Welcome, Wesker
For whatever reason, I didn’t end up completing Resident Evil Zero back when it was released in 2002 — in fact, it took me 10 years to truly dive into it. I think it just flew under the radar, but thankfully Capcom has opted to remaster the game for a new generation, similar to last year’s fantastic Resident Evil HD Remaster.
You know what? I’m not even mad that remakes are a “key business activity” for Capcom if it can keep pumping out great releases like this.
Resident Evil Zero HD Remaster (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One [reviewed])
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Released: January 19, 2016
MSRP: $19.99
Zero begins with a rather interesting setpiece: a moving train. Rebecca Chambers, a member of S.T.A.R.S., is sent to investigate crimes in the Arklay Mountains — conveniently located (and thus, linked) near Raccoon City and the original game’s mansion. Here she meets Billy Coen, an alleged murderer and ex-Marine, and starts an “unlikely” partnership. You can probably tell from the setup that the tale is a pastiche of cheesy horror not unlike past games, but it’s done just as effectively as before. Sure, the story never really makes much sense, even after the final credits roll, but you’ll have a good time while you’re along for the ride.
Rebecca and Billy have a fun dynamic that is extended throughout Zero. The former can combine herbs and story-related chemicals, and the latter can take more of a beating and move heavy objects. It’s not an original concept even for the era it was released in, but it works. This is mostly because of the “zap” partner system that allows both characters to be on-screen at the same time. You can opt to have your AI partner attack or stay idle, which is great if you don’t want them wasting ammo. Swapping is as easy as pressing a button to start a second-long heartbeat transition to the other character. You can also control the AI with the right analog stick, which comes in handy for moving them out of harm’s way.
This idea is used in many different ways that chop up the game’s pacing for the better. In some zones, Rebecca and Billy are split, working separately to exchange key items with one another through special devices like service elevators. In other areas, they’re working in tandem to solve those wonderful box puzzles, where Billy is moving cubes and Rebecca is operating a device of some sort. Given that so many of Resident Evil‘s puzzles feature solutions born out of just one avatar, I like that Capcom went with something different here.
There’s another huge difference when it comes to Zero and all of the games before it: item management. In the past, players would mostly store their items in a magical gamey storage box of sorts, where you could access your armory and inventory wherever a box was located. Now, you can place items on the ground and store them anywhere on the map, no questions asked (well, outside of the single room item limit, which is inexplicably still in this remake). For instance, if you want to split a few typewriter ribbons off a stack of 10 and place them in a save room, you can. The same goes for weapons and herbs, or any key items you may pick up.
Items now show up on the map, so there’s no guessing as to where you put them. It’s a more challenging system, for sure — you don’t have the infinite box to rely on, and sometimes you’ll have to run through gauntlets of enemies if you happen to stash a key item and are required to run back for it. Its use does start to grate mid-way through the game, as it can get rather tedious to juggle everything. The mechanic isn’t really re-used, but it helps cement Zero‘s unique identity (for better and worse) along with zapping, and the level designs mostly accommodate it.
This is an old-school Resident Evil game at heart, back when “survival” was still a key factor of the series. Zero features limited ammo, save ribbons, and a lot of decision making, mostly in regards to inventory management. This is especially true given the zapping, because at any moment one character may be forced to fight a boss without the help of another, so ensuring that both cast members are fully equipped is key to your success.
In terms of the actual “Remaster” moniker, a lot of the technical details are the same as before. The visuals and framerate have been updated, there’s a new non-tank modern control method available, and you can swap between 16:9 and 4:3 resolution (even on consoles) — but the cheesy FMVs remain untouched. Capcom really could bring back every entry pre-Resident Evil 4 just like this and I’d be happy.
Thankfully though, it’s slightly more than just a straight touch-up due to the addition of Wesker mode. In this special gametype only found in the remake (that’s acquired by beating the game once), Billy is shoved to the side in favor of Wesker, who operates as Rebecca’s partner throughout the game. This mode is meant to be silly. Wesker can use his superhuman powers he’s flaunted since Code Veronica, including the ability to quickly dash across the room, and use a special energy attack to pop zombie’s heads off. He can also mix herbs and doesn’t have many limitations. They didn’t go the full mile — Billy is still present in cutscenes, as is his voice — but it’s a meaty enough change.
All of the old unlocks are also present, including additional costumes, weapons, and the Mercenaries-like “Leech Hunter.” The latter is a mini-game of sorts that tasks players with escaping a modified version of the Research Center, and gets tougher as you play it. It’s not as memorable as some of the true Mercenary modes in other games, but it’s worth clearing at least once and should adequately test the mettle of series veterans.
As a whole, Resident Evil Zero isn’t one of my favorite entries, but with the amount of care that went into this remake, like Resident Evil HD Remaster before it, I’m really coming around. In fact, just get both if you don’t have them already.
[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]
