the OG remake and one of the best to ever do it even today. The clever ways they found to expand the original game play and turn it on its head while also completely revamping the level design is just real genius stuff. It felt like a totally new game back on the GameCube and feels like a totally new game even today.
The Crimson Heads are a solid shakeup and I'm surprised they've never explored this idea since. And new rooms and puzzles are a delight. But I think what's interesting about RE1 and the remake compared to its sequels is just how much more intimate you end up getting with these locations. By the time you've finished the game, you've have backtracked through areas a million times and learned your favorite route and quirks to each room. This ends up making each playthrough even more adventurous and daring than the last. There's always been a secret action game hiding in RE's bones and REmake was a good way to showcase it. You'll know which zombies you want to skip, which bodies you wanna burn, and which rooms you'll never need to come back to and before you know it you're unlocking new weapons and getting faster and faster finish times. It's a speedrunning dream.
As for the HD edition of the remake, I think it's a very solid remaster. They didn't ruin the visuals of the original much, the new lighting on characters is fantastic, the new costumes are cute, and some very small QOL features are appreciated. My personal recommendation is playing the game in the original aspect ratio to soak in the full picture (the 16:9 aspect ratio ends up cropping the screens too much) and ideally learning to play with tank controls. The alternate movement style is nice, but in addition to some visual jank with sudden movements, it can lead to some awkward fumbling during camera transitions even when you've been holding down the direction properly. It also makes a lot of bosses super easy. The tank controls are tight and once you adjust you glide around rooms effortlessly. It just becomes second nature.
Also seriously, this game still looks and sounds beautiful. Each scene is framed with care. Maximizing the atmosphere and the spookiness of what's around the corner while stringing cameras along in a way that doesn't disorient the player. And the dark and gothic art style of the mansion is a visual feast. It just hasn't show as much age as you would expect for a 10 year old remaster based on a now 20 year old game. All this accented by some great sound design from the punchy weapons, the unique enemy sounds (so you always know what's in the room so you're not totally taken offguard), and the lonely, dark, spooky music.
If you're interested in classic RE, please give it a try.
The Crimson Heads are a solid shakeup and I'm surprised they've never explored this idea since. And new rooms and puzzles are a delight. But I think what's interesting about RE1 and the remake compared to its sequels is just how much more intimate you end up getting with these locations. By the time you've finished the game, you've have backtracked through areas a million times and learned your favorite route and quirks to each room. This ends up making each playthrough even more adventurous and daring than the last. There's always been a secret action game hiding in RE's bones and REmake was a good way to showcase it. You'll know which zombies you want to skip, which bodies you wanna burn, and which rooms you'll never need to come back to and before you know it you're unlocking new weapons and getting faster and faster finish times. It's a speedrunning dream.
As for the HD edition of the remake, I think it's a very solid remaster. They didn't ruin the visuals of the original much, the new lighting on characters is fantastic, the new costumes are cute, and some very small QOL features are appreciated. My personal recommendation is playing the game in the original aspect ratio to soak in the full picture (the 16:9 aspect ratio ends up cropping the screens too much) and ideally learning to play with tank controls. The alternate movement style is nice, but in addition to some visual jank with sudden movements, it can lead to some awkward fumbling during camera transitions even when you've been holding down the direction properly. It also makes a lot of bosses super easy. The tank controls are tight and once you adjust you glide around rooms effortlessly. It just becomes second nature.
Also seriously, this game still looks and sounds beautiful. Each scene is framed with care. Maximizing the atmosphere and the spookiness of what's around the corner while stringing cameras along in a way that doesn't disorient the player. And the dark and gothic art style of the mansion is a visual feast. It just hasn't show as much age as you would expect for a 10 year old remaster based on a now 20 year old game. All this accented by some great sound design from the punchy weapons, the unique enemy sounds (so you always know what's in the room so you're not totally taken offguard), and the lonely, dark, spooky music.
If you're interested in classic RE, please give it a try.
Reviewed on Apr 15, 2023