It’s generally accepted that Resident Evil 3 is the worst of the series’ modern remakes. While RE2 and 4 both expanded upon their respective originals, RE3 made several cutbacks to environmental design, campaign structure, and the behaviour of the main antagonist, Nemesis.

The result is an undeniably disappointing experience, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth playing. There’s still a lot to like here as you’re funnelled through the five-to-six-hour story at breakneck pace, but it’s just a shame that it’s now Jill-sandwiched between two much more accomplished entries. Still, I’m thankful that it’s now available natively on Switch 2 after Capcom’s subpar Cloud Version in 2022.

Like its predecessor, RE3 runs beautifully on Switch 2. Given that it’s largely set in exterior locations with neon signs and pockets of fire lighting up the environment, I expected it to struggle more. Thankfully, frame rate remains consistent, hitting its 60fps target the vast majority of the time with very minor blips that will mostly go unnoticed.

It looks great, too. Docked and handheld play yield similar results, with the latter looking a tad fuzzier, especially with hair textures. Even with these minor blemishes, RE3 is a handsome game, and it still blows my mind that we can get experiences like this on such a compact device.

You’re getting a technically sound game, then, but it’s also a slim one. The original 2020 release came bundled with Resident Evil: Resistance, an asymmetrical multiplayer title that, while mediocre at best, felt like an adequate replacement for bonus game modes in RE3. Since it’s missing here (support ended the same year it came out), we don’t get anything beyond concept art galleries and 3D models.

With this in mind, given how brisk the main game is, RE3 definitely feels like a more budget title compared to the other remakes. Yes, it’s flashy and looks great, but beyond a couple of unlockable difficulty options, there’s little here to keep you coming back for more.

But its biggest sin is how it handles its big bad. The original had Nemesis stalk you through the environment, but the remake limits its appearances to more scripted set pieces. These are still thrilling in their own way, but after the RE2 remake handled its stalking Tyrant so beautifully, seeing Nemesis treated so poorly is heartbreaking.

There’s a lot of cut content, too. Newcomers won’t notice, and so you can probably ignore such criticism if that’s the case. For veterans, however, the lack of the Clock Tower especially is hard to ignore. On the flip side, Capcom has made more effort to ensure RE2 and 3’s stories work together in cohesion, and it’s cool to see certain characters make a brief return.

Overall, then, while RE3 is a disappointing blip in what has otherwise been a string of bangers from Capcom, I do think it’s still worth a look if you’re itching for more zombie-killing action. Just maybe wait for a sale.