Resident Evil 3 Review

Coming off the massive success of Resident Evil 2 2019, Capcom decided to remake another classic title, Resident Evil 3. Remaining loyal to the canon lore, this revisiting of Jill Valentine's nightmare through Raccoon City provides all the iconic moments from the original. As the deadly mutated beast, Nemesis hunts the S.T.A.R.S. agent through the night, killing anyone who gets in its way.

Despite the campaign providing an outstanding survival-horror campaign, the brief experience is over just as quickly, with few alternative options to entice players to keep playing the single-player. The multiplayer does a decent job of offering a decent 1v4 competitive option.

Despite the shortcomings, Resident Evil 3 2020 provides a short quality adventure as you attempt to survive the infected streets of Raccoon City.

Resident Evil 3 takes place during the events of Resident Evil 2. Survivor Jill Valentine has to deal with her nightmare as she tries to survive the horrors of the T-virus outbreak in Raccoon City. Unlike Claire and Leon, Jill is being hunted by the Umbrella bio-superweapon called Nemesis, which will do anything to accomplish its mission.

This is a remake, but like Resident Evil 2's reimagining, Capcom does not rewrite any established lore. Everything that happened in the original still happens here but in a new way. Those who played the original will find great joy in experiencing many of the same areas and boss fights from the original in this alternate take on the adventure.

Many of the systems from Resident Evil 2 2019 are still present here, such as parts of the map becoming blue after all items have been collected. Small changes have been made, such as being able to quickly pick up items that you've already selected or similar items placed in the same area, as well as the new dodge system.

Like the original RE3 that introduced a difficult-to-master dodging mechanic, Jill can dodge attacks and, if done perfectly, can enter a slow-mode state that increases damage and precision. This can be incredibly overpowering, but due to the infection's awkward moment, it still requires a great deal of skill to pull off in succession.

The infected are just as formidable as in the 2019 game. Zombies, despite being slow, can take a chunk out of Jill's health when bitten. Due to the inconsistent damage, which can be annoying, you're encouraged to save resources for more dire situations. Especially when dealing with Nemesis.

Nemesis is the biggest wildcard in the enemy pool. The creature has no barriers, and when chasing, Jill is fast and relentless. Nemesis will drag Jill back, leap dozens of feet to block pathways, and can perform an instant kill, but the creature has been toned down from the original release. Those who played the original knew that Nemesis would not only appear during scripted events but also randomly during the game.

This created terrifying tension when the camera would dart to the creature's position. That's not the case here. While Nemesis can chase Jill anywhere, his appearance is limited to specific situations.

Meaning if Nemesis is not meant to appear in an area, he won't. This destroys a lot of tension from the original release, especially during a second playthrough in which Nemesis' appearances are now known.

Another feature removed is choices. For those unaware, the original game had dynamic moments where the player would have to make quick decisions that altered the game, such as turning on an electrical circuit to kill incoming infected or jumping off a bridge. These choices offered what-if situations and gave the game more replayability.

Carlos becomes playable halfway through the game and serves more of an action-focused direction. The soldier is equipped with an assault rifle and takes down dozens of infected. This definitely works in the game's favor by mixing action and survival horror and providing one style based on that specific person. 

Outside of combat, you'll still collect key items and solve puzzles, most of which are quite easy. There's only one puzzle towards the end of the game that requires some critical thinking, but most rely on just reading what's on screen and making prudent decisions.

Perhaps one of the biggest issues with Resident Evil 3 comes in its replayability. The core campaign can be completed in about five hours, with optional costumes and collectables earned by completing challenges. But once you complete the campaign, that's it.

Unlike Resident Evil 2 2019, which included two major campaigns, which could be experienced as either Leon or Claire and HUNK's Fourth Survivor mission at launch, there was a lot to play in the previous game.

Here, there's very little single-player content, but it's a brilliant one, nevertheless. The harder options do offer a decent challenge, but they don't compare to the variety offered by RE2 2019. 

Capcom tries to stretch out the game by providing concept art, models, and unlockable items by completing challenges. This includes the infinite Rocket Launcher, which starts with certain key items. The harder difficulties do offer a great challenge, but you're still playing through the same short campaign.

To supplement this, Capcom included a multiplayer 1v4 option called Resident Evil Resistance. Here, one player takes control of the Mastermind as they attempt to kill off a Survival team.

The Mastermind places traps and infects to kill off the survivors and reduce the time limit. The survivors have to complete objectives to reach each new room and eventually escape before the timer runs out.

It's definitely an entertaining mode that requires a great deal of strategy. The Mastermind has to separate survivors and prevent them from completing their objectives.

The Mastermind uses cameras to stalk the survivors and place insidious traps and deadly creatures. But you cannot spawn things constantly, as the Mastermind is limited by an energy meter that charges over time. 

The selection of Mastermind characters is taken from iconic characters in the Resident Evil franchise. Each one possesses a unique set of abilities that the survivors must adapt to.

The survivors each have unique skills and talents that make them dependent on one another. Some are good melee fighters, others can hack cameras to limit the Mastermind's actions, and so on. Since the survivors don't have a map, communication is key as players try to make it to the next room.

Survivors are given access to purchasable items by collecting credits on the field to better deal with the Mastermind's increasingly powerful selection of infected.

I noticed that the zombie dogs' AI in the multiplayer is extremely poor compared to the other infected. Often running in circles and avoiding the survivors.

This can become extremely frustrating since the first Mastermind, Annette Birkin, you'll have to select until reaching level 5 uses infected dogs heavily in her selection. It also seems that the player base is dying quickly. As of writing this, it takes me over 10 minutes to find a match.

There's definitely a lot of potential in this mode as the survivors attempt to stick together while the Mastermind plots their next move. One simple mistake from either side can snowball into a loss or victory.

It's also pretty fun to take control of the boss infected from past games. But the microtransactions can be upsetting. Offering progression boosters in exchange for real-world money has always been wrong and still is. 

Resident Evil 3 is a great installment in this iconic series. The first playthrough of this game offers an incredible tension-filled experience as Nemesis hunts Jill Valentine throughout Raccoon City. Once you complete that first playthrough, the issues begin to sprout up.

With little replayability outside of gathering all the achievements/trophies and collecting concept art and models, there's little reason to keep playing. The multiplayer mode is a fun distraction, but most gamers play this series for the single-player, not the multiplayer. Resident Evil 3 is a short, quality experience that will leave you wanting more but has nothing else to give.