Back in 2002, Resident Evil 0 fell through the cracks. It was released between two landmark titles at a time when people grew tired of survival horror's frustrating puzzles, static camera angles, and tank-like controls. It didn't redefine a dusty old PlayStation game like the Resident Evil remake. And it didn't give way to modern AAA gaming like Resident Evil 4. It was also stuck on the Nintendo GameCube, a platform few gamers at the time owned. Today, that last part's no longer a worry. The new Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster, available for PC (reviewed), PlayStation 4 ($799.95 at Amazon) , and Xbox One ($200.00 at eBay) , adds a much-needed analog control scheme and gorgeous widescreen visuals. However, the game itself is still a mixed bag.
Nostalgia Train
Like Resident Evil HD Remaster , Resident Evil 0 uses static camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds for atmosphere and level design, respectively. RE0 exchanges the control and security of a third-person, player-controlled camera for a more directorial eye; the best possible anxiety-inducing angles are chosen for you. That's where a lot of the game's excitement and tension originates. Perhaps Capcom will return to this style with its purported Resident Evil 2 remake. I'm happy to once again see this retired form of game design.
As you might guess from the title, Resident Evil 0 is set before the events of the first game in the series. You play as Rebecca Chambers, a medic in the special police force S.T.A.R.S, who must retrieve an escaped convict aboard a train in the outskirts of Raccoon City. Of course, the train's infested with zombies and weird leech creatures. Once you meet the prisoner, Billy Coen, you must team up with him and escape the terror.
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Whereas previous games in the series featured selectable characters that go on their own adventures (Chris or Jill, Leon or Claire), Resident Evil 0 keeps Becky and Billy together the entire time. You can swap between them instantly to access their differing skills, or simultaneously control them using dual analog sticks. It's an interesting, if occasionally frustrating, idea, especially when it comes to some of the late-game puzzles.
Why You Should Game on a PC
Mixed Herbs, Mixed Bag
The dual-character "partner zapping" system extends to item management. In previous Resident Evil games, you had the luxury of an item box where you could store ammo, herbs, and keys. Those are gone in RE0 in favor of exchanging items between Becca and Billy or dropping items wherever you want. On one hand, that's great. Now you can leave your Magnum Pistol or First Aid Spray on the floor (and return to them) in case your inventory's full when you need to pick up that Mansion Key. On the other hand, you need to keep better track of all your items. The game pinpoints all your sporadic tools on the in-game map, and RE0 gives you a good deal of freedom in that regard (like turning one area into your base of operations), but keeping track of all your stuff throughout the world can be a slog.
One item in particular, the Hookshot, remains essential to advancing in the game, even long into the adventure. There's little indication you need this item until you stumble upon an area where it's necessary. It's incredibly annoying to travel deep into late-game areas to find you need the Hookshot, only to realize you left it far behind, which means you need to backtrack to retrieve it. Worse, it takes up two slots in your inventory, which is a big deal in a game where space and resources are limited.
Monster design is another drawback. Simply, it's inferior to other entries in the franchise. In RE0, the monsters are just animals with patches of hair and skin missing. And the occasional giant centipede. There's very little in the way of eldritch abominations; nothing on par with the Giger-by-way-of-Cronenberg G-Virus creature from Resident Evil 2, or the Terminator-like Nemesis from Resident Evil 3. Besides zombies, RE0's bosses and common enemies are just boring lab animals run amok—though there are beasts that resemble Shakma, so that's a plus.
The story and characters are also thin and silly, even for a series known for thin and silly storytelling. If you try, you can find a decent amount of drama and meaning from Resident Evil 2 or CODE: Veronica. There's nothing going on in Resident Evil 0, not even with a misjudged convict as one of the main characters. Billy and Rebecca barely interact or comment on what's going on around them, which is weird since they're together the entire time. The villain, a Final Fantasy reject who controls leeches, is laughable. The shoehorned connections to Resident Evil 2 are another misfire. As prequels go, Resident Evil 0 is better than most, but like most prequels its plot is ultimately pointless.
OK, But You Like This Game Right?
Definitely. Though not as sublime as its predecessors (or RE4), RE0 is better than the latest Resident Evil games, and represents a time when Capcom and other developers could take risks and release games with various gameplay systems and bold level design. True, there are lots of frustrations in RE0, especially when it comes to planning out your item management strategy, but if you play carefully it can be a very rewarding experience.
