Review – Resident Evil 3 on Nintendo Switch 2

Multiplayer experiments and mobile spinoffs aside, Resident Evil’s numerous main entries have consistently garnered critical acclaim since the RE Engine era began nine years ago — yet the Resident Evil 3 remake has become the new black sheep in the eyes of the fandom.

Lacking in content and faithfulness to the original title, its reputation is not entirely undeserved. In many ways, it’s one of the biggest disappointments to come from Capcom in recent years. Yet despite its flaws and the abundance of other Resident Evil titles now available on Nintendo Switch 2, I don’t advise skipping Resident Evil 3. It’s easy to lament what’s missing, but not nearly enough of the discourse around this game focuses on what it does have.

 

 

Jill Valentine, a survivor of the Mansion Incident from the first Resident Evil title, is determined to bring the sinister Umbrella Corporation to justice for its secret development of biological weapons and the deaths it has caused. She’s a member of the elite team S.T.A.R.S. at Raccoon City’s police department, but with the police under Umbrella’s sway, she has very few allies in her fight.

Jill is attacked in her apartment by a new and ruthless bioweapon known as the Nemesis, which Umbrella has programmed to eliminate all remaining members of S.T.A.R.S. She narrowly flees her pursuer, but the recent t-Virus outbreak (that’s turned Raccoon City’s population into flesh-eating zombies) is not going to make her escape easy. She’s assisted by Carlos Oliveira — who later becomes a playable character — and while less than impressed to learn he is part of the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service (U.B.C.S.), she reluctantly joins forces with the small group in order to save civilians and escape the perilous city.

 

Razor-sharp gameplay with a puzzling omission

 

Resident Evil 3 has similar battle mechanics to its remade predecessor, though Jill’s combat experience means she has an expanded skillset compared to RE2’s Leon and Claire. Rather than use defensive weapons when grabbed by a zombie, a successfully performed quick-time event will reduce damage. In addition, players now have a dodge button which, if timed correctly with incoming attacks, can be used to make evasive rolls, initiating a slowed-down, bullet-time effect so that players can briefly blast the enemy without consequence.

 

 

The game is missing one of the previous title’s most compelling features: the ability to dismember the undead by shooting their limbs. It’s disappointing at first, but since this remake is much more linear than the previous one, it makes sense: since you’re not retreading nearly as much ground as you were in RE2’s RPD, there is much less use in crippling zombies that you’re unlikely to see again. You can still stun them, and the wider spaces allow for more opportunities to evade, which is just as well because ammo is still scarce enough to discourage mindless shooting. Players also now have an unbreakable knife, allowing them to stab downed zombies as much as they please to save precious bullets. It will feel familiar enough to ease RE2 players in, yet the new toolset and drastically increased enemy count make RE3 feel like a fresh experience.

Sadly, there is no justification for the game’s other major shortcoming: its puzzles. There are only two across the entire campaign; the first is decent, while the second can be completed quickly through pure guesswork. Players will revisit the RPD for a brief spell, and its locker and safe codes return, but they are all exactly the same as the ones in RE2.

 

A dog in the hunt

 

Resident Evil 3 does outshine its predecessor when it comes to enemy variety, however. Dogs and Lickers return, once again demanding different tactics due to the former’s aggression and speed and the latter’s sensitivity to sound. Zombies are just as terrifying as before, and this time have some even more fearsome variants. Parasite Zombies, infected by the Nemesis, can lash with elongated tentacles and attempt to swallow the character’s head if it grabs them. Pale Heads can only be put down by high-powered weaponry or acid due to their ability to quickly regenerate from damage.

In one section of the game, Jill is forced to enter a huge hive of Drain Deimos, which are grotesque, blood-sucking, human-sized insects that can implant a parasite within our heroine (thus inflicting her with a unique, life-draining health status). The oversized arthropods are numerous and can scuttle across walls and ceilings, meaning you’ll constantly and thoroughly need to stay alert to your surroundings if you want to avoid one sneaking up on you. RE3 even has a worthy replacement to RE2’s unsettling G-Creatures, with Hunter Gammas taking the role of the blubbery, sewer-dwelling monsters this time around. Their massive mouths allow them to swallow prey whole, meaning a close encounter brings the risk of an instant death.

 

 

The absolute star of this game, however, is the Gammas’ cousin, the Hunter Beta. Hunters have appeared across a number of Resident Evil games, but have never felt as ruthless and frightening as their debut in the original 1996 title. That finally changed with the Resident Evil 3 remake, with the reptilian creatures able to evade gunfire with their fast and unpredictable movement — and even when you do hit them, their armor won’t make it easy to inflict damage. Meanwhile, with every second that passes, you risk leaving yourself open to their one-hit-kill claw swipe. It’s wonderfully tense, and makes the hospital they appear in the highlight of the game. The wide array of monster types will also encourage you to experiment with your weapons to figure out each creature’s weakness, and strategize which ammunition you need to preserve.

 

Do you know what “Nemesis” means, Capcom?

 

Like Resident Evil 2, this sequel features an indestructible stalker enemy — but the Nemesis never lives up to its dictionary definition, nor the quirkier, wordier explanation from cult-classic film Snatch. There was genuine dread in the original RE3 whenever a slam was heard followed by the bioweapon’s theme song, knowing you were only moments away from getting chased down by the series’ deadliest monster. In the remake, it only freely roams the area during one brief segment near the start of the game, with each subsequent encounter being a scripted set piece rather than an unpredictable, cat-and-mouse clash.

