umbrella’s cover-up. To keep herself sane, she’s been putting together a case file against the pharmaceutical corporation/ridiculous cartoon villains that nearly got her killed during the Spencer Mansion incident (she was nearly a Jill Sandwich, dammit!). After Umbrella’s assassins run into a very cross William Birkin (see this bloody hilarious cutscene from 1998’s Resident Evil 2 for reference) things have started to get very violent and unpleasant in Raccoon City. This is compounded by a sudden telephone call from fellow Spencer Mansion survivor Brad Vickers (and his fabulous yellow body warmer), warning Jill to get outta dodge, as the city has gone to hell and a giant, murderous thing is hunting down the remaining STARS survivors in the city. As Chris, Rebecca and Barry (what IS it!?) have already skipped town, that leaves Brad and Jill as its’ two targets. Sure enough, the big lad attacks Jill in her flat, the cunning agent only just escaping with her life (maybe the Nemesis shouldn’t have worn bin bags over his head?)

Brad and Jill flee into the Zombie infested city, only for Jill’s old friend to get a good zombie-ing (zombing?) along the way. After another intense run-in with Nemesis, Jill is rescued by Carlos, a mercenary member of Umbrella’s well-meaning rescue force, and taken to their leader Mikhail. Their plan is simple, to rescue a trainload of civilians by bussing them out of the city. Jill’s mission is simple then, to ride that train out of town before Nemesis or a literal missile put paid to her plans forever.

As you might expect, things do not go to plan, and Jill’s plans are ruined and re-directed several times before the story reaches its end. Her relationship with Carlos is great to witness, her hostile initial reaction soon giving way to friendship, which is understandable because he’s a damned sweetheart. As this game happens at around the same time as 2, it’s fun to visit one or two places seen in that game also.

Resident Evil 3 delivers an exciting story with plenty of pace, action, and twists across locations new and familiar. The voice and motion capture work done by the actors almost makes it feel like you’re watching a movie, with enough traditional Resident Evil schlock to make it feel like a B-Movie to remember!

Challenge: 10/10

I did touch on this a little earlier, but let’s go into it a little more. I played this game on its’ standard difficulty setting, which I found challenging but rarely unfair. Deaths were caused either by my lack of knowledge on how to deal with certain enemy types (magnum for the Pale Heads people!) or stupid mistakes/impatience on my part. There were also deaths in the Nemesis boss fights, as these added a suitably larger challenge even whilst staying a fair fight. Other people would no doubt find it maybe easier than I did, because I’m Not Actually That Good at these games in the first place and tend to panic!

Higher difficulties make ammunition more scarce and enemies harder, so I’ve given them a miss myself, but anecdotally I do hear that the game pushes back a lot harder and makes for a suitably fraught experience for Resident Evil experts. 

And yes, there is the easier “assisted” mode too. This of course makes enemies easier to put down, as well as adding an aim assist that will aid you in popping zombie skulls without too much wild firing. That and those extra save rooms do make this title more accessible for people, be they those with disabilities, different skill levels or just those looking to enjoy the story without too much holding them back. This, in my eyes, is absolutely fine. I was never a fan of the “git gud” train of thought and believe that video games should be able to be enjoyed by everybody, even a zombie or a Hunter!

Replayability: 9/10

Okay, let’s lead with the negative point, shall we? Resident Evil 2 had, technically, 6 campaigns, i.e. six playthroughs. Leon A and B, Claire A and B, 4th Survivor and Tofu. Whilst the latter two were just a gauntlet run from the sewers back up to the streets, Leon and Claire both had 2 slightly different campaigns each, which offered different paths and endings. Resident Evil 3, on the other hand, only has one campaign, Jill feat Carlos vs the Nemesis. 

So yeah, okay, this game has fewer campaigns to experience. But Capcom have made for this in a rather ingenious fashion. Once the game has been completed, the player gains access to the shop, based on the menu screen. On any playthrough after this, one can accrue points by completing games, killing enemies efficiently and completing sections in a timely fashion. These points can be spent from the menu at any time, on all sorts of prizes including inventory slots, coins that upgrade your power and defense, or even grant regenerating health, alternate costumes (including Jill’s lovely beret) and extra/infinite ammo weapons. These make repeat playthroughs more fun and might even help naff gamers like me take on those higher difficulties, so I’d say that adds plenty of replay value, wouldn’t you? 

I picked up an infinite ammunition handgun after my initial playthrough and now all zombies are my eternal bitches. I’m going into my second run with my eye on an infinite ammo assault rifle, and so the circle of life goes on!

One last reason to play this again and again? It’s a bloody good game!

 Uniqueness: 6/10

Oh boy, how do I approach looking at the uniqueness of a remake of a game in a long-running franchise? It contains the mechanics and themes that the series has kicked around since 1996, runs on the same engine as last year’s Resident Evil 2 remake and has similar settings, enemies and weapons too. Whilst this game is excellent on all fronts, it is still another iteration in a twenty-four-year-old series and uniqueness will take a hit from that. 

Within the confines of the Resident Evil series, however, the game does try a couple of new things. The post-completion shop is a great addition, even if similar systems have existed before, and the changes made to this title do set it apart from its’ 1999 original, as well adding some new elements unseen in 2019’s 2. Whilst nothing new in the grand scheme of things, this game does do enough to make itself distinct enough.

 My Personal Grade: 10/10

Resident Evil 3 might just be, for me, the epitome of not just the franchise, but the survival horror genre as a whole, even muscling ahead of last year’s Raccoon City adventure and Alien: Isolation, which I adore. Capcom have done a wonderful job of breathing new life into Jill’s last escape, crafting a perfect world full of zombies, monsters, treacherous mercenaries and a big, unpleasant fella with a rocket launcher who has a wee bit of an obsession with poor miss Valentine. The acting is perfect, the game is plenty challenging and, best of all, just look, just look, at Carlos’ perfect, perfect hair.

Aggregated Score: 9.4

Winst0lf is a blogger, reviewer and podcaster who began his internet journey thanks to the lovely people on this site. You can find his blog here, and his podcast, Shart Select, here. Every time you read one of his articles, he lets out a little cheer!