This game is a real mixed bag. Overall I enjoyed it but its flaws are glaringly obvious and are often a cause of real frustration. I loved the train sequence and the training facility was fun in that it reminded me of RE1's mansion. It's nice to see more of Rebecca and controlling two characters is a unique twist that works by allowing you to be tactical in splitting up or exploring together.
Some things just don't work, though. The lack of an item box is probably this game's biggest weakness. Backtracking to pick up weapons I'd left somewhere else took up a good 20% of my playtime on this game and picking up items individually off of the floor is just pure tedium. The other huge problem is the plain unfair enemy types. Enemies like the frogs, the leechmen, and the monkeys all feel annoying to fight and can either 1-hit kill you or stunlock you into a gameover. The game also rarely telegraphs boss encounters so sometimes you can accidentally lose a lot of progress walking into a room you're not supposed to. These are also some of the worst bosses in the series in terms of creativity. They're mostly all just big mutated animals.
The characters are fine if uninteresting compared to Leon, Chris, or Jill, but the story is outright atrocious this time around. It attempts the same prequel nonsense we've seen over and over where everything was secretly caused by this one guy. The main villain is just plain stupid and spends most of his time singing opera ominously in his best Sephiroth cosplay. The game's depiction of Wesker and William Birkin is also funny as they just mustache-twirl the whole game.
Overall, I think this game is strongest at the start and when it's not too plot-heavy. The earlier areas are great and then the game steadily decreases in quality once you hit the lab, the factory, and the water treatment plant. Despite all that's wrong with it though, I did still enjoy playing another classic-style Resident Evil even if it's probably the weakest one of its era.
Some things just don't work, though. The lack of an item box is probably this game's biggest weakness. Backtracking to pick up weapons I'd left somewhere else took up a good 20% of my playtime on this game and picking up items individually off of the floor is just pure tedium. The other huge problem is the plain unfair enemy types. Enemies like the frogs, the leechmen, and the monkeys all feel annoying to fight and can either 1-hit kill you or stunlock you into a gameover. The game also rarely telegraphs boss encounters so sometimes you can accidentally lose a lot of progress walking into a room you're not supposed to. These are also some of the worst bosses in the series in terms of creativity. They're mostly all just big mutated animals.
The characters are fine if uninteresting compared to Leon, Chris, or Jill, but the story is outright atrocious this time around. It attempts the same prequel nonsense we've seen over and over where everything was secretly caused by this one guy. The main villain is just plain stupid and spends most of his time singing opera ominously in his best Sephiroth cosplay. The game's depiction of Wesker and William Birkin is also funny as they just mustache-twirl the whole game.
Overall, I think this game is strongest at the start and when it's not too plot-heavy. The earlier areas are great and then the game steadily decreases in quality once you hit the lab, the factory, and the water treatment plant. Despite all that's wrong with it though, I did still enjoy playing another classic-style Resident Evil even if it's probably the weakest one of its era.