During the production of the Resident Evil 3 Remake, Capcom had the team working on an asymmetrical 1v4 PvP title to try their hands, once more, at online gameplay. This team pinning four teammates against a single player with control over the arena, Resistance is a game that is hoping to combat with a genre that isn’t known for lasting a long time. Regardless, players have been filling lobbies and killing zombies as they learn what it takes to win the match, but does it stand a chance to be a long-running multiplayer?
Gameplay
Before you even get into the actual games, the first thing to look through is the menu. Here you will find a series of options including customization options, Mastermind map setups, game load up options like Quick Play or Private Match, and what are really just loot boxes. Before we get too upset with this, as I did initially seeing this, they did a fair set up for this, fortunately. You have to use the loot boxes in order to unlock literally anything for the customization options, be it a purely cosmetic or an actual in-game use equipment, but you open these loot boxes with in-game currency only! There are no pay-to-open options.
When it comes to customizations, you will need to do this per character. Regardless of what survivor or mastermind character you like to play as, if you want to customize more than one of them then you will have to do it per character. This can be a little annoying, but you can do this either in the main menu or in the game lobby while waiting for the game to start up. It’s good that you can do it on either one because there is a chance you won’t get to be the survivor character that you prefer.
Leading off of that last comment, I’ll start the in-game segment here with the Survivor side of things. When you load up into a lobby, the character selection is first-come, first-serve. This means that if you have a favorite character but someone else picks them, you will have to pick someone else, so it is best to have a top 3 Survivor character options for yourself in case the one you want gets taken. As someone who prefers to be the healer, my main girl is Valerie, but I am also fine with January, Tyrone, and Becca as my back up options. Each survivor has a different skillset and this directly relates to their fever skill, or super, as well as the role they play in the match - usually. Of course, it always comes down to player play styles, but at least Survivors all have different purposes for the match.
Now, once you load up into the game there will be three different areas for you to get through. The setup and map are different in each game, but the steps to take are always the same. In Area 1, your focus is to collect the puzzle pieces from around this chunk of the map and place them on the spot right next to the exit doors. In Area 2, your focus is to find a security zombie with no helmet on and kill it to take the security card it has. With that card, you have to disable the security systems by overriding three different security terminals that are placed around this chunk of the map. In Area 3, your focus is to destroy three of the hibernation chambers and then pull the handle on the exit doors in order to finally escape. Once those doors open and all survivors gather at the exit, which is what you have to do at the end of each Area, then you have successfully won the match. The game does follow general Resident Evil rules, so things like green herbs heal, blue herbs heal infections, grenades do spray damage, so on.
The most unique aspect to take advantage of is the shop box. Each Area starts off with one of these and lets you use the Umbrella Credits placed around the maps to purchase various things. The further you are, the more options there are, but planning to utilize this properly can be key to winning. You can buy various weapons, herbs, and ammo, so plan what you need as you get to each shop.
As a Mastermind, your job is simple: stop the survivors from reaching the exit at all costs! You do this by forcing the survivors to stay busy and let the time run out. The best way to do this is by cornering solo survivors or overwhelming them in some way that they are unable to heal their teammates. Time is lost for every time they step on one of your traps, are brought down to the dying phase, or actually die. However, survivors gain time from reviving each other, clearing areas in which they get an extra 15 seconds per survivor alive and at the exit door for each area, and completing objectives. You are given the choice to pick the locations of the key items and such throughout the map before the game starts, so do keep in mind that you will need to strategize from beginning to end if you want to win.
Essentially, playing Mastermind is a bit like a strategy card game that gets played out in front of you. While you are only able to see areas and directions based on the location of the cameras throughout the map, you can switch between them at any time and use the cards you have to set up areas however you want. The cards are a bit randomized where you are given options of different zombies, turret or rifle cards to turn the camera you’re on lethal for a short moment and giving you a direct way to hit survivors, a power buff to hit your summoned zombies with, traps, and the ultimate. Your ultimate is different for each Mastermind, but are the different tyrants from the main game series. When you summon the ultimate you are forced to play as them and they do not fight without your direct control like the zombies, so get ready to cause some mayhem! Do note that you can take over any of the zombies you summon if you want, which gives them a small power boost at the cost of you not being able to see what else is going on in the map.
Visuals
It is very apparent that they used the same engine and aesthetics in the remakes to make these levels because the quality is just as great as the Remakes have been. Slightly narrow pathways, occasional open areas, and destruction everywhere, just how the fans like it.
Audio
Again, it is very apparent they are using the same assets and aspects that they have been using in the Remakes. Sound effects for guns and enemies are all the same as you get from the main games remakes, but the music has familiarity within its own unique style as well.
Replayability
For an online-only game, I do have to say this game has plenty of replayability. Each Mastermind is different and it is really strategy vs speed and skill for each match. With the ability to rearrange the key item locations around the map and never being sure what setup you are about to go against, there is a vague sense of unknown at the start of each match. They did a good job balancing the game so far and having it where it is based more on players to provide the challenge than the setup itself.
What It Could Have Done Better
While they do offer the option for Masterminds to set up a customized version of the map, it still seems that all key items for each Area are only allowed in hotspots. This makes it where Survivors can learn all the possible spawn locations for each map, seeing how there are only four of them, and just start checking each one as they clear rooms. Giving full control to the map customization for Masterminds would add to the strategizing for them.
Customization boxes are kind of a ripoff. I get what they were going for, but having one box open for 50k credits that only gives you one customizable option that could literally be anything while they have the equipment boxes separated for survivor and mastermind only costing 3k just doesn’t seem right. I have opened a couple of boxes and I unlocked a bunch of weapon skins for weapons I literally never use. I would rather open customization boxes based on category, be it specifically a random weapon skin, a specific survivor item, an emote, or so on. Having every customization option in one box is just ridiculous and runs the very real possibility that the one thing I actually want could be the very last thing I unlock.
This game needs a bigger community and having it locked in with the purchase of the Resident Evil 3 Remake is holding it back. It made sense for launch, but it would have a bigger base of players if there was a way to by Resistance by itself for a cheaper price. I would suggest keeping the bundle option available, but have both games also available separately for slightly smaller prices while the bundle option would save money. A game like this can only survive with a thriving player base and the current availability for it is simply keeping it locked down.
Verdict
Resident Evil Resistance is definitely a contender for fans of asymmetrical online games. It is challenging and fun, especially when players are skilled in each role taken in the match. There is always room for light tweaking and balancing, not to mention the already announced roadmap to provide more options, but balanced and entertaining, even with this initial launch version.
