HD Remakes and Remasters sure seem to be Capcom’s forte these past few years. Following the Devil May Cry HD Trilogy, DmC Definitive Edition, the Japan only Sengoku Basara HD Collection, Resident Evil Remaster, and Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition, Resident Evil 0 is the next game added to the “Remastered” list. Born from the unpredicted sales of the first Resident Evil Remaster, Resident Evil 0 is the second and last of the GameCube exclusive titles to finally make it to other platforms. Has 0 actually aged well though, or is this just another excuse for Capcom to “test the waters” of classic Survival Horror again?
The most notable change of any HD remaster or remake is its graphics, and 0 Remaster is no exception. Models have been smoothed out and colors look brighter and more distinct. A lot of what makes the game visually impressive was already present in the original GameCube version though. The lighting throughout the various rooms and hallways is exceptionally good, obscuring things when it needs to in tandem with the fixed camera angles. Each section of the game feels very distinct and unique in its own way. The mansion feels rundown and decrepit, lit only by the few lights and candles that remain burning. The laboratory sections make use of sickly shades of blue and green, which gives them a distinct “abandoned hospital” vibe. If there’s one praise I could give to the game’s graphics team, it’s that they knew push mood through visuals.
There is one issue with the visual update though. A lot of shortcuts were taken in making the pre-rendered cutscenes for the game, and that becomes very apparent in widescreen. Faces of train passengers are left without eyes or defining features, things that would have been hard to see at the GameCube’s natural resolution. It doesn’t necessarily ruin the experience of the game, but it’s a little jarring, if not amusing, to see such an obvious goof up get through into the final version of the game. Thankfully, you can play the game at its original 4:3 aspect ratio by making a quick visit to the display options before booting the game up.
Gameplay has remained 100% unchanged from the original, which also means that the problems present in the original are still around. While 0 was praised for being a great continuation of the Resident Evil franchise and a solid Survival Horror game, it suffered from horrible pacing issues. Backtracking makes up a large part of Resident Evil 0, and it starts to get taxing after a few hours. Running back and forth between opposite ends of the map in 0 is probably one of the most boring experiences the franchise has ever offered. If you eliminate the enemies in a room or hallway, they’ll stay gone for a while, at least until you hit a trigger to bring in a new cycle of them, but this leads to a lot of back and forth between empty and uneventful room hopping to carry one key item halfway across the map.
A lot of this is due in part to the gimmick of Resident Evil 0, the fact that you’re controlling two characters at once. You play as Rebecca, a rookie member of the Raccoon City Police Department, and Billy, an assumed escaped convict. Both characters have six inventory slots that you can swap items between. To compensate for the oversized inventory, Capcom chose to remove the item storage boxes from 0 and allow the player to drop items to later pick up if they see fit. It’s an interesting system, and it explains the awful backtracking. The map is designed like a spiraling hub, everything is connected the main entrance of the game’s main mansion. This was probably done to give the player an easy place to drop off and pick up their inventory. I commonly found myself spending 10-15 minutes at a time relocating my dropped items though on the off chance I would need them for a new section.
The dual inventory system isn’t all that bad though, and it can lead to some interesting puzzles that require you to split your team up. Often times these are the scariest parts of the game. Now you have to wonder if Rebecca or Billy will need more fire power or if you should leave slots open for potential key items. It’s very hard to just pass your partner off as just a pack mule when they suddenly become the key component of solving a puzzle. Playing as Billy is typically the preferred option because of his extra bulk, but he’s also the only character that can operate a lot of the heavy machinery in game. If it weren’t for this type of system, Rebecca would probably go unused, but at the same time she doesn’t feel necessarily weaker. If you give her an upgraded handgun and some Molotovs later in the game, she can potentially hold her own as long as she doesn’t take a lot of hits. Overall, the partner system works out fine and is a nice spin on the double-protagonist system the series has commonly used.
If you can make it through the tedious backtracking of your first playthrough you’re rewarded a few bonuses. The first is Leech Hunter, an extra game mode reminiscent of Extreme Battle or The Mercenaries from Resident Evil 2 and 3. You have to collect different colored leech molds scattered around the mansion. Each leech is worth a certain amount of points, and when you finish your run you’re scored accordingly. A good score can lead new unlockables such as stronger guns. It’s a nice distraction, but I still think I’d take replaying the main game over it.
Exclusive to the HD Remaster is Wesker Mode, where you get to play as the series main villain and overall powerhouse, Albert Wesker. This is definitely a bonus mode in every sense of the word. Wesker completely breaks game. He’s got a lot of health, Insta-kill laser eye beams, and a dash that puts Sonic the Hedgehog to shame. He looks absolutely ridiculous, and this is only hammered home by the fact that his model replaces Billy’s in cutscenes even though he still has Billy’s voice and mannerisms. Much like Leech Hunter though, it provides a small distraction but the main game is still a more interesting play.
Despite its glaring shortcomings, I still really enjoyed Resident Evil 0. Once I figured out what items I needed on me and which ones I didn’t, subsequent playthroughs became a lot shorter. It’s certainly an interesting game that took a unique approach Resident Evil’s inventory system that lets it both flourish as something unique, while also holding it back from being a really great game. Resident Evil 0 has never been released outside of a Nintendo console until now, and while not the classic that Remake was, it’s definitely worth having in any Horror game collection.