It’s pretty safe to say that Capcom’s survival horror series has taken a dive in quality in the past few years. The survival horror elements of past Resident Evil games have seemingly been pushed aside in favor of explosive, action packed set piece moments. For 2015 though, it looks as if the zombified ship is getting ready to steer its course back to its glory days. The first example of this return to greatness is the console wide digital release of Resident Evil HD Remaster.

Longtime fans who experienced the original Resident Evil back on Playstation, or the update on Gamecube, will fall in love with it all over again. The most noticeable part of this refined version of such a revered game are the overhauled visuals. The backgrounds, lighting and character models all have received a cleaner sheen, which makes the game’s horrifying events all the more impactful. The addition of a 16:9 viewpoint widens out the scope of the camera, which is a much needed option next to the original 4:3 viewpoint. Having the option to take Chris and Jill into the Spencer Mansion with their Resident Evil 5 costumes is also a nice bonus. However, the constant environmental clipping issues and untouched textures of some rooms sticks out like a sore thumb.

Resident Evil HD Remaster sticks to the traditional tank controls. While they may be fun to utilize just for nostalgia’s sake, they’re really obsolete when compared to the new modern analog control scheme. Getting the chance to just push your character in the direction you want without having to set them in position is a godsend. With these new modern controls comes a minor complaint though. The modern controls present an issue in conjunction with the fixed camera angles. You’ll always have to take a second to properly adjust yourself every time you enter a new camera view. It takes a while to get used to, but the game doesn’t suffer too much because of it. It certainly feels good to juke around all those monsters in the mansion thanks to your newfound agility, though.

Besides the aforementioned modern controls and fixed camera problem, Resident Evil HD Remaster is still the same excellent game fans have enjoyed before. Venturing through the darkened corridors of the Spencer Mansion and fending off a huge variety of creepy monsters still holds up today. Newcomers and longtime fans should experience the early origins of Capcom’s survival horror franchise.

Images: Capcom