Despite being first in chronological order, I do not recommend Resident Evil 0 to be your first in the franchise even if it is a solid game.
The item management system in the game is different to all other entries in the franchise. Instead of utilizing universal item boxes or briefcases, the player instead must drop items in strategic locations, remember where they left these items, and recover them when needed. Whilst most hate this new mechanic, I personally found it to be a unique challenge that tested players that might be used to how the item management works in the other games.
Tank controls are also incredibly outdated, but in my opinion are a bit of a skill issue. With practice it can be mastered but I do respect it isn't for everyone. There's a few specific areas where it feels hard to progress due to the sudden changes in camera angles, but I don't think it's enough of an issue to deduct from the games overall score.
Resident Evil 0 also brings a partner switching system, that allows the player to control both characters which can lead to some interesting puzzles and puts an even greater emphasis on the inventory management challenges that I mentioned earlier.
The presentation and audio design are phenomenal, especially of the time. Although this is the 2016 port of the 2002 GameCube original, it hasn't changed many of the original assets, instead it highlights the technically fantastic lighting effects, impressive pre-rendered backgrounds, and detailed character models that deserve it's plaudits.
Although the story isn't groundbreaking, and primarily the reason why I would not suggest this to be your first Resident Evil game, it still develops a lot of the beloved early characters of the franchise. It scratched my nerd itch to see the downfall of the S.T.A.R.S Alpha Team through the perspective of it's sole survivor, Rebecca Chambers, a beloved character in the franchise. I appreciate her chemistry with Billy Coen, our other protagonist, and despite the weak narrative, I really felt immersed in their story and the experiences they had.
What Resident Evil 0 does well is it's atmospheric horror. It fits right in with Code Veronica and REmake, and so if you enjoy the experience of either of those titles, I highly recommend checking this game out.
I always work hard towards 100% completing any game I play, and with this new account, I decided RE 0 would be the first game I attempted to complete. It was a grueling process, which took several playthroughs on various difficulties. It really felt like I had to learn the mechanics of this game inside and out, I had item placement, enemy choreography, and map layouts memorised perfectly in my mind by the end of it. These playthroughs included achieving an S-rank, beating the game on hard mode, beating the game in under 3 hours, beating the game without saving, and beating the game without healing once. It was a personal challenge that I really enjoyed achieving.
Resident Evil is also famous for it's unlockable outfits, characters, and secret modes and RE 0 is no different. One such mode is "Wesker Mode" which allows you to play as Albert Wesker, the villain of the franchise, with all of his strengths and abilities, which I found enjoyable. However, the other unlockable mode is leech mode, which I do not recommend playing at all. It is extremely unfun, however, it will provide access to a lot of extra content upon completion, including infinite ammo, for the main game, which comes in handy when attempting subsequent playthroughs. Besides the extra modes, the cosmetic content for Rebecca and Billy are fantastic and I found myself using different costumes on my multiple playthroughs.
Despite it's difficulty and weak narrative story, I really enjoyed Resident Evil. I know I opened this review by stating I wouldn't recommend this game as a starting point, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't recommend the game in general, and I think that playing this game should come later on your Resident Evil journey.
The item management system in the game is different to all other entries in the franchise. Instead of utilizing universal item boxes or briefcases, the player instead must drop items in strategic locations, remember where they left these items, and recover them when needed. Whilst most hate this new mechanic, I personally found it to be a unique challenge that tested players that might be used to how the item management works in the other games.
Tank controls are also incredibly outdated, but in my opinion are a bit of a skill issue. With practice it can be mastered but I do respect it isn't for everyone. There's a few specific areas where it feels hard to progress due to the sudden changes in camera angles, but I don't think it's enough of an issue to deduct from the games overall score.
Resident Evil 0 also brings a partner switching system, that allows the player to control both characters which can lead to some interesting puzzles and puts an even greater emphasis on the inventory management challenges that I mentioned earlier.
The presentation and audio design are phenomenal, especially of the time. Although this is the 2016 port of the 2002 GameCube original, it hasn't changed many of the original assets, instead it highlights the technically fantastic lighting effects, impressive pre-rendered backgrounds, and detailed character models that deserve it's plaudits.
Although the story isn't groundbreaking, and primarily the reason why I would not suggest this to be your first Resident Evil game, it still develops a lot of the beloved early characters of the franchise. It scratched my nerd itch to see the downfall of the S.T.A.R.S Alpha Team through the perspective of it's sole survivor, Rebecca Chambers, a beloved character in the franchise. I appreciate her chemistry with Billy Coen, our other protagonist, and despite the weak narrative, I really felt immersed in their story and the experiences they had.
What Resident Evil 0 does well is it's atmospheric horror. It fits right in with Code Veronica and REmake, and so if you enjoy the experience of either of those titles, I highly recommend checking this game out.
I always work hard towards 100% completing any game I play, and with this new account, I decided RE 0 would be the first game I attempted to complete. It was a grueling process, which took several playthroughs on various difficulties. It really felt like I had to learn the mechanics of this game inside and out, I had item placement, enemy choreography, and map layouts memorised perfectly in my mind by the end of it. These playthroughs included achieving an S-rank, beating the game on hard mode, beating the game in under 3 hours, beating the game without saving, and beating the game without healing once. It was a personal challenge that I really enjoyed achieving.
Resident Evil is also famous for it's unlockable outfits, characters, and secret modes and RE 0 is no different. One such mode is "Wesker Mode" which allows you to play as Albert Wesker, the villain of the franchise, with all of his strengths and abilities, which I found enjoyable. However, the other unlockable mode is leech mode, which I do not recommend playing at all. It is extremely unfun, however, it will provide access to a lot of extra content upon completion, including infinite ammo, for the main game, which comes in handy when attempting subsequent playthroughs. Besides the extra modes, the cosmetic content for Rebecca and Billy are fantastic and I found myself using different costumes on my multiple playthroughs.
Despite it's difficulty and weak narrative story, I really enjoyed Resident Evil. I know I opened this review by stating I wouldn't recommend this game as a starting point, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't recommend the game in general, and I think that playing this game should come later on your Resident Evil journey.