Resident Evil 0 is the only game in the series I’ve yet to play, so getting some hands-on time with Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster over at the Capcom booth was delightful, to say the least. The demo started off S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team member Rebecca Chambers stranded on a train full of zombies. Just like Resident Evil HD, which saw its release on consoles earlier this year, players will have the option of choosing between the original and alternate control schemes.
The port of the GameCube release looks exactly like Resident Evil HD did on the PS4, which is a great thing. The lighting effects in the train were well-done, and helped to set the eerie mood with dim lighting and the occasional lightning flash from outside. The ambience and atmospheric tension were what made the earlier Resident Evil games so scary, and I’m happy to report that all of this is present in Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster as well.
One of the biggest gameplay mechanics introduced in Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster is character swapping. Just like in Revelations 2, Resident Evil 0 allows you to quickly switch between Rebecca and Billy with a quick tap of the triangle button. At a certain point in the demo, Rebecca found herself trapped in a room with no way to force open a door. In order to escape, I had to take control of Billy so that he could send up useful tools via a service elevator in the room. Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster even took the time to inform me that the game would be filled with environmental puzzles that require cooperation between both characters to proceed.
Rebecca and Billy are equipped with their own strengths too. Rebecca may be physically weak, but she makes up for it with her ability to mix herbs and medicines. On the other hand, Billy takes on the role of the tankier character who’s well-equipped to take down the zombies with brute force. You can choose either character as your main, depending on your play style.
As a HD re-release of a GameCube title, Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster boasts a nice graphical boost too. It’s easy to see that the textures have been cleaned up very nicely, and the zombies all look disgustingly bloody and menacing. The character models for both Rebecca and Billy look great for the most part, except that their eyeballs look slightly glassy during the CGI cutscenes. It’s not a huge issue, but it does make the characters look a little emotionless and takes away some level of immersion within the game. Resident Evil HD faced the same issue earlier this year, and it’s a little odd that Capcom wasn’t able to fix their eyeballs.
Overall, though, Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster shows a lot of promise in the graphical department. Fans of the old-school Resident Evil series who missed out on this game due to the lack of a GameCube will be pleased with this re-release, and I’m certainly excited to find out how Rebecca’s story unfolds prior to the events of the original Resident Evil.
Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster will be available on the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC in spring 2016.
Published: Jun 16, 2015 09:45 pm