Resident Evil Zero

No, I don't want double glazing!

I don’t believe anyone needs an introduction to the Resident Evil series. Borrowing in equal measures from earlier PC classics like Alone in the Dark and George Romero’s Living Dead trilogy, the Resident Evil series pits the player against a vast array of messy, repulsive, and hungry enemies. Outnumbered, low on ammunition, and horribly mortal, the player must rely on his wits to keep him alive.

Resident Evil 0 takes place in the hours before the original Resident Evil. A lone S.T.A.R.S. operative teams up with an escaped convict in an attempt to escape from a speeding train full of zombies. For the first time in the series, the player is responsible for the well being of two characters simultaneously. The second character is not just a gimmick – on many occasions both characters are required to solve a puzzle, and the extra firepower always comes in handy.

Nuts and Bolts

Well, we've managed to stop the train......

The bulk of the game takes place in and around (and under) the mansion from the first game. The usual suspects (shambling zombies, monster dogs, and so on) are all present, along with many new additions. I suspect that one of the designers at Capcom has some real issues with bugs. There are bugs everywhere in this game and some of them are, well, they’re not nice. And they’re not small either.

The puzzles are exactly as you’d expect from a Resident Evil game although, and I don’t say this lightly, this is by far the most difficult game in the series. The puzzles themselves aren’t hugely difficult and tend to be more logic based than the usual “find the bizarrely shaped key to fit the bizarrely shaped lock” type, but the odds are definitely stacked against you.

Project Zero on steroids

Let 'em have it, Billy!

The second character also adds an extra dimension to the puzzles. At one point you will have to decide which one to take on a mad sprint along the length of a Zombie-filled train - quick vulnerable Rebecca who can easily do it in the time given, or slow strong Billy - he can take out the hostiles, but can he keep to the time limit? Only one can go - someone else has to work the brakes....

One welcome change was the removal of the bizarre item box – no more will items follow you around in the mysterious self-propelled luggage. Instead, dropping an item on the floor will mark it on your map – making it easy to find it later, if required. This sounds like a simple thing, but it adds a lot to the game, not least in terms of realism.

The second immediately noticeable change is in the tone of the game. Rather than relying on cheap shocks and gross out moments, the developers have taken the Silent Hill route and decided to freak you out instead. Resident Evil 0 has moments so ghastly, they’re like Project Zero on steroids. The main drive of the game, however, is still action.

Sights, Sounds, and Smells (yuk!)

There's always a basement, isn't there?

From the moment the pre-menu trailer appears, it’s obvious that RE0 is something special. The pre-rendered cut-scene graphics are simply jaw dropping. After the opening movie has ended it takes a moment or two to adjust to the visuals. Mainly because it will take a few seconds for it to register that you’re not watching the cut scene any more. The backgrounds are still pre-rendered but, to be honest, you’d never be able to tell.

The richness of motion and animation in the “static” backdrops is breathtaking – the corpse slumped over the chair, essentially furniture, has an unnerving habit of letting its arm sway gently with the motion of the train. Just as the chandelier above is doing. And the curtains. And the luggage straps on the ceiling. The backdrops have begun as static renders, and then they’ve been layered with such a degree of richness that, for the first time in a Resident Evil game, your character is immersed and enveloped in the surroundings.

The sounds are as you’d expect – they could have been lifted from any of the previous games. Generally, they work well, although some of the footsteps sound a little inappropriate. The music, on the other hand, is out of this world – driving the drama of the game forward with a real sense of purpose. In the closing sections of the game, the music and visuals really pace you forward, lacing the adventure with a feeling of inevitability – of being part of something larger. Play it – you’ll see what I mean.

Episode Zero? Or just Zero?

Look at those lovely colours....

This game serves as not only a new standalone title in its own right, but a worthy homage to one of the most successful video game franchises of recent years. The game has built on the style of last year’s Resident Evil (NGC) and added enough twists of its own to make the genre fresh and interesting again. This game is going to sell and awful lot of cubes.

The game is difficult - don't get me wrong. It will have you tense, irritated, terrified and anxious as you're dodging flames and zombies, gunning down giant scorpions, and being grossed out by 'orrible sluggy things, all the while begging for a save point. But it won't be there. This game makes you work for your entertainment, and it's the better for it.