Resident Evil 3 (2020) (PS5)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Resident Evil (2002), Resident Evil 2 (1999) and Resident Evil 3 (2020).

Following the success of the original Resident Evil 2, Capcom put a number of Resident Evil projects in development to capitalize on its success. One of these projects was Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, which was developed as a standalone expansion to the story to the story of Resident Evil 2 and, after a rough development period that saw a number of concepts altered or scrapped, launched the very next year in 1999 (incidentally, this also led to Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami leaving Capcom). Later, in 2019, Capcom would officially announce a remake simply titled Resident Evil 3, though it was developed at the same time as the remake of Resident Evil 2. Like its predecessor, the remake launched to critical acclaim in 2020, but not without criticisms for its length and the extent of the changes made from the original.

After playing the remake of Resident Evil 2, the next natural step was playing Resident Evil 3. Like with Resident Evil 2, I did so through the 2020 remake, specifically the free PS5 upgrade, out of cost and accessibility. As such, I have no experience with the original release and can’t personally attest to the impact of any of the noted changes. That said, while flawed, I still had a blast from start to finish.

24 hours before the events of Resident Evil 2, most of Raccoon City has mutated as a result of the T-Virus, a virus secretly developed by the Umbrella pharmaceutical company. Jill Valentine, former member of the RPD’s Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.), and one of its few surviving members, receives a frantic call from fellow S.T.A.R.S. member Brad Vickers pleading her to leave. On her way out of her apartment, Jill is attacked by an intelligent bioweapon known as the Nemesis T-Type. After a narrow escape, she meets up with Brad, who tells her that the Nemesis is specifically hunting surviving S.T.A.R.S. members. Shortly after, Jill is left on her own until she is rescued by Carlos Oliveira, a mercenary working for Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service (U.B.C.S.). Despite their different allegiances, Jill forms and alliance with Carlos to help evacuate the remaining civilians and put an end to the Nemesis.

Jill (left) and Carlos (right) have to work together despite their allegiances.

Following the precedent set by the original Resident Evil, Resident Evil 3 features two playable characters with Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveira. This time, however, players alternate between them during the same campaign rather than two separate playthroughs. Aside from providing a good change of pace, this helps the story feel more focused and very in line with its concept as a standalone expansion of Resident Evil 2. As an expansion, the story overlaps at one point with that of its predecessor and helps neatly explain certain details, including how RPD Lt. Marvin Branagh got infected or why the RPD shower room ended up in such a damaged state.

As for the quality of Resident Evil 3’s writing on its own merits, it’s pretty good for the most part. It does a good job of continuing Jill’s story from the original game, even including a scene at the beginning that hints at some deeper trauma caused by the Mansion Incident, while keeping her in-character. Carlos is also very likeable, growing fond of Jill and protecting her in her hour of need while also having a good sense for doing the right thing despite his association with Umbrella. Supporting character Tyrell Patrick, also from the U.B.C.S., is also likeable for trying to actually help save Raccoon City from a missile launch intended to wipe it out. There are plenty of moments that feel well-written and memorable, including when Carlos realizes the depths of Jill’s trust in him and the final confrontation with Nikolai Zinoviev, the main antagonist. Although the story takes itself fairly seriously, there are still some elements of B-movie cheese, with special mention to the iconic line, “You want S.T.A.R.S.? I’ll give you S.T.A.R.S.!”

What may prove divisive depending on the player, however is the game’s pacing. The story really hits the ground running when Nemesis first appears at the beginning and continues moving at a breakneck pace all the way through. Considering there’s only one campaign, this pace can make the short length, about six hours on a first playthrough (maybe seven if you explore more thoroughly), more noticeable than the previous games. On the upside, this means the game doesn’t overstay its welcome and you only need to play it once to get the full story.

