Resident Evil: Deadly Silence (DS) Review

Since it first appeared on the original Playstation in 1996, Resident Evil (known as Biohazard in Japan) has become something of a pop culture icon. The license has gone on to include six major games, numerous spin-offs, a series of big-budget Hollywood films, novels and even comic books.

In 2005, Resident Evil 4 on Gamecube and PS2 took the gaming world by storm. Not only did it achieve rave reviews across the board, it also won nearly every Game of the Year award on offer, and rocketed up the leaderboard to become on of the top five most critically acclaimed games ever made.

Deadly Silence is only the second Resident Evil game to appear on a handheld, and the first game to be released since the stunning success of RE 4. So, does it live up to the incredibly high standard set by its predecessor? Well, the short answer is no. The long answer is that it isnt really trying to. Allow me to explain.

Raccoons Not Included –

For the first handheld version of the famous series since the little-known and rather mediocre Gaiden on Gameboy Color, Capcom have returned to the very beginning. What we have here is a remake of the original Playstation One game that started it all.

I should preface my following remarks by making something clear. I am not a fan of Resident Evil or horror generally. Personally, violence and fear arent my idea of a good time. I am however a dedicated gamer. I persevered through all of Resident Evil 4, and while it didnt do a lot for me personally, I can see why others raved about it.

So when I chanced to win a free copy of this game, I thought it would be a good opportunity to see what all the fuss was about. I intended to judge this title on its merits, not its subject matter. I believe I have achieved this.

The story of this game is so well known to any serious gamer that I could probably recite it in my sleep despite never having played it before. For the sake of formality, here it is anyway.

A series of bizarre murders have been reported in the Arclay mountains outside of the fictional US location of Raccoon City. An Elite Police firearms unit known as STARS Bravo Team have been sent to investigate. However, all contact was lost with them during the night, and Alpha team was sent to find out just what on earth is going on.

Naturally enough, they too are attacked by fearsome creatures and forced to flee into an old and mysterious mansion filled with secrets, booby-traps and monsters. This is where you come in, playing as either as the slim and interminably whinging Jill Valentine, or the square-jawed, All-American action hero Chris Redfield.

Its not exactly Pulitzer Prize material, but as horror storylines go you could do a lot worse.

The game even uses the video introduction from the PS version, complete with real people and voices. This is no mean feat for a handheld, especially considering that the N64 struggled greatly to use in-game movies at all. As far as Im aware, it is the first example of a live action FMV on DS.

Beauty of the Beast

We start the game with our heroes trapped, isolated and with a mere handful of bullets to defend themselves. Naturally they decide to split up and wander off into the unknown. As you do. Depending on the character you choose, the story is subtly different. Jill is allegedly the easier character, being less physically resilient but able to carry more items. And as youll come to appreciate, this is very important.

At this point, there are a few things that strike you. One is the appalling voice acting and corny dialogue. Voice acting in games often falls into the so bad its good category. But it seems to me there is a point beyond this where it becomes so bad it is just plain grating. A talented comedian who was trying to act badly would struggle to sound as woeful as the people here. And they werent meant to be humorous.

Aside from that, the graphics also hit you in the face like a wet haddock. The infamous static, pre-rendered backdrops return. They dont look too bad, but really lose something in translation to the smaller screen. Alas, the characters suffer quite badly from the transition.

Mostly, they appear to be a horribly low-res mess of pixels. Jills model is passable, but the male characters are so rectangular they make a Weetbix packet look like an advanced feat of 3D engineering. The enemies are a mixed bag, but mostly look pretty good in their grotesque and horrifying way

To be fair, the DS is best suited to the kind of bold, bright, colourful graphics seen in the various Mario games. Dark, intricately detailed backgrounds lose a great deal of their impact here. And more so than other games, playing in sunlight is virtually impossible.

Control freaks

The main lobby also allows you to get your first taste of the controls, and first impressions are less than flattering. Resident Evils unusual control system has long been a subject of debate. This stems from the viewpoint used. Rather than a moving camera, we see the mansion through the aforementioned static backgrounds.

The result is that the camera angle is constantly changing, meaning it can often be difficult to get a clear view of the surroundings. This is only a problem when enemies are around, as being attacked by something you cant really see properly is not an altogether enjoyable experience.

The controls themselves are basic. One button is acts as a use button to open doors, pick up objects and the like. It also acts as an attack button when a weapon is raised. The L button brings out your combat knife, while the R button raises your firearm.

