| Introduction
The path Resident Evil took to the Gameboy has not
been smooth. It's been over three years now since it
was first announced. The main reason for this is that
the first one was cancelled by Capcom for quality reasons.
Initial screens from this looked very impressive but
the technique, similar to that which Infogrames used
for their conversion of Alone in the Dark, was as we
now know, more confusing than entertaining. At last
though the ultimate survival horror series sees the
light of day on the GBC and, thankfully, even contains
an original story line. It does appear to be a little
late in the console's life cycle to be releasing such
a high profile title, and, with no enhanced features
it will be interesting to see if 'Resident Evil - Gaiden'
will have us all digging out our Gameboy Color again.
GamePlay
To start with you control not one but three unique
characters (Barry, Leon and Lucia) as you desperately
try to survive aboard a luxury cruise ship that is host
not only to an overflow of undead passengers but also
the Bio Organic Weapon (B.O.W). The usual Survival Horror
stuff then. Throughout your quest there are two modes
of play, the top down "exploration mode" and
the all new, first person "wide-screen" combat
view. You'll spend most of the time in the former and
this is how you travel around the ship. Keeping the
whole plot self-contained in this manner was a wise
move as the manageable play area makes for less frustrating
gameplay, although with 100+ rooms over 4 decks there
are still some hours of potential exploration here.
The intelligent and easy to use PDA (Personal Data
Assistant) is your best friend here and if ever you're
in doubt what to do next this indispensable piece of
kit will point you in the right direction. Challenges
start out relatively simple so an item you may need
to complete a given task will usually be found in the
same area or even the same room. This could be a key,
a pass for a door, maybe a crowbar or even a fire extinguisher.
There are over 100 objects to collect and use and though
this may seem overly complicated you'll be pleased to
know that everything is very logical and the gameplay
is a fine balance between arcade and adventure.
The combat mode is an interesting addition to this
title and one I haven't seen in this type of gameplay
for some time. When a zombie captures you the screen
changes to a "wide-screen" view with an indicator
racing back and forth at the base of the screen. Firing
at the right point, resulting in a head shot, is critical
to destroying the zombies quickly. Anywhere else results
in a body wound and destruction can take a lot longer.
Damage is also dependant on the type of weapon you're
holding as obviously a knife will take a few more swipes
than a grenade gun.
The all important save feature is one of the most
user friendly we've seen. Outside of the standard 'continue'
option you can have three other save points. As anyone
who's played this type of game before will know this
is essential as it is incredibly frustrating to find
yourself in a dead end with no ammo or health . Retracing
your steps to the last important save is an important
option and 'Resident Evil - Gaiden' also automatically
saves your game when anything really life threatening
is about to happen.
Control
Everything is moved around with the very responsive
'D-pad' so some zombies can be avoided rather than confronted.
More important are the 'start' and 'select' buttons
which control the map screens and inventory respectively.
In what could have been a weak point in the game the
usage of items, weapons and armor is simplicity itself,
especially bearing in mind that you can also swap between
characters in different locations. Overall it's an incredibly
well thought out interface which allows you to concentrate
on the gameplay.
Graphics
I have to say I was a little disappointed when the
screen shots where first released announcing this title,
but how wrong I was. The fact is when you're actually
playing the game the visuals are well above average
and reach the level of functionality they were obviously
designed for. Everything is very clear which is essential
for a title reliant on searching out fine details and
the animation of the main characters is great. The cut
screens are the highlight of this title though and have
all been beautifully drawn even though they only use
the GBC's limited palette.
Sound & Music
The music is instantly forgettable and the GBC's
sound chip attempt to be creepy falls far short of anything
atmospheric. The minimal sound effects are, fortunately,
a little better and the groans and gunshots go some
way to rescue what is the weak point of an otherwise
quality title.
Final Comments
Just when you thought you'd seen the very last great
GBC title those good people at Virgin/Capcom pull this
little wonder out of the bag. Everything's here for
the survival horror fan and the level of sheer enjoyment
you'll get from playing this title is sure to make it
a classic. Add to this the longevity and the handy battery
save and you've got a handheld title you simply must
own and although not quite perfect it does come very
close and what's more, well worth the wait.
|
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