Since Resident Evil 3 plays very similarly to Resident Evil 2, I won’t go into as much detail as I did in that review when describing how this game plays. It’s worth noting, however, that there are a few notable differences that make this game a more streamlined experience. One major improvement is that picked up items will automatically enter the player’s inventory as long as they have room, but will stop and alert you when your inventory is full. While the Herb system is intact, players will only see Green and Red Herbs this time. The absence of Blue Herbs means that the Poison status was removed, though in its place is the briefly Parasite status that dramatically slows down the player and is cured with Green Herbs.

The new Parasite status is unique, but short-lived.

As with previous Resident Evil games, Jill and Carlos have some gameplay differences between them, including the types of weapons they each start with or obtain. Similarly to the first game, Jill also has exclusive access to the Lockpick, which takes up an inventory slot but can open any Simple Lock she encounters. Regardless, both of their inventories start from scratch and persist as players swap between them. In an interesting twist, the Hospital segment contains items accessible to both characters, with the caveat that whatever Carlos picks up will become inaccessible to Jill.

Although the environments are very well-designed, especially the Hospital and NEST 2 segments, there isn’t much in the way of exploration, as Resident Evil 3 is more linear than its predecessor. Yes, there are safes and combinations with items and upgrades that reward actively searching around, but not as many as before, with codes that stay the same between playthroughs. As a consequence of the game’s emphasis on action, there also aren’t as many puzzles and the few that exist aren't too difficult to figure out, though one optional puzzle (obtaining and slotting three jewels in any order) is particularly easy. It doesn’t help that while this game does have its equivalent to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard’s Mr. Everywhere and Resident Evil 2’s Mr. Racoon bobbleheads, the destructible Charlie Dolls, there isn’t any real reward this time around for shooting all of them, or at least not one that actually impacts gameplay.

Combat remains nearly identical to Resident Evil 2, including the ability to blow off a Zombie’s limbs, but with two major differences. Although you can break out of a Zombie’s grasp, you can no longer defend yourself with a weapon in your inventory. In exchange, there’s a new Dodge mechanic that’s good for putting distance between you and any given enemy, with a Perfect Dodge also slowing down time for a comeback or escape. I did also notice that getting an explosive headshot (the only surefire way to know Zombies won’t randomly choose to not die) seemed less uncommon this time around, though I’m not sure if that came about from the game’s design or if it was because I played on Assisted (partly because I unfortunately had “Gamer’s Thumb” at the time, which had recovered enough to reliably play in bursts).

Along with some returning enemies from Resident Evil 2, including two Lickers in the RPD segment, players will also encounter some new ones that I’m aware are exclusive to this remake. This includes two variants of Resident Evil’s Hunter: Hunter β, a stronger version that has a similar introduction to the original, and Hunter γ, which play a similar role to the G-Adults from the previous game. Drain Deimos are spider-like enemies that inflict the Parasite status, but are only encountered during one specific puzzle section. One interesting addition, however, are the Pale Heads, first seen in Resident Evil 2’s Ghost Survivors DLC (specifically the “Runaway” campaign), which now also double as one of the very few reasons to even touch the Grenade Launcher’s Acid Rounds.

By far the most famous aspect of Resident Evil 3, however, is the presence of Nemesis, serving as the equivalent to Resident Evil 2’s Tyrant, colloquially known as Mr. X. To some extent, Nemesis is deadlier than his predecessor, with more agile movements and a tentacle attack that can drag the player back into its range if they try to run away. The fact that he tends to linger outside of a Safe Room also makes him harder to escape. As if that wasn’t enough, he can infect Zombies with his tentacle, turning them into NE-α Parasite Zombies that behave similarly to the Plagas from Resident Evil 4 (2005), attacking from long range with a tentacle. Fighting Nemesis can be rewarding, however, as if he takes enough damage, he’ll drop a Supply Box containing a useful item (he’ll do this up to four times in a single playthrough).

Nemesis really leaves an impression.