Another can be used as a cancel button, as well as to sprint and also to perform a 180 spin in conjunction with the D-pad. This is very useful for extricating yourself from a tight spot. Apart from that, aiming and movement are controlled by the D-pad. There are some touch-screen controls available in Rebirth mode, but more on that shortly.

I had heard so much about the control layout over the years, that I felt I knew exactly what to expect. The whole system is archaic and very frustrating initially. Far from feeling like an elite commando, the character seems more like a particularly sluggish lump of wood.

It is a far cry from the circle-strafing, bunny-hopping, rocket-jumping antics which accompany other types of action game. Dealing with shambling zombies is one thing, but trying to target an agile dog, or ineffectually flailing around to fend off a pack of ravenous crows was very nearly enough to make me give up on the game entirely.

The experience is not unlike driving a vintage car when youre accustomed to modern ones. It seems so alien and exasperating at first. But once you get used to it, it becomes less of an obstacle and you can start to enjoy the game.

Eye of the tiger

So, after all this build-up, is there actually some decent gameplay underneath it all? To my pleasant surprise, it turns out there is. It may seem odd to criticise a horror game for focusing on horror, but in my experience the combat sequences just formed an annoying nuisance getting in the way of the treasure-hunting side of the game.

Thankfully, once youve removed the enemies from an area they dont re-appear, gradually allowing you to explore more of the environment in safety. This is definitely a good thing, as weapons and ammunition are extremely scarce. I really only began to enjoy the game when I stopped having to worry about the enemies behind each door, and could focus on uncovering the sinister mystery behind these horrors.

The puzzles are always basic, and typically consist of finding and using the right item in the right place. Usually your reward will be another item or key to unlock even more areas for exploration. This involves traversing across the mansion repeatedly, a clever ploy to increase the longevity of the game. Because once all the areas are unlocked and the enemies eliminated, the building is surprisingly small.

The top screen is used to display a map, which is invaluable for knowing where you are, where youve been and where youve yet to go. The game would be substantially more difficult without it. This screen also displays your health status, which is another useful feature.

Thankfully you do eventually get out of the mansion, and find some more varied locations. Dont expect that to be the end of your troubles though. Once youve made your way through the courtyard and guardhouse, you must eventually return to the house and into the secret laboratories where the insidious Umbrella Corporation is researching the deadly T-Virus. Well, they probably sounded scary in Japanese.

This is not a long game, with general opinion being that it can be done comfortably in under five hours. Some freakishly obsessive fans have been known to do it in under two. If youre like me, youll take your time with it, and have a much more rewarding experience.

A reborn classic

I should briefly mention the difference between the Classic and Rebirth modes. At first, youd be hard pressed to notice any at all. Classic is quite simply the original game. Rebirth however has a number of additional features. There are occasional first-person sequences when you enter a room. These require you to bash the touch screen until the enemies die. Theres no real skill involved here, just furious pounding.

A more inventive use of the screen is for puzzles. There are some which specifically use the touch screen, and while they add some interest, they are hardly ground-breaking. The final use of the touch screen is to shake off any zombies that get a little too close for comfort.

Perhaps the most important difference is that Rebirth mode cranks up the action significantly. If you thought the original had too many enemies and not enough ammunition, this mode is not for you. There are many more enemies, and they seem to be even more aggressive and dangerous. There is a corresponding increase in ammunition, but nowhere near enough.

Personally, I strongly dislike Rebirth mode. Horror does not have to be about blood and gore. A sense of looming menace can be portrayed, and a feeling of fear invoked in many ways. Increasing the visceral aspect is the cheapest and least mature of these, and frankly the extreme level of violence here just turned me cold. The enemies felt like a hindrance to the gameplay in classic mode, but here it just seemed to disappear in the bloodbath.

Another addition to the original is a limited multiplayer mode, which you may wish to try in the unlikely event of finding another person who owns a DS with this game, let alone three.

Miscellaneous thoughts

If I were to be kind, I might compare this game to Super Mario 64 DS. It is a decent port of a popular classic from the early 3D era, which includes everything from the original and adds new features for the DS. However, Super Mario was not only a much better port than this but a much better game. Where its gameplay is as fresh and compelling as ever, Resident Evil is really showing its age.

In the harsh light of day, survival horror has moved on from the title that popularised it. RE 4 received much of its high praise for moving away from the tired conventions of the series. To be fair, many of these were a result of the severe technical constraints at the time of its development.

But not only do we have the adrenalin pumping action of RE 4, we also have the infinitely more mature, intellectual approach to horror of Eternal Darkness. Even games like Fahrenheit are touching on elements of psychological horror to brilliant effect.