[Single-player review only]
RE3 Remake is a well-paced, thrilling action-horror game that should not be ignored by anyone why enjoyed its predecessor. The perfect visuals and super-tight gameplay of RE2 are back with their own new flavor, making this feel a bit like an expansion pack to the last game... but a really good one.
I absolutely loved my time with RE2 remake, though I found some parts of it, especially in the middle sections of the game, dragged on just a bit. RE3 is generally much of the same, but with a higher percentage of action compared to running around and gathering progression items. At first, hearing that this game de-emphasized puzzles was a bummer. After playing it, it came across as trimming the fat to me, reducing backtracking and making sure you’re almost always moving forward and seeing new content. There’s just enough in each zone to get to that fun point where you have learned the area and get to zoom through it, but never enough to make me think “really? I have to go there again? oh god...” like I might have in 2. Less annoying enemies, less pace-breaking interruptions, more fun (for me).
Getting to play as two characters in a single campaign, as opposed to 2 simultaneously-occurring campaigns with lots of repeated content, is also a positive to me as someone who doesn’t want to re-do things over and over. I liked the two characters a lot, and their different focuses and personalities kept things fresh at the right times. The story here was really entertaining, as long as you don’t try to pick it apart too much. Plenty of documents sitting around explaining stuff which I actually read for once—world-building is really solid. Nemesis is a much more compelling... nemesis than Tyrant for me, as he continually ups the stakes again and again and provides new experiences each time he shows up.
Boss fights and other big tough encounters were tense, but lots of fun. The thing about this game is that it has that tense feeling, but you are generally always super well-stocked up on supplies. This is not really a “survival” game, but it’s not really trying to be, and should be taken for what it is, as kind of a horror-themed action-adventure. I still got the powerless type of feeling occasionally, still felt the urgency, still had to plan my moves and ammo usage, but it was overall an even more casual-friendly experience than the last game.
Some may hesitate to pay $60 for this game—I finished it in under 6 hours on a blind playthrough, at least a couple hours less than my RE2 run and with no B route to be found. Replayability comes from in-game challenges that unlock points used to buy different weapons, costumes, upgrades, etc. as well as an added multiplayer mode. Overall if price is not pushing you away, I really recommend this game to anyone who enjoyed RE2 and wants more.
