If being hounded by Mr. X was enough to make you lose bowel control, you might want to think twice about picking up Resident Evil 3.
A remake of another beloved classic, the series’ third entry sees players take control of former S.T.A.R.S. member Jill Valentine as she attempts to escape Raccoon City. As Leon and Claire were forced to face Umbrella’s impervious Tyrants in Resident Evil 2‘s own reimagining, so too, is Jill, though her adversary is infinitely more dangerous than the fedora-wearing type. Like his brethren, Nemesis boasts an intimidating size and incredible strength but possesses superior intellect due to its body hosting a special parasite.
That being the case, Nemesis is not only capable of strategic thinking, but using tools, wielding weapons and, most worrisome of all, running. As suspected, Capcom is utilizing the same AI technology it used for Mr X in order to give Nemesis life, though naturally, has had to make a number of improvements in the process to account for the latter’s added brainpower.
One result of that upgrade, producer Peter Fabiano tells Official PlayStation Magazine, is Nemesis’ ability to more relentlessly pursue the player. Unlike Mr. X, in fact, Fabiano says Nemesis will have free reign of Raccoon City and not be confined to specific sections of the campaign as the former was. None of these appearances will be scripted (boss battles likely excluded), either, meaning the rocket launcher-wielding behemoth’s behaviour will be markedly different from one playthrough to the next.
Not knowing when, where or even how Nemesis will reveal itself to the player will undoubtedly help to ratchet up the tension in Resident Evil 3‘s remake, though I fear the character’s ability to interject at any time might wear thin after a while. Capcom made sure to give Resident Evil 2 players several periods of respite from Mr. X, after all, so here’s hoping that something similar will be present in its successor.
Resident Evil 3 is out April 3rd for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.