Earlier this week, the gaming community was taken by surprise when alleged images of the still unconfirmed remake of Resident Evil 3 was leaked online. Although no official confirmation from Capcom was made, the possibility of a remake of the third Resident Evil game is more than likely to happen because of several reasons. First, Capcom previously mentioned that it will remake Resident Evil 3 if Resident Evil 2 Remake does well in the market, which it did. Second, Resident Evil 3 is now the only numbered title in the franchise that is not playable on current generation consoles.
So while we wait for Capcom to finally confirm the existence of Resident Evil 3 remake, let us look at a few things that the remake could improve over the original. Of course, the original Resident Evil 3 is widely regarded as an iconic masterpiece and even helped cement Resident Evil's reputation as one of gaming's most important horror franchises. However, just like with the remake of Resident Evil 2, there is still room for improvement.
Expanded Storyline
Among all the mainline Resident Evil games, Resident Evil 3's storyline did not really help propel the plot of the franchise forward. Yes, it did bring closure to the Raccoon City incident given that the city was destroyed during the events of Resident Evil 3. However, the game mostly revolved around the escape of series protagonist Jill Valentine, and this is because Resident Evil 3 Nemesis was supposed to be a spin-off title. Resident Evil Code Veronica was originally intended to be the sequel to Resident Evil 2.
Now that Capcom has the opportunity to remake Resident Evil 3, the studio now has the chance to expand the game's storyline. Apart from delving into Jill's nightmarish escape from the city, Capcom could show an in-depth look at the events leading up to the Raccoon City outbreak and how the city's authorities and residents dealt with the viral threat. This approach would be a refreshing start to the game and would allow players to see the city pre-outbreak instead of throwing players in the middle of all the chaos where the city has already succumbed to the t-virus infection.
It would also be interesting for Capcom to show players the investigations of STARS members Chris Redfield and Barry Burton that led Chris to leave Raccoon City and head to Umbrella's headquarters in Europe. Allowing players to experience these events, which were only revealed in Jill's diary in the original Resident Evil 3, would serve as the perfect setup to Resident Evil Code Veronica, which is the next canon Resident Evil game after the destruction of Raccoon City.
Fleshed Out Back Story of Minor Characters
Apart from Jill Valentine and supporting character Carlos Oliveira, Resident Evil 3 had a handful of minor characters that players weren't able to know too well. There was Brad Vickers who is known for abandoning his comrades during the events of the first game and being decimated by Nemesis in front of Jill in Resident Evil 3. Maybe Capcom could shine a little bit of backstory here and give Brad a redeeming moment in the game by helping out citizens instead of just being the cowardly police officer portrayed in earlier titles.
Capcom could also expand on the story of other minor characters such as Carlos' teammates Nicholai Ginovaef and Mikhail Viktor, but it would also be interesting if players would get to know more about the backstory of Dario, the man who refused to band together with Jill and ended up being killed by zombies shortly after. In the original game, Jill discovers Dario's diary, which revealed his regrets and failure to save his family from the hordes of zombies. Moreover, the remake can also expand the role of RPD officer Marvin Branagh just like in Resident Evil 2 Remake. In Resident Evil 3, Jill found the unconscious body of Marvin in the police station, but unfortunately, Jill wasn't able to speak to Marvin so maybe this can be changed in RE3 remake.
New Locations
In Resident Evil 2 remake, Capcom introduced a new location that brought Claire Redfield to the Orphanage where Chief Brian Irons held Sherry Birkin hostage. This could easily be carried over to Resident Evil 3 remake and allow players to explore more of Raccoon City and discover the devastating effects of the t-virus outbreak to the once peaceful community. Maybe Capcom could start the game in Jill's place of residence and allow players to know more and have a peek at the private life of one of Resident Evil's most beloved characters.
In-Depth Encounters with Raccoon City's Citizens
The first three games in the Resident Evil franchise took place in Raccoon City. However, most of the focus of these games revolve around people that are mostly comprised of trained police officers, and employees of the Umbrella Corporation. One interesting perspective Capcom could introduce in Resident Evil 3 remake is to shine a little bit of light on the actual victims of the outbreak, the citizens of Raccoon City.
In the original Resident Evil 3, Jill briefly encountered several civilians such as Dario, but most were already dead and their stories were only told through notes that players find. Players who've played the original game would remember the corpse of the UBCS mercenary and a female civilian in the clock tower. When the player approached the body, a description would appear on screen that it appeared that the soldier died trying to save someone's daughter. A pocketbook from the mercenary briefly told the story of their struggle to survive, but it would be interesting if Jill would actually encounter these people rather than passively discovering their stories through notes.
A More Menacing Nemesis
Although Resident Evil 3 is a 20-year old game, it is without a doubt that every encounter with Nemesis remains to be a harrowing experience. Just like how Capcom made Mr. X more terrifying in Resident Evil 2 remake, the studio now has the opportunity to give players an even more traumatizing experience in Resident Evil 3 remake. Instead of making Nemesis appear on scripted and a handful of random events, Capcom could program Nemesis to actually pursue the player 100% of the time.
Resident Evil 3 remake could also carry over the mechanics of Resident Evil 2 that would make Nemesis know the player's location through noise either by gunshots or just by simply running around the map. What's even more terrifying is the fact that unlike Mr. X, Nemesis can actually run and even carry and shoot weapons. Imagine just walking down the street thinking that everything is safe and suddenly hearing Nemesis' thundering footsteps coming.
So when can we actually expect an official confirmation from Capcom that Resident Evil 3 remake is actually in development? Many thought that the game would be announced at the upcoming Game Awards, but as previously revealed, this will not be the case. However, not all hope is lost given that rumors surfaced recently that Resident Evil 3 remake would be revealed at Sony's upcoming State of Play. No one knows for sure whether this will happen, but luckily, State of Play is only a few days away and will be live-streamed on December 10, at 6 AM PT.
Resident Evil 3 Remake is rumored to be in development.