What is old is new again- Resident Evil 3’s remake is right around the corner, and a great many people will once again be diving into the fiery ruins of Raccoon City as they step into the shoes of Jill Valentine, and attempt to escape from the doomed town while a hulking, single-minded bioweapon chases you down. It’s going to be an intense experience, of course, but with the beginner tips and tricks we’ve compiled here in this feature, things should go a bit more smoothly for you, especially as you begin the game and get to grips with its systems.
So without further ado, lets begin.
DON’T CONSUME SINGLE GREENS
For Resident Evil veterans, this should be 101 stuff, but sometimes situations in these games can get so tense that you just can’t fight off the urge to use a single green herb to replenish at least a bit of your health. But you need to fight that urge. Always ensure that you combine your herbs before you use them for an extra kick – double or triple greens for greater health, or a red and green combo for an even greater boost. The amount of health you recover using just a single green is quite negligible, and it doesn’t take much more than a couple of solid hits (or even one) to bring you back down to your previous condition (or worse). So just save those herbs and use them when they can make a proper difference.
STOCK UP ON SHOTGUN SHELLS
Similarly, how you combine your gunpowder is also something that you’re going to have to be mindful of. While you might be tempted to combine regular gunpowder with more regular gunpowder to get handgun ammo – especially since that mostly yields a decent amount of bullets – it’s better to save as much of it as you can for the good stuff. And what’s the good stuff? Shotgun shells, of course. Keep saving your regular gunpowder, and combine it with high-grade gunpowder every time you find it. The shotgun is extremely powerful and extremely handy, and packs a massive punch, while you’ll find plenty of handgun bullets in the game anyway.
EXPLORE (WHENEVER POSSIBLE)
Resident Evil 3, given its balls-to-the-wall pacing, doesn’t allow as much freedom for deliberate exploration and backtracking as the series usually does – and as last year’s RE2 did – but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for exploration at all. There are several areas in the game – especially in the opening hours – that are locked behind wires or locks that you can get past using the bolt cutter or lockpick, and it’s generally worth it to explore these places. From weapon upgrades to ammo caches to herbs and more, there’s always something worth discovering at the end of these small diversions.
KEEP CHECKING YOUR MAP
Resident Evil games have always had a knack for tight UI and extremely in-game maps, and RE3’s remake is no different. If ever you’re wondering whether you’ve combed a given area thoroughly enough, just pull up your map, and it’ll tell you all you need to know. Blue areas are the ones that have been stripped clean, while red areas still have things left to discover. Meanwhile, any items or safes or locked doors you might have discovered in the red areas but haven’t yet picked up or cracked open will also be marked on the map, which is also super helpful. It’s pretty much exactly like how the map functioned in RE2’s remake- which is a good thing, because that means it functions very well.
LOOK FOR MR. CHARLE BOBBLEHEADS
Also similar to last year’s Resident Evil 2, RE3 has a bunch of bobblehead collectibles scattered throughout the entire game, this time called Mr. Charlies (as opposed to Mr. Raccoons). Be on the lookout for these, because they’re also tied to in-game records and unlocks that can be super-helpful on repeat playthroughs. One of the easiest ways to figure out if one of these figures is in your vicinity is to keep an ear out for the distinct sound they make.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR FILES
Lore has always been an integral part of Resident Evil games – especially the ones fans remember the most fondly (most of them, anyway) – and though Resident Evil 3 stumbles in some areas, this is one area where it is a resounding success. Storytelling has been improved on all fronts, and that includes indirect storytelling as well. Some of the most interesting story bits in the game are found in notes and files scattered throughout the experience, so always be on the lookout for these- as you always should in Resident Evil.
KNIFE DOWNED ZOMBIES
Conserving bullets is key in any RE game, but what do you do when you down an enemy and aren’t sure if it’s going to get back up soon or if it’s permanently dead? Well, you knife it a couple of times to make sure that it stays down, which is much more efficient than wasting bullets. The knife in RE3 is also not degradable, so you can pretty much swing like a maniac if you really want to.
USE ENVIRONMENTAL TRAPS ON NEMESIS
The early sections of the game, which take place in Raccoon City, will see Jill travelling through several areas that have environmental traps that you can use to your advantage- the classic red exploring barrels, and electric circuit boxes which send out a shockwave to stun all enemies in the vicinity. Whenever possible, use these on Nemesis. Not only do they slow him down, they also provide a great opportunity for you to unload on him with stronger weapons or grenades to temporarily knock him out, and maybe eve get some sweet loot from him as a result.
CIRCUIT BOXES RECHARGE
Of the two aforementioned environmental hazards, the circuit boxes are going to be much more useful. Though the exploding barrels deal a lot of damage, they are a one-time thing, obviously. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. When it comes to the circuit boxes though, these gradually recharge even after you shoot them. Keep an eye on these and whether the light on them is on to see if they can be used when you need them to.
MASTER THE DODGE
Like the original RE3, there is a dodge mechanic in the remake, and using it will be quite crucial at times. From when Nemesis is running right at you to situations where you might find yourself surrounded by lunging zombies, perfectly timing the dodge will be something you’re going to have to rely on quite a bit. Perfectly timing a dodge can also give you the ability to unleash a flurry of shots on an enemy in a brief window of slow-mo, and this, too, can be very handy.
DON’T SPAM THE DODGE
While the dodge is useful, you should make sure that you’re not spamming it all the time. For starters, there’s every possibility that if you mistime a dodge or a quick step, you might actually end up literally throwing yourself into the arms of an advancing enemy. There’s also the fact that Jill gets locked in an animation for a second or two after she performs a dodge, so a poorly timed one when you’re surrounded by enemies can actually be fatal. As such, time your dodges and perform them only when you need to rather than constantly spamming the move.
USE GRENADES ON HUNTER GAMMAS
Hunter Gammas have returned in Resident Evil 3, and they’re among the more dangerous foes in the entire game. Though they’re not the most agile, if they get too close to you, they can literally swallow you whole and immediately kill you. When they open their mouths, however- that is the perfect time to toss a grenade at them. Even one grenade in such situations can be enough to kill them (at least on Normal difficulty). In fact, grenades and explosive rounds from the launcher are quite effective against Hunter Gammas even if you don’t wait for them to open their mouths.
USE SHOTGUNS ON DRAIN DEIMOS
Drain Deimos return as well, and these skittering, poisonous critters can be quite the nuisance. Due to their erratic movement and quick and nimble speed, properly landing shots can be a bit tricky at times. That’s why using the shotgun is the ideal way to deal with these enemies, not only because one shot from the weapon is often enough to kill them, but also because the gun’s wider spread means it’s more forgiving with aim, which is crucial in dealing with these fast-moving enemies.
MASH X (OR A) WHEN GRABBED
This is kind of unavoidable- you will get grabbed by zombies quite a lot during your time with Resident Evil 3, not least because of how crowded some places can be with multiple enemies. When you do get grabbed, you’ll be prompted to mash X (or A on Xbox)- do this vigorously to reduce the amount of damage you take.