Resident Evil is one of the longest running and enduring franchises in gaming history. It stands as the undisputed king of survival-horror. First released in 1996, the series has seen its highs, such as RE2 and 4, and the lows such as Outbreak and Dead Aim. However, there exists a game that sinks even lower. So low that it doesn’t just scrap the bottom of the barrel, it broke through the bottom and burrowed beneath the ground.
Survivor takes place right after RE3. You play as an agent sent to investigate Umbrella’s facility on Sheena island. You hit your head during a helicopter crash and now have amnesia. The agent in question must fight his way through a swarm of zombies and other BOWs to uncover the truth about his identity. I would talk more about the plot, but there isn’t much more to say. While previous titles had that B-movie charm in its writing and presentation, Survivor lacks ANY of that. Even for Resident Evil, the writing is nothing short of abysmal. The protagonist in question is, without a doubt, the most bland, boring and incompetent character in the entire series.
Sound design in the game can be described as a long car accident played backwards at half speed. The series, up until 4, was known for its less-than-stellar voice acting. I couldn’t believe when playing this, the voice acting in this is somehow WORSE than Resident Evil 1. While the voice-over work was lacking in early installments, RE has always been known for having exceptional music. However, hearing one note of this puddle of vomit soundtrack is enough to induce one’s ears to bleed. Seriously, the music in this game sounds like a thousand nails being scratched on a virtual chalkboard.
The graphics are serviceable for the times, but the animations are paradoxically lifeless. Characters move around like they are missing frames. When a zombie collapses, it looks like someone activated a magnet just before it hits the ground, making the impact comedically abrupt. The fact that this came out after the original RE2 is nothing short of unacceptable.
Gameplay is in a light-gun-first-person perspective. The mechanics are dull and slow paced. Seeing as light-gun accessories of the PS1 are in short supply and obsolete on HD-TVs nowadays, the player has to move the target cursor with the directional pad, which is as enjoyable as diving head first into a septic tank. Enemy AI is very dodgy, they will sometimes wander aimlessly, completely disinterested in the player. Resident Evil has always been heavy on exploration and item collecting. In Survivor, items will either be dropped by enemies or be found in the same room or right near a locked door. This makes the exploration factor feel virtually non-existent.
RE:Survivor is a bland, lifeless and unpleasant experience. With a boring narrative, uninteresting characters, sub-par AI, amateurish animation and horrendous sound design- all across the board this game is a disaster. There is one saving grace for die hard RE completionists; You can clear this game in less than 2 hours. Even then, I feel it goes on too long. This is, without a doubt, the worst game in the entire series, and that speaks volumes. Do yourself a service, play a good game and avoid this biohazard like it was a zombie apocalypse.
With no pleasure,
Fil Zahnko
Verdict: 1/10