That said, Nemesis doesn’t feel as terrifying as Mr. X, despite his explosive entrance. Whereas Mr. X could show up anywhere while constantly patrolling the RPD, Nemesis only shows up at scripted points in the story, with only one section where he’s actively patrolling in search of the player (and even then, he only shows up after completing a certain task). Additionally, he’s much more fragile, as it takes far less ammo to reliably down him temporarily. Damaging him for rewards also has diminishing returns, with the first two Supply Boxes providing weapon upgrades and the other two merely providing ammunition.

On the upside, the Nemesis boss fights provide a good amount of variety, keeping players on their toes with ever-changing appearances and strategies. His second boss fight is particularly well done, providing a good use for the Mine Rounds and preparing players for his behavior in the third boss fight, where he once again subverts expectations. Though the final encounter with him can feel underwhelming depending on the player, its no less memorable and provides some great catharsis.

Since I played the PS5 upgrade, I was able to play with adaptive triggers, which helped add to the immersion of the world, though it didn’t feel as extensive as games like Resident Evil Village. One place that used them to great effect, however, was when Jill tried ramming Nemesis with a car, though this effect also felt particularly violent in my hands.

One quirk of the game’s design worth pointing out is that grabbing the shotgun will make a Zombie enter a nearby door, presumably to give the player a target to try out their new weapon on. However, I noticed that the enemy appeared even though I had no inventory space at the time, as though merely touching it triggered the encounter. While perhaps obvious, I also felt relieved that while exploring the RPD, I didn’t have to worry about boarding up windows anymore. I'll also mention that I ran into a weird glitch at one point and it seems like the Charlie Dolls can be tucked away in places with strange hitboxes.

As for the replay value, that’s pretty debatable. On the one hand, you can see just about everything the game had to offer within the campaign in a single playthrough, as there aren’t any additional endings that would incentivize viewing the story multiple times. On the other hand, the game has additional rewards, including unlockables and a store for buying useful items, that are locked behind certain in-game achievements, which can incentivize multiple playthroughs to get exclusive weapons or helpful items that can make higher difficulties easier.

Graphically, Resident Evil 3 looks just as impressive as Resident Evil 2. While that sounds like it doesn’t do much, there are some small touches that help it really shine on its own. The optional ray tracing looks great, adding a sense of realism to the already impressively-detailed environments made possible by RE Engine. During the opening scene in Jill’s apartment, a desk fan will periodically turn toward a board of information on her wall and realistically blow air against the papers, making them flap in place. As an extra quality of life change, standing near an item will actually display its name and icon as opposed to just an interaction symbol. I also appreciate that Jill and Carlos have different individualized dodge animations and that if you go into the Toy Uncle Supershop while Nemesis stalks you in the Downtown segment, he’ll stare at you menacingly through the window. Additionally, Resident Evil 3 opens with a cutscene that mixes CG and live-action, which, while not new, is something I’d like to see more modern games experiment with as part of their presentation.

The ray tracing looks great on PS5.

There are some noticeable flaws, however. Some are small and rather inconsequential, like how in one cutscene the mouth movements don’t quite match the dialogue or how the Parasite status doesn’t have a special controller light, instead matching your current health status. The biggest, however, may be that due to the quick and turnaround time and concurrent development with Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3 recycles a lot of assets from its predecessor. These assets can include anything from Zombies to even entire levels. Though much of the asset recycling makes sense from a practical standpoint, also making Raccoon City feel more consistent, the extent of the reuse in areas like the Sewers can come off as recycling entire concepts from Resident Evil 2 instead of going for something more original. While it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the game too much, its pretty subjective as to whether or not it will bother anyone else.

As before, the voice acting suits the game’s tone quite nicely, including how the delivery of Nemesis' sole line ("S.T.A.R.S.!") matched how I thought it would sound based on his design, and I liked that radio audio also came out of the controller speaker for an added level of immersion. Though the game doesn’t take advantage of sound quite like its predecessor, it still has great music, including the always calming Safe Room theme.

While perhaps not as good as Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3 executes a lot of its ideas really well and does a pretty good job modernizing the experience. It may not be as much of a survival horror as its predecessor and could have used further polish, but it’s still fun and a good way to play the game for those who can’t easily access the original release.