It’s time for a Jill sandwich again! Yes, Nintendo’s diminutive handheld plays host to Capcoms 10 year old ’survival horror’ masterpiece. Can it really be a decade since we first met Chris, Jill and a host of other memorable characters? And more importantly, can such an old game really deserve your hard earned cash!? Read on as we take a saunter down memory lane…

Resident Evil… so some kind of evil that’s resident eh?
First off lets do some scene setting, Resident Evil (RE) vets can skip this section and head straight to ‘So what the hells the difference?’ but for everyone else lets jump straight in. RE casts you as a member of the Stars Alpha Team, your typical gun-ho US swat unit. Bravo team your sister unit, has gone missing on a mission and it’s up to you to find them and discover the reasons behind their disappearance.

Choppered to their last known location, a forest on the outskirts of the city, you’re immediately assailed by some extremely nasty canines. Naturally vicious dogs are too much of a match for elite soldiers so off you dash for the nearest available cover, which just happens to be in the form of a creepy old mansion. From here on in you’re given the option of playing as Jill, hot babe of the group (the games easy setting) or Chris, arse kicking macho guy (hard).

Once you’ve chosen it’s off to explore said stately house and unravel its many secrets whilst avoiding some ‘very’ unpleasant characters along the way. Multiple endings are available for each character depending on how you complete the mission and there are also several unlockable characters for use in the games multiplayer mode too. These all add to the games replay value ensuring that you’ll see a lot of hour’s gameplay if you want to clock the lot.

Did you say the Z word?
Yes, at this point (and in case you don’t know what the bald bloke above is) I don’t think I’ll be spoiling anything by saying ZOMBIES very loudly. This game is chock full of the blighters and not only that but also some distinctly odd wildlife too.

Throughout the game you will be required to maim and generally blow away lots of nasty critters with a variety of heavy and not so heavy weaponry. However, don’t be fooled into thinking this is an out and out action game because it’s not. It’s more an adventure/exploring/puzzle game with action’y bits tagged on, an explore-em-upâ„¢ if you will.

A typical example of the games mechanics would be; you’ve found 2 gems (as you do) that have been burning a hole in your pockets for ages. All of a sudden you come across a room with a tiger head statue in it and a zombie to be slashed, shot, decapitated or burnt etc. Upon further investigation the statue has two indentations for eyes. Hmmm I wonder what that’s all about…? Right well, you get the idea but trust me things do get more complicated later!

So what the hells the difference?
So far so normal Resident Evil but what new features does the DS edition bring? Well most obviously Capcom have included a sort of remixed RE of which more on later, firstly however there are a number of minor additions to the original game that deserve mention. Foremost amongst these is a lovely, constantly displayed map on the top screen. Hark I hear you scream, further evidence of the DS’s so called gimmicky features! Well for deluded souls such as yourself I’d suggest you go and play the original RE after playing the DS version and then tell me its gimmicky.

Quite frankly having a constantly displayed map is a major asset for a game such as this. No longer do you need to constantly switch between the 2 views because you’re lost… again. Other more minor additions are your characters 180 degree turn (very useful in the heat of combat) and your ability to initiate knife attacks via the shoulder button.

I ain’t scared of no Zombie.
Graphics wise things look pretty good. Players who remember the original will be greeted by all the familiar FMV’s and rendered backdrops including some solid 3D characters, which are in fact considerably better then the originals. The backgrounds however do suffer slightly from some loss of colours, presumably down to having to compress everything onto a DS cart. That being said it’s a credit to Capcom that they’ve managed to cram everything in and that includes all the familiar cheesy speech and music. Speaking of which, the soundtrack and effects are an essential part of the games experience as without them you can throw all thoughts of being scared out the window. Well unless that is you are of an unusually high nervous disposition?

Part of the originals appeal was the atmosphere it created and its genuinely scary moments. Given this, many were doubtful of a portables ability to deliver these crucial qualities and in particular the DS’s. I can safely say though that most of the games scares will still make you jump, sometimes even when you know they’re coming. Of course, if you choose to play the game on a crowded number 134 bus then you’re expecting slightly too much. But when played in a more reasonable quieter location, you’ll be surprised how many scares a small screen can deliver. Just make sure you have the sound turned up!

Recycled?
And so to the games remixed version subtitled REbirth. This is basically the classic version with a higher action quotient via its implementation of the DS’s touch screen. Basically, at random points the game switches to a first person view and tasks you with having to fend off enemies as they lurch towards you. Using the touch screen you can ’slash’ away with your knife dealing out lots of pointy metal justice.

The touch screen is further employed to solve simple colour based puzzles usually resulting in a reward of ammo or health packs. Even the DS’s built in microphone sees a few nice uses. These additions, while not offering huge gameplay innovations do provide a significant shot of action and diversity that many newcomers to the franchise may appreciate, especially those coming off the back of RE4’s more action orientated direction.

Incidentally, anyone hoping for RE4’s updated control scheme (in either mode) making an appearance are going to be disappointed. This is classic RE action all the way baby, the d-pads up/down control movement forward and backward while left/right rotates your character. The similarity doesn’t stop there either and also includes the originals limit on the amount of items your characters can carry at a time. Hence lots of (on first play) awkward rotating on the spot while fighting and mucho backtracking to safe rooms for that important item you stored. It has to be said though, these ‘quirks’ were in the original and they’re as much part of the titles gameplay as they are annoying. Plus, once you get your head round the controls their fairly easily mastered and even the number of items you can carry is part and parcel of the games puzzle element. None the less, newer gamers may find these aspects of the game rather cumbersome.

But I’m not a lonely DS geek… I have friends
Deadly Silence also includes a multiplayer local wifi mode that enables you to link up with other DS owning mates. Unfortunately Capcom have seen fit not to include this via a download, meaning all players will have to own a copy of the game. Bah naughty, stupid, tight Capcom! During multiplayer, players can either cooperate or compete against one another over a series of short levels.

It’s quite fun but isn’t really anything other then a nice diversion from the main single player. And it’s also worth pointing out that during multiplayer games your companion (or opponent) appear as simple stars on screen. This ‘feature’ does detract somewhat from the atmosphere and camaraderie garnered from playing with mates; especially considering you cannot interact with another player’s characters either.

The final countdown.
Capcoms intention when they started this conversion was to mark the originals 10th anniversary with a faithful portable version and in that they have clearly succeeded. Resident Evil: Deadly Silence manages to recreate the thrills and spills of the original while including some genuinely useful and entertaining additions. Whether these warrant buying the game again if you’re already played the original to death is debatable, I would say not. But for newcomers to the franchise it offers an accessible portable introduction to the RE universe. Plus did I mention you can finally skip the door animations? Whoopee!

Game Addict Rating: 7 out of 10.

Writer: James Duncan.

Resident Evil: Deadly Silence is out on March 31st.

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