Resident Evil Zero releases today for the Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC and is thus available to all those people who probably didn’t get around to giving it a shot when it released for the Gamecube in 2002. We acknowledge it has its problems, but still consider it to be a pretty standard Resident Evil game and a reminder of “what was” with the franchise.
But when most players, especially those who have never played it, boot the game they’ll be in for a shock. Not only are there no item boxes, but there are two playable characters and all kinds of new enemies to take on! But fear not!
We have a set of tips to help you get the most out of your first run of Resident Evil Zero. Of course, you could ignore is and play through the game without taking any of this into consideration, but being forewarned of certain aspects of the game will definitely avoid frustration and wasted time later.[divider] [/divider]
Remember – you’ll play as one character while the AI will handle the other – so be sure to put the right character in your own hands based on your play style.
Rebecca is the medic for her team, and as such she has a mixing kit that lets her combine herbs to amplify their healing effects. She also is small enough to fit into tight spaces that Billy might not be able to fit into. Her smaller frame guarantees that she can’t move heavy items without help, and that she has less health which means she can die faster than Billy. Her starting handgun does the job but is also the weaker of the two starting weapons, and the way she handles her weapons means she’ll be more prone to recoil and blowback.
Billy, on the other hand, is unable to mix herbs to heal himself like Rebecca can. To compensate for this, Billy can take a lot more damage from enemies before he dies – so he behaves more like a “tank” unit in this game than Rebecca. Billy’s proficiency with weapons means that he’ll be able to fire most weapons without recoiling or flinching. He’s also heavier and able to move heavy objects that Rebecca might not be able to. Finally, his starting handgun is more powerful than Rebecca’s – it’s able to achieve a “critical hit” against enemies more and does slightly more damage too.
Besides your standard ammunition, don’t forget about your grenade rounds too! Grenade Rounds are grey in their appearance and deal standard damage. Napalm rounds are red in appearance and do increased damage to any leech based enemies and spiders. Acid rounds are yellow in appearance and do increased damage to the Hunter enemy type and the final boss.[divider][/divider]
Resident Evil Zero doesn’t have the signature item boxes found in previous games – meaning that there is no centralized place to store most of your inventory. To compensate for this, you’ll be able to drop any items anywhere and return to pick them up later on.
Which is where this suggestion comes in – throughout the game, make a note of the rooms that you will be visiting frequently and turn those rooms into your item boxes! Drop everything you might not need immediately in these rooms, whether it be in a centralized location or a location that’s mildly easy to get to with little struggle.
You’ll be able to return to these locations and memorize their locations better if you specifically designate them in your own mind which will lead to less wasted time trying to track down that key or tablet that you dropped early on in the game.
If you’re still unsure of where you’ve placed items, don’t forget that the map has a comprehensive item list which will highlight each item you’ve dropped and the location it’s been dropped at. To make sure things are on this item list, inspect them even if you have no intention of picking them up. It’ll prove invaluable later on when you’re searching for any healing items or ammo you might have missed![divider] [/divider]
We’ve all had it happen to us in one game or another. We have a nice little stash of health items or ammunition lying in a room that we plan to return to when we actually need it. But once we finally do need it, the story whisks us away to another location never to be seen again – ruining all that hard work. Some Resident Evil games are especially guilty of this, but thankfully Resident Evil Zero is not!
While a certain location in the game might be locked off from the player as the story progresses, rest assured that all the items from this location will be retrievable after that certain story event happens. Similarly, do not feel bad about leaving a surplus of healing items in any of the games six major locales, as eventually they’ll all be connected and can be revisited by players with a keen eye for exploration.[divider] [/divider]
Leech enemies are brutal and I daresay one of the most annoying enemies in the entire franchise. They take a ton of bullets to take down. They can hit the player from a distance with their elongated limbs. Taking them down with simple bullets or shells will leave behind an explosive surprise that will damage either you, your partner or both of you. And it’ll flood that room with tiny annoying leeches for later visits.
The best method for approaching the leech zombies is to just simply run past them if you can before they transform into their more aggressive form – but we acknowledge this isn’t always possible. Your best bet is to always carry Molotov cocktails with one of your party members as these are the most powerful weapons to use against them.
Molotov cocktails can be created by bother Rebecca and Billy by combining empty bottles with gas tanks found throughout the game. Needless to say, whenever you see one of these items make sure to take them and stockpile them somewhere just in case you have a run in with one of the leech zombies. On most difficulty levels, any Leech Zombie can be downed with three Molotov Cocktails. This sounds like a lot, but it means that the Leech Zombie will simply melt away in death rather than explode violently and won’t populate the room with its spawn on repeat visits.
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Players who are familiar with CODE: Veronica will know how easy it is to “lose” your way into a corner in a Resident Evil game. Thankfully, Resident Evil Zero is designed in a slightly more intelligent way but it is still important to not fall into this trap. Essentially – it’s important to make sure that you create multiple saves at multiple times throughout the game as you don’t want to have to begin the whole thing again because you might’ve been a bit too indulgent with your ammo or healing items.
Do not fall into the trap of using a character as a portable item box while the other has all the firepower. Because there will be a time when Billy and Rebecca will be separated, whether it be for a puzzle or for story reasons. And you won’t want to be left without any weapons if you’re left playing as the “item box” especially if you have to fight a group of enemies or (rarely) a boss. This might seem like common sense to a seasoned Resident Evil player but it might not be totally obvious to any newcomers.
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Anyone who left the empty fire extinguisher on Rockfort Island, or left the valve handle in an item box in Raccoon City will know why it’s important to bring the Hookshot with you in Resident Evil Zero. Seemingly a single use item – you’ll be required to use it a few times throughout the game and it’s a royal pain in the ass to backtrack when you realise you’ll need it again.
I’ll clarify and say that it’s by no means essential to carry this massive, double sized item with you for the entirety of the adventure. But definitely bring it with you to a location that won’t be as much of a tedious pain to backtrack to – which is where most players will drop it after it’s first use. We won’t spoil exactly when or where you’ll need to use it – but you’ll be officially done with it after using it in four different situations.
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Ink Ribbons are unique to Resident Evil and one of the major sources of tension in the game – limiting the amount of times a player can save their game. While I’m personally of the opinion that nobody would truly run out of ink ribbons in a single play, your approach to them in Resident Evil Zero should be different to other games as there are no more item boxes.
Simply put: do not waste an inventory slot on ink ribbons when you’re not standing in front of the typewriter and saving there and then. Every single typewriter in the game has a set of ink ribbons next to it so there’s simply no point in doing so. Similarly, after you’ve saved your game, drop them next to the typewriter, as you’ll only ever need them when you return to save your game again.
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So that’s all from us, but what about you? Do you have any tips (spoiler-free, of course) for Resident Evil Zero? Let us know in the comments!
