Well, there goes all my money… I just finished watching the Resident Evil: Survival Unit livestream reveals, and I am blown away. Call it nostalgia, call it naivety, call it passion, but whatever you call it, know that it’s real and felt deeply in that special place in my heart that is reserved for the Resident Evil franchise!
I’m not a mobile gamer but I’m about to become one. Capcom, Aniplex Inc., and Joycity Corp. have completely sold me on the concept and gameplay of Resident Evil: Survival Unit, whether I want to play it on my phone or not.
With a return to many familiar and beloved locations from Raccoon City, and a what-if narrative that runs parallel to the stories of RE2 and RE3, the game features classic characters like Jill Valentine, Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Barry Burton, and many more fan favorites, as well as a unique player character who wakes up after being experimented on by Umbrella Corporation and is thrust into the survival horror phenomenon.
The player will have a home base in the form of the Spencer mansion, or an approximation of it, and will be able to build up a true base of operations with adjoining vehicle depots, a hospital, supply points, and so much more. Players will also be able to create their dream team of classic characters to take on the zombie and monster hordes in a third-person action style, comparable to a mix between the OG Resident Evil titles and the modern third-person games.
There will also be a fair deal of exploration and puzzle solving in classic RE fashion, complete with new and returning puzzle styles that are sure to be fun, engaging, and probably pretty well optimized for touch screens! This might be the coolest part for me, because I’m a huge nerd for the puzzles in horror games!
To say I’m excited is an understatement, though I do hope that one day this title releases on console so that I can get achievements and play on a bigger screen. Regardless, I can’t wait to get Chris, Leon, and Barry, or Rebecca, Claire, and Jill, or… or… Well, you get the picture! It’s a dream for fans of the series.
With a renewed focus on the classic storyline and locations such as the Raccoon City Police Department and city streets among other fabulous additions, it’s going to be a nostalgic treat for lifelong fans of the franchise, as well as a great entry point into the series to introduce the characters and setting to mobile gamers. OH, AND THE MERCHANT IS BACK!
I wish there was more I could say, but I fear I will just gush, and ramble even more than I already have. We’ll just have to wait until the game’s release later this year to see just how awesome it truly is. Between Resident Evil: Survival Unit and Resident Evil: Requiem, fans like me are filled to the brim with an unquenchable thirst, an insatiable hunger, that can only be satisfied by sinking our teeth into the next entries into arguably the greatest survival horror franchise in the history of gaming. It’s like an itch that can only be scratched with hands-on gameplay! Wait… itch?… uh oh… ITCHY! TASTY!