I definitely prefer Zero's methodical nature to the directionless rollercoaster ride that is Resident Evil 6 or the hodgepodge of half-baked styles in the Revelations games. If you want to return to the days when games didn't hold your hand, then Resident Evil 0 is well worth it.
Steam Heat
The HD Remaster looks terrific, too. It's far better than the first game's remake, which appeared terrific at first, but grew blurrier and pixelated the deeper you ventured. That's not the case here; Resident Evil 0 looks perfect from beginning to end. It's gorgeous, which excites me further for the possible Resident Evil 2 remake. The FMV cutscenes exhibit some artifacting and muddiness, but that's understandable since they're standard-definition video from 2002. Plus, they're few and far between.
Graphics options include the choice between the new remastered 16:9 aspect ratio, which means the camera will sometimes pan and scan to fit the whole picture in the frame. The pan-and-scan is an odd effect at first, especially for someone used to the original game, but it's something you quickly get used to. There's also the 4:3 option of the original included. The game runs at a smooth 60 frames per second on PC and you can pump the resolution up to 1080p. For such an old game it looks better than many modern ones. On the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions, you're stuck with the game locked at 30 frames per second.
There are a number of graphical tweaks you can make on the Steam version, including options for anti-aliasing (up to FXAA3HQ), frame rate (you can lock it to 30, 60, or set it to variable), refresh rate, shadow quality, texture quality. V-Sync can also be enabled. Aside from a few frame drops between camera angle shifts, I experienced no graphics-related performance issues. The lighting, anti-aliasing, and post processing and volumetric effects all look superior to the Nintendo GameCube original. 5.1 channel audio sound is also available.
As for the controls, you have the choice between classic tank and new analog control schemes. Analog control means you can push the stick on a gamepad to make Becky or Billy run in that direction, or nudge it slightly so they walk. As in the first game's remake, you need to reorient yourself from camera angle to camera angle, but juking around zombies is also much easier. You can also rebind the keyboard controls, though I found playing with an Xbox One gamepad to be a much smoother experience.
Since Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster is a Steam release, you can expect all the usual knick-knacks, such as Steam trading cards, Steam Cloud support, and up to 47 Steam achievements.
New Drawbacks
There are a few issues new to the remaster. As in the first game's remake, RE0 initially opens in windowed mode for some reason. You can't change the graphics settings mid-game, either. You need to return to the main menu for that. You can, however, press Alt-F4 to quit. I've had trouble Alt-tabbing, though.
Often, when I returned to the game, it would hesitate to leave the Pause screen. The biggest annoyance is the mouse cursor. It's on-screen at all times, and it never goes away. You can hide it in a corner, but if you're using the mouse and keyboard controls, it's going to rear its pointy head.
Then there's the new Wesker Mode. What could've been a fantastic addition is lazy fan service. Wesker's a fun character, way more fun than Billy, but in Resident Evil 0 he simply replaces Billy's model. He still has Billy's voice, too. It would've been great if Capcom brought back Wesker's voice actor from Resident Evil 5, D.C. Douglas, to record new dialogue. Instead, you must settle for blasting zombies with psychic powers or stampeding through them with super speed. It's a fun romp for a little while, but without any other variations to the adventure, it quickly grows stale.
The last major drawback is another modern one: DLC. In order to buy all of the new costumes for Rebecca, and a few for Billy, you need to pay almost half the price of the game. That's a shame, because the Capcom that released this game in 2002 would've included costumes as in-game unlockables. Now you have to pony up some dough, and that doesn't sit right with me at all.
Zero Hour
Resident Evil 0 is not as well-crafted an adventure as Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 4, or the remake of the original. But the HD Remaster looks fantastic, and if you have an itch for classic survival horror, it will give you one of the most unique and challenging adventures this side of Capcom's gothic Haunting Ground. You could even see it as a spiritual sequel to the creator of Resident Evil Shinji Mikami's SNES puzzler Goof Troop, another game that relied on simultaneous character switching, hookshots, and puzzles. So despite all my nitpicking, I recommend Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster. It falls short in a number of ways, but if you can meet it halfway, it's worth the trouble.
If you can meet the game halfway, with its odd mechanics and silly plot, Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster is a worthwhile title that's been skillfully brought back to life.
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