Funny when you think about how from 1996 to 2002 we got what are considered by most fans to be the best of the Resident Evil franchise to date. The original, it’s sequels, Code Veronica, the remake and of course the prequel Resident Evil 0. The later I had never played. It bugged me too because despite being a Resi nut I could never say I had played the whole series. Fittingly in what is the series 20th Anniversary I have gone full circle and can now say I’ve finished the whole series to date.
Resident Evil 0 was initially announced for the N64 but wouldn’t see release until 2002 and on a different platform. Early into development it became clear Capcom would need to rethink their approach to the game due to the limitations of the N64 which proved problematic with the sort of game they wanted to make. It’s a shame. The early footage of Resident Evil 0 on the N64 had a distinct PSOne era look and feel to it which now after all these years gave the game a retro charm and I would have loved to have played that version. The final game eventutally came out 2002 on Nintendo Game Cube.
What set Resident Evil 0 across from other games in the series was the games grogeous visuals, the new partner system (allowing players to switch between characters at the touch of a button) and the removal of item boxes. Now items could be dropped anywhere in the game which allowed players to make the most out of how they wanted to manage guns, ammo, health and key items. When the game was first out I’d read some reviews complaining about that and how it often involved a lot of backtracking to previous areas but it’s really not a big deal and on the main menu you can use an item locator on the map so nothing is ever lost or forgotten. The option to switch characters is used in a key way when it comes to the puzzles too. The game asking the player to place one character at say a switch while another works on some other element of the puzzle. These elements were brand new to the series at the time and in hindsight it seems like Capcom used this prequel to test drive some new mechanics as the co-op and partner system would become a staple of the series from Resident Evil 4 onwards.
The plot focuses on the memebers of S.T.A.R.S Bravo team who we learn in Resident Evil all came into a run of bad luck. Now we found out what happened. Rebecca Chambers steps up from co-star to co-lead along with escaped convict Billy Coen. This pair make for likeable leads and it’s boss finding out how Rebecca found her way to the Spencer Mansion the original game takes place in. We find out loads of story points too that relate to the history of the T-Virus. The new settings make sense, you’d figure these loon’s would need a site B so to speak to see how they’re experiments are functioning.
I played this on the PS4 and the game is stunning. The controls are different from the tank ones from the original release but the later are selectable if you feel the need. The action/puzzle/exploration balance is solid and the new enimies are horrid additions to the series. It makes you question why Capcom are so intent on taking Resident Evil in a more action orientated direction when based on the history of the series and the best it has to offer what they should be thinking is “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Perhaps they have learnt their lesson after the fan outcry over Resident Evil 6. Time will tell. In the meantime Resident Evil 0 is among the strongest in the series and if it escaped you way back then it’s well worth investing in.
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