The Resident Evil series has been one of the longest standing survival horror series in gaming. In fact, it was the developers at Capcom that coined the term “survival horror” with their very first Resident Evil title released in 1996.
The series takes a unique schlocky approach to its storytelling that seems to put it in line with its movie inspirations. Yet despite the craziness of its narrative, the Resident Evil series has surprisingly deep lore, and the developers have done a great job of keeping the stories intertwined and connected.
This tradition has continued with the Resident Evil 3 remake which is packed with secrets, Easter Eggs, and allusions for fans of the series to find. Let’s take a look at some of the best secrets and hidden details some gamers may have missed.
10 Jill's Apartment Is Filled With References
Right from the very start of the Resident Evil 3 remake players that are well-versed in the lore and the history of the Resident Evil franchise will notice references to other games in the series. There is the iconic beret that she wore in the first game on the bookcase.
Furthermore, there is a book on the left of that bookcase that has information about Louisana, which is where Resident Evil 7 is set. In addition, the book seems to have a black substance on it which looks like the same stuff that was responsible for creating the enemies in RE7.
9 Ethan’s Classic Muscle Car
While the Resident Evil 3 remake works hard to stick to the original formula in many ways it is continuing and backing up the lore that was established in Resident Evil 7 too. First, there was the book about Louisiana in Jill’s apartment, now it appears Ethan’s car is making an appearance too.
The 1970s American muscle car that Ethan used to escape in RE7 looks like it was the same one that Jill used against the Nemesis. While this may be more of an allusion to Resident Evil 7 rather than the same car, both vehicles look identical. Furthermore, Ethan’s car is considered by fans to be an homage to the Oldsmobile from The Evil Dead movies.
8 The 80s And 90s Pop Culture
The Resident Evil 3 remake is an obvious homage to a classic game from the 90s that gamers love. However, the nostalgic trip down memory lane doesn’t just end there, the remake is filled with nods references to popular culture from the 80s and 90s.
On the walls of the subway, there are posters that allude to The Terminator and the Alien movies. In addition, there are more than a few references to Capcom’s own games like Street Fighter, Mega Man, and 1942 in the form of comic book posters.
7 The Coffee Shop
The 80s and 90s pop culture references don’t just stop at the posters on the wall. In addition to unstoppable Resident Evil characters like the Nemesis and Resident Evil 2’s Mr. X being inspired by The Terminator movies, there is a pretty cool nod to The Alien films too.
Players of the Resident Evil 3 remake may have noticed a coffee shop named Sigourney’s which was established in 1979. Of course, the first Alien film was released in 1979 and starred leading actress Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, who can be seen as an inspiration for Jill Valentine.
6 Stand And Fight
The Nemesis is an unstoppable force that more than takes a lot of inspiration from The Terminator movies. In fact, the original director looked to The Terminator movies to give Resident Evil 3 its action-horror movie feel that felt like something of a departure from its predecessors.
The game expects most players to run when they encounter The Nemesis. In fact, the loading screens even go as far as telling its players to run. However, those that aren’t afraid to give the big buy a few shots in the face with the shotgun will stun him and get rewarded for their efforts.
5 The Resident Evil Outbreak Radio Call
The Resident Evil Outbreak games never enjoyed the same amount of success as the mainline series because they were designed to be co-op multiplayer games with online elements. While that doesn’t sound like a bad thing, they were released on the PlayStation 2 which most players used offline.
While Outbreak could be played as a single-player it wasn’t quite as fun without a partner. Nevertheless, the game still has its fans and the timeline takes place at around the same time as RE2 and RE3. In an allusion to the events of Outbreak File 1, there is a radio call in the police car from the cop in that game that can be heard making a reference to opening scenes of Outbreak File 1.
4 Resident Evil 2 Ending Music
It has no doubt been well established, but the recent Resident Evil remakes love to drop in little references for fans to find in the game. One of the more obscure references comes in the form of a song playing on the radio in the Moon’s Donuts shop.
Fans of the original Resident Evil 2 may remember the end credits song for Leon in his B Scenario. The very same song can be heard playing on the shop’s radio when the player enters the establishment.
3 Desperate Times
In another reference to the Resident Evil: Outbreak series, there is a significant reference to the mission “Desperate Times” from Resident Evil: Outbreak File 2 and the character Rita Phillips. When playing as Carlos after he has broken through the shower room wall, he has a conversation with Tyrell about a group of survivors from Outbreak File 2.
Furthermore, a member of the team that met an unfortunate end was a police officer named Rita Phillips and her nameplate can be found on a desk in the West Office of the Police Station.
2 The Bad Ending
The Resident Evil franchise has long been known for giving fans alternate endings to help give the game a little bit more replayability. While this bad ending doesn’t quite fall into that category, it is still an interesting cutscene for fans to watch all the same.
At the end of the game, Carlos tells Jill shoot Nicolai but if players either ignore him or deliberately miss they will find themselves on the business end of the soldier’s pistol.
1 Nightmare Mode
If there was one area that fans were disappointed in upon the announcement of the Resident Evil 3 remake, it was that they couldn’t play as both Jill and Carlos in intertwined playthroughs offering extra replay value, which effectively feels like two games in one.
While players will get the chance to play as both Jill and Carlos in one playthrough, it isn’t quite the same. However, Capcom came up with their own special way to offer gamers some excellent replay value in the form of its Nightmare Mode. Not only is Nightmare Mode more difficult, but enemy encounters and their placements on the map are different, and even Nemesis behaves more aggressively, popping up when players least expect him. Better still, there are extra story scenes in Nightmare Mode that aren’t present in the standard difficulty.