Resident Evil: Deadly Silence

"Evil is just what the DS needed..."

I am an unwavering fan of Resident Evil, and I always have been. The Resident Evil series are the games that got me really hooked to video games, and since playing the original Resident Evil oh so many years ago, I've been swallowing all the other installments whole. So, as you could probably guess, I was very excited to hear that Capcom was bringing their survival-horror classic to the Nintendo DS, especially since most of the games that are available on the handheld are aimed at children. Even though it sounds like it, I am not a Resident Evil fan boy. All of my opinions on video games are based on how much fun they are playing them, not about whether I just like the series (I believe I proved that with my review of Final Fantasy XII). With that said, Resident Evil: Deadly Silence is an amazing title and a must-have for your DS library. Now I will tell you why.

Anybody who enjoyed the original Resident Evil would be glad to hear that the original title that appeared on the PlayStation way back in 1996 can be played on Deadly Silence with nothing changed (except the graphics are slightly better). All the same cheesy voice-acting that made Resident Evil laughable and memorable are intact as well as the often hated controls, but after you get used to them, you'll be dodging zombies like a pro. However, Deadly Silence would've scored much lower if it just included the original game in it!

That's right, a somewhat brand new mode is included in this package, called “Rebirth Mode.” Now, I wouldn't suggest for the amateur Resident Evil player to play Rebirth Mode, simply because there are a lot more monsters to face this time around. All the areas are populated with more zombies, dogs, crows, etc. Also, the chimeras (the fly-human hybrids that made their first appearance in the labs in the original) appear earlier in Rebirth Mode than they do in Classic Mode.

It really wouldn't make sense if Rebirth Mode didn't revamp the original Resident Evil by taking advantage of the DS's unique features. Most of the puzzles are redesigned to take advantage of the stylus or the microphone (from arranging jewels on a balance to reveal key items to giving a dying team member mouth-to-mouth), but I wish all the puzzles, especially the annoying ones, were changed to take advantage of the DS.

What in-game feature that takes use of the stylus and touch-screen, simply called knife fights, can be unlocked as a mini-game to play whenever. Basically, the game switches to a first-person view, and the stylus acts as your knife so you can cut down hunters (lizard-like monsters), zombies, crows, dogs, etc. Also, when certain zombies spit acid at you, you can blow into the microphone to make their acid splatter back at them! By completing these in-game, you earn an extra herb, ammo, stuff like that. I'm not going to reveal exactly who you battle, but there is a boss that you have to knife fight, which I found exciting at first, but very underwhelming once you figure out his simple pattern.

If you are at all familiar with the Resident Evil series you already know that (with the exception of Resident Evil 4) the gameplay is mostly puzzle based. You need to obtain certain items in order to progress to the next area, where you solve more puzzles, get more items, and move on again.

Just like in the original, you get a choice between Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. There are some pretty major differences between the two, but the game folds out in basically the same manner, with Chris's mode being harder (less ammo, but Jill gets hurt easier). There are other characters you may get the chance to play as throughout the game besides just Chris and Jill, however.

I don't know how long I've been waiting for a truly great Resident Evil multiplayer. Resident Evil: Deadly Silence does have a multiplayer function, but the phrase “truly great” wouldn't apply to it. The lack of a serious awesome multiplayer in this game keeps it from being my first perfectly scored DS title. The multiplayer requires more than one copy of the game (I think all DS games should only require one copy, but whatever) and the other players merely show up as, now wait for it, freaking color-coded stars! I'm not joking. You choose from three maps (lame) in either a co-op mode or a versus mode. The co-op mode is basically the same thing as versus mode with mostly minimal differences. One of the major differences is that in the co-op mode, say another player (up to four) kills an enemy on their screen, then that enemy on your map, will suddenly die. This can actually be quite humorous because it's very unlikely that the enemy will be in the same place it is on all the screens, so sometimes enemies basically just elope and die. On versus mode, however, killing enemies can actually be offensive against the other players. By killing certain color-coded enemies, you can make all the enemies on your opponent's screens twice as powerful, or you can make it so your opponents lose the ability to run. Sadly, making them lose the ability to run rarely works out strategically. Also, in versus mode, there is some more powerful weaponry at your disposal. As you can tell by reading the preceding text, the multiplayer just really isn't all that great.

Like I mentioned earlier, the graphics are slightly better than the original, the most notable improvements being on the character models and the 2D backgrounds. Resident Evil: Deadly Silence has the most impressive graphics I have seen on a Nintendo DS title yet.

There isn't much to say about the sound, unless cheesy voice-acting bothers you. Honestly, I believe that if Capcom took out the cheesy voice-acting and lines, then Resident Evil just wouldn't be Resident Evil. However, the game really fails at being “scary” and I didn't jump once. This may be because I'm used to the Resident Evil formula, but then again, maybe it's just because the game really isn't all that scary, which is another downside that withholds it from perfect 10 status.

The story introduces many of the favorite Resident Evil characters we know and love today. The basic set up is that there have been grisly murders near Raccoon City in the Arklay Mountains, so the town sends in their special forces team, the S.T.A.R.S. However, one team of S.T.A.R.S. members (the Bravo Team) go missing, so the Alpha Team are sent in to investigate. However, their helicopter pilot ditches them in fear and leaves they are forced to take refuge in a mansion filled with zombies and other unspeakable horrors.

Replayability? I'm glad you asked. Resident Evil is a very short game, the longest time it took me to ever beat it was six hours, but the game is designed for quick play-throughs. By beating the game fast, you unlock stuff that will allow you to beat the game even faster. Like an infinite rocket launcher, or pretty useless (but funny) stuff like alternative costumes for Chris and Jill (sadly, you can simply choose the costumes right off). Also, you can only use the unlocked items on the save that you are using, and not on other saves, which somewhat defeats the purpose of unlocking the stuff in the first place! However, coupled with the four different modes total (plus any extra play throughs you'll feel like playing…and trust me, you'll feel like playing through again, this game is freaking addicting) Resident Evil: Deadly Silence has a rather decent amount of replayability.

If you are a die-hard Resident Evil fan, you should definitely pick up this great title for the DS. If you are a hardcore gamer who has been aching for an adult-oriented game to play on your Nintendo handheld, Resident Evil: Deadly Silence should definitely tide you over until more titles are released. All-in-all, Resident Evil: Deadly Silence is one of the best games on the DS so far and is a must-have for your Nintendo DS collection.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/26/07