After the massive success of the Resident Evil 2 remake in 2019 — it has already surpassed the sales of the 1998 version — Capcom has moved forward on development of a remake to its sequel, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. The latest remake will be a massively overhauled version of the game, with a camera and combat system similar to this year’s remake, as well as the powerful RE Engine rendering everything in lifelike detail. But Capcom has a few other tricks up its sleeve for Resident Evil 3 that could make it even more exciting than Resident Evil 2. Here is everything we know about the Resident Evil 3 remake.
Story
Set during the Raccoon City disaster that was also featured in Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3 revolves around Jill Valentine, one of the playable characters from the original game. With the dastardly Umbrella Corporation’s actions responsible for the city’s destruction and the potential extinction of mankind, Jill and her fellow specialists at police force S.T.A.R.S. work to make its secrets known, but soon find themselves dealing with new threats — a “cannibal virus” overrunning the town and a new, even more powerful enemy that Jill must destroy.
The Nemesis is a T-Type creature, and is essentially a deadlier version of the “Mr. X” Tyrant enemy from Resident Evil 2 that is capable of pursuing Jill throughout the entire game. This means she will rarely have time to rest, regardless of which part of the ruined Raccoon City she is exploring. He will have more ways to drop in on Jill than Mr. X, who was already capable of showing up practically anywhere by the later stages of Resident Evil 2. Jill will also be able to use her environment against, him, however, such as with electrical boxes or explosive barrels. Nemesis can also drop supplies when he’s momentarily defeated.
Capcom apparently used a real model of Nemesis to develop the character in the game, as well — hopefully not a living one.
Jill will be joined by the mercenary Carlos Oliveira, who forms a semi-uneasy alliance with her to uncover the truth about Umbrella and the outbreak. He has received a similar visual overhaul to Jill herself, but should still be recognizable to those familiar with the first version. The producers said they wanted him to look rougher around the edges to give him the appearance of being a trustworthy ally who Jill can rely on. There will only be one ending in the game, so the only one we receive will apparently be taken as the canonical ending.
Raccoon City itself will be much larger in the 2020 game than in the original. There will be more sprawling areas, as well as “reimagined sequences that dwarf those in the original game,” according to Sony’s Tim Turi.
Entirely new areas are available in the city, as well, including a new sewer section, new shops, and a larger subway system. Fitting with the open environments, there are yellow padlocks located across the game, and after learning how to pick locks, Jill can return to these for extra rewards.
An update for Resident Evil 2 was released shortly after Resident Evil 3’s announcement. It added a note that can be found in the game, and when picked up, it shows what appears to be a brief scene between Jill and the character Robert Kendo. If you need a taste of the game right away, this is how to get it.
Gameplay overhaul
Much like with Resident Evil 2’s remake, the new Resident Evil 3 is going to have far more than a new coat of paint. The gameplay style has been completely changed to match the more contemporary third-person Resident Evil games, with an over-the-shoulder perspective rather than the zoomed-out, tank-control style of the original titles.
Though still a horror game, Resident Evil 3 featured more action elements back when it originally launched, and this will also be true in the remake. In all likelihood, the game will also feature the more forgiving save system used in Resident Evil 2’s remake, which ditches the typewriter ribbon system on the standard difficulty and thus allows you to save wherever you go. This can be turned off in Resident Evil 2 for a more authentic experience.
Enemies will still take several shots to take down, however, as we saw during a brief gameplay demonstration in December 2019. This means you will have to remain cautious in the ammunition you expend, and need to carefully place your shots to take down the infected effectively. Running will likely remain one of your options for escaping Nemesis, so you’ll want to keep your ammunition for more useful situations.
Jill has access to a new evading move that should be familiar to fans of more recent action games. By pressing the right bumper and moving the left stick, she’ll quickly roll out of the way of an attack, and if the timing is performing just right, she’ll get a slow-motion window in which to strike back. Her knife works differently than in the 2019 Resident Evil 2 remake, as well, and is used for countering rather than defending.
Those encountering significant trouble will be able to ease the pressure with Assist Mode. In this mode, health regenerates, the enemies are weaker, the game gives Jill an assault rifle, and there is more ammunition to go around.
Mutant worms will return to the series, as revealed in PlayStation Magazine U.K., and Carlos will be playable as well. The Mercenaries mode from the original game will not return. The “Live Selection” feature has also been eliminated.
The safe rooms from past games, including the Resident Evil 2 remake, are back. However, they aren’t completely safe. Nemesis can still come into them, meaning players will always have to be on their toes, even when saving or going through the storage box.
Resident Evil: Resistance
Resident Evil 3 doesn’t just come with the remade single-player game, either. Announced as a surprise during a PlayStation State of Play presentation in December 2019, the game will also come packed with the spinoff asymmetrical multiplayer game Resident Evil: Resistance.
Resident Evil: Resistance is a four-versus-one multiplayer game, where four survivors must work together to overcome the obstacles set by one mastermind player. This player can send infected enemies after the survivors, as well as set traps in the game world. The creatures include classics you’ll recognize from the other Resident Evil games, including the “Licker” enemies that played such a big role in Resident Evil 2. They will also be able to use a facility’s security cameras to spot where the survivors are, and they can even take direct control of enemies to battle survivors instead of just sending out minions to do it for them.
Rather than defeat all enemies, the survivors must only escape to be considered the winners. Oh, and one of the survivors is named Martin Sandwich. All survivors have their own unique skills that you must use in order to survive effectively. These include better punching, high health, hacking abilities, temporarily unlimited ammunition, and a flash baton.
The game will be completed in stages, with survivors moving to the next area and completing the third level in order to fully escape and win against the mastermind. If they are “downed” during a round, friends can assist them in order to revive them. Once they have died, they will have the option to respawn at the cost of time.
Release date and special editions
Resident Evil 3 will officially release on April 3, 2020, for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Those who pre-order the game will receive special classic costumes to make the character look similar to their appearance in the original version.
Alongside the standard version of the game, a GameStop-exclusive collector’s edition will also be available. The collector’s edition comes with an 11-inch figure of Jill based on the new design, and it’s on the same scale as the Leon figure released with the Resident Evil 2 collector’s edition. The package also includes an art book containing images and documents from Umbrella Corporation, as well as a digital soundtrack voucher code that includes songs from Resident Evil 3 and Resistance, and a double-sided survival map poster.
