Capcom’s attempts to polish up the Resident Evil Remake this time last year was met with critical and commercial success, with Resident Evil HD Remaster selling over one million copies and attracting rave reviews in the process. Not only did it prove a smash success, but it also cemented the fact that interest in classic survival horror is still very much alive and in demand from Joe Public. But how does its latest endeavour shape up?
For the uninitiated, Resident Evil Zero was released on GameCube back in 2002 and has remained exclusive to Nintendo consoles ever since. The game was met with polarizing reviews during its initial release, and many saw it proof that the old-school Resident Evil template had finally run its course, pathing the way for the revolutionary Resident Evil 4 a few years later.
Zero wasn’t a cut-and-paste of the remake, however. Yes, it still adhered to the pre-rendered backgrounds and methodical, slow-paced antics of previous games, but Capcom at least tried to inject a bit more life into the series with some new gameplay additions. Chief among this is the addition of two playable characters, with gamers able to switch between Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen with the tap of a button, allowing them to team up against the zombie hordes or go solo. Zero also eschews the item boxes of old, instead giving gamers the ability to drop items at will.
The story itself takes place 24 hours before the original Resident Evil, as the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team, of which Chambers is a member of, investigates Raccoon Forest in July 1998 following a series of grisly murders in the area. The team split up in the woods, with Chambers bumping into and subsequently teaming up with Coen, an escaped convict accused of murdering 23 people, while on board a zombie-infested train. Much of the narrative deals with the genesis of the Umbrella Corporation and the creation of the T-Virus, with series baddie Albert Wesker also making an appearance.
Find out how Resident Evil Zero HD went down with critics in our roundup below. Read our own verdict on Zero in our full PS4 review.
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RelyonHorror – 10/10
Game Informer – 8.5/10
God is a Geek – 8.5/10
Push Square – 8/10
PlayStation Trophies – 8/10
Hardcore Gamer – 4/5
GamesRadar – 3.5/5
TheSixthAxis – 7/10
GameSpot – 7/10
VideoGamer – 5/10