It leads to RE3 having the opposite problem of RE2. Whereas the previous title’s Tyrant was far too persistent and overbearing, the Nemesis barely seems threatening at all. Gameplay-wise, it’s a slight improvement dealing with a pushover instead of an outright annoyance, but it’s hard not to see the remake’s portrayal as an insult to one of the best unstoppable villains of the ‘90s — which used to be up there with the likes of the Terminator and Frieza, but now feels more like an uglier version of one of the Wet Bandits.

 

 

It doesn’t help that designs of all the Nemesis’s various forms are huge downgrades compared to the originals. Even in cutscenes, it gracelessly flails and lumbers its way towards Jill, and whenever it does close in, it graciously gives her all the time in the world to escape a killing blow. Jill never seems frightened of it, and it’s no wonder. The boss fights are at least enjoyable in terms of gameplay, with each requiring a different approach across varying arenas.

 

No walk in the park

 

It’s one thing for a remake to deliver a weaker version of the original’s components, and quite another to leave them out entirely. The game is stripped of many iconic locations; gone is the eerily quiet Raccoon Park, the ominously decadent clock tower, and the rundown, rust-ridden abandoned factory. The memorable boss fight with the Grave Digger — a massive worm-like mutant that caused quakes as it burrowed underground — is also scrapped. There are no giant spiders, unlockable epilogues, or Barry Burton cameos. The remake has some original content, including the NEST 2 laboratory and an Umbrella scientist sub-plot, yet neither are very compelling compared to what they replaced.

RE3 was the first game in the original trilogy to not feature two distinct campaigns led by different characters. To compensate, it encouraged repeated playthroughs by remixing enemy placements and forcing the player to make one of two actions in crucial cutscenes, with each option leading to a unique path or outcome. Neither of these features return for the remake. There isn’t even a Mercenaries mode, or any other side content for that matter. With no previous DLC to bundle in, it’s clear why RE3 was not given a “Deluxe” or “Gold Edition” subtitle like the other Switch 2 remake ports it released alongside.

 

Valentines, veterans, and villains

 

Still, there is plenty to celebrate within what the game does have. For one, the character writing is vastly improved over the dismal portrayals seen in the RE2 remake, and bolstered with a terrific voice cast. Jill feels completely authentic, brimming with her flagship confidence, hatred for Umbrella, and unwavering commitment to justice. The U.B.C.S. members are generally improved over their original counterparts, with a more grounded version of Carlos to match the hopeless situations around him, as well as a grittier yet good-natured Mikhail. Tyrell, who previously only had seconds of screentime, now has an expanded role as a likable comrade. Last but certainly not least is the game’s human antagonist, Nikolai. The U.B.C.S. sergeant steals every scene he’s in, never failing to entertain with his ice-cold delivery, villainous facial expressions, and his contemptuous mentality clashing fiercely with Jill’s moralistic values.

 

 

Another notable improvement over the preceding remake is the music, which is actually audible and memorable this time. There are some amazing reorchestrations of the original tracks here, with the new version of “The City of Ruin” being a particular standout. As usual, Capcom delivers excellent visuals across each location. Every street corner is intricately layered with destructive detail, effectively communicating a once-thriving city in the midst of an ongoing disaster and always making the player feel as though they are surrounded by chaos. The sewers and underground areas are also different enough from the ones seen in RE2 to establish their own identity, and the rundown hospital has all the bloodshed and sinister atmosphere that an Umbrella-owned facility should.

 

Jill, Switch, engage

 

Resident Evil 3 is largely a smooth experience on Nintendo Switch 2, though it does share the same issue as its predecessor: enemies lose animation frames when in the distance, and the farther they are, the worse it looks. With an increased enemy count, larger open spaces, and more going on in general, it’s more noticeable in this one. It still doesn’t happen often enough to bring the experience down, though, and this version otherwise boasts a fluid performance and rapid load times in both docked and handheld modes. It’s a perfectly solid option for both newcomers and returning players looking for a portable version.

The majority of the fandom will have you believe that the RE2 remake is the superior game. It certainly has higher highs, its early hours at the RPD being hard to top — but it also has lower lows, with its irritating Tyrant and dull side-character segments. RE3 is never boring or tedious. Jill’s latest adventure is a more consistently enjoyable game; shorter and a bigger disappointment in terms of missing content, but also tightly paced and free of filler. Its six-hour campaign may sound off-putting, but there are enough unlockables and challenges to extend the overall playtime to 20 hours. It’s also worth noting that RE3’s Switch 2 port is $10 cheaper than RE2’s, so you shouldn’t feel short-changed when it comes to value.

For me, I’m not so convinced that the gap in quality between both remakes is as big as the consensus often insists. It will always be frustrating to wonder what could have been, had Capcom not defanged the once-terrifying Nemesis, and if it had bothered to recreate more of the original’s amazing environments, moments, and features. But as a newer experience removed from the context of its origins, the Resident Evil 3 remake remains a consistently fun, thrilling, engaging slice of survival horror.

 

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