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In hindsight, I should have reviewed this title first before Resident Evil 2 due to the story taking place 24 hours earlier. But, let’s take a look at Capcom’s next remake in the Resident Evil Franchise with Resident Evil 3. For past reviews, check out this link.
September 28, 1998, two months after the mansion incident in Resident Evil and 24 hours before the events of Resident Evil 2 finds S.T.A.R.S (Special Tactics And Rescue Service) member Jill Valentine deep in her investigation of the pharmaceutical company, UMBRELLA. After reliving the horrors of what she witnessed in the Arklay mountains, Jill is attacked in her apartment by Umbrella’s newest bioweapon, an intelligent bioweapon known as the Nemesis T-Type, programmed to kill the surviving members of S.T.A.R.S and any Survivors in Racoon City. Amid a Zombie Apocalypse, she meets a mercenary named Carlos Oliveira, a part of the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service (U.B.C.S.), can she survive Racoon City’s downfall?
It’s another apocalyptic day in Racoon City, Jill Valentine has to work through a city plagued with Zombies, bioweapons, and a devastating environment that includes in-game advertising. Like its predecessor, Capcom kept the deadly charm of the original Resident Evil 3 by dialing up the tension and horror accompanied by smart-level design.
Like the second RE 2 remake, it has a two-character campaign involving Jill Valentine for the first half of the game, then for a brief time, it will transfer over to Carlos Oliveira, who gives players a better look at what happens at the Racoon Police Department before Leon and Claire arrive, also offering a surprisingly tragic twist of how Marvin Branagh became infected by the T-Virus. It does honor the original 1999 video game, though certain enemies, parts of the story, and locations have changed with the game feeling like it was cut in half. One thing that truly stayed the same was how sinister and cruel NEMESIS can be when it comes to accomplishing its goal, its arrival being the front and center at the beginning of the game with it attacking Jill in her apartment. A quick reminder before we get further into the review, The Resident Evil 3 Remake was also made using the RE Engine, which is the tech that powered Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 7.
Speaking of Nemesis, the creatures in the game have gotten a makeover, making them look even more nightmarish and creepier than before, this includes the Zombies and their new counterpart forms called NE-α Parasites, zombies who have been infected by the Nemesis T-Type. Their appearances are a nod to Resident Evil 4‘s Plagas and their human hosts called Ganados. There are other nods to past Resident Evil games, including how the Licker colony invaded the Racoon Police Department, the S.T.A.R.s Office, Robert Kendo, the weird door, and Leon’s equipment being clever nods to its predecessor. As far as the game’s looks go, everything is built up from scratch again, cars piled up in the streets, flickering neon signs, fires lick their way across storefronts, and broad industrial spaces that are strangely empty. Remember how you had to manage your items in Resident Evil 2? Inventory and ammunition management is still a keen part of the game, and you find yourself scraping by with limited ammo and health items to get you through the game, no matter what difficulty.
Resident Evil 3 is available now for the following consoles: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, XBox One, XBox X|S, and Steam.
Final Grade:
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