Resident Evil – Code: Veronica X Review
Resident Evil – Code: Veronica X is probably the most challenging game in the franchise so far, primarily because of its movement controls, which are largely considered outdated and archaic. It was the biggest hurdle I had, as I have, at this point, gotten used to and expected the horrors that the franchise has to offer. Still, this did not stop me from enjoying and completing the game, even making the experience one of the most unique I have ever had.
Pivoting Camera, and Pristine Environment
The general gameplay, aside from the movement controls, of Resident Evil – Code: Veronica X remains mostly similar to that of Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil 1 Remake. Fixed camera angles are still a thing, but now they occasionally pivot and follow the player character in certain locations, reducing the amount of camera cuts in larger areas. Compared to 0 and 1 as well, the game seems to have more open areas, which were a bit surprising to see, as the fixed camera angles are, oftentimes, mixed with other “cinematography” elements that make the mood feel eerie and tense, such as angled camera perspectives and behind-object placements. These two, combined with the fixed camera angle, make the game creepy and voyeuristic, as if we are one with the monsters, preying on the character.
With that said, Code: Veronica’s tension still felt intense, mysterious, and creepy, as the game mixes it with gothic-themed areas and tight spaces. However, a large portion of the explorable map is made up of concrete floors and walls of laboratories or offices. Despite most of it being destroyed and ruined, it still feels a little too pristine and well-kept to instill fear. This does take away the tension in gameplay quite a bit.
A Knife Is Never Wrong
As for combat, auto-aiming is still your biggest ally with guns. Since the controls were different from what I experienced in 0 and 1 Remake, it was a bit of a challenge to manage enemy distance during combat, and to run past enemies when trying to save resources or get somewhere quickly.
But, if you fail to get past enemies and you don’t have enough ammo or just don’t want to use your guns, there is always the trusty knife to get the job done.
Of course, for boss fights, it might be better to use your guns, but knives are viable for almost all enemies you encounter. The main reason I think the knife is the best weapon is that there is a way to defeat all regular zombies and knock them down when using it. For some reason, attacking with your knife lets you deal damage in a cone and hit an enemy multiple times with that one attack. The swiping motion of the knife attack seems to be triggering multiple times, letting you deal significant damage. You still need to swipe your knife more than once; it is not an instakill attack, but it is definitely not something to ignore, especially if you find yourself without a weapon equipped or lacking ammo.
There is also a mechanic, whether intended or not, where you can knock down enemy zombies by attacking their knees as they try to grab you from the front. Once the zombie or zombies are down, you can swipe multiple times before they get back up, killing them on the spot. There are still risks involved in defeating enemies this way, such as not attacking the zombie at the right spot or timing, or carelessly staying in front of them and not attacking when they fall down. Doing things incorrectly will have the zombie grab and damage you, so there is still some skill involved.
Enemies and Bosses
Having played all other Resident Evil games, I think this entry has the most variety of enemies that you can find, probably equal to or more than Resident Evil 1’s. Off the top of my head, I can name a few: a variant of a Hunter, bats, spiders, zombie dogs, mutated salamanders, and the regular zombies.
These do not include bosses, which are pretty unique compared to what I have encountered from other entries, which include a large worm, a long-armed monster named the Bandersnatch, a Tyrant, an extremely large spider, a t-Veronica virus-infected Alexander Ashford, and an Alexia t-Veronica virus-infected Ashford.
While the regular enemies are pretty easy to fend off, most of the bosses are way harder to defeat due to their poor design. For example, the boss fight with the Tyrant on the plane with Claire was extremely difficult due to the lunging attack of the Tyrant combined with the lack of versatile movement mechanics in the game.
Another would be the encounter with the infected Steve Burnside, where a single hit will stun you and open you up to a sure-kill combo afterwards. The Bandersnatch boss fight early in the game is also a bit tricky if you are trying to fight it without exploiting the stairs to lock it into a specific movement.
I think the weakest element of this game is definitely the boss fights, and I think it is due to the controls not aligning well with the intended fight design with certain bosses. I am not strictly speaking about the tank controls, but rather the dodging or ways to make the fight a bit less stiff and janky.
It Is All In The Mind
I have kept bringing this up again and again, but it has to be said: movement in this game uses tank controls. If you have never heard what they are, well, just search elsewhere because I won’t waste my time explaining it. Even as someone who has briefly played a PlayStation entry of Resident Evil, tank controls still feel very foreign to me.
Every gamer who has only played modern action or role-playing games will most likely struggle with Code: Veronica. Everything you do will revolve around knowing the mechanics of tank controls and trusting that your inputs are precise. Others may find this easy, but it took me an hour or so of gameplay to finally be satisfied and confident in my maneuvering around in the game.
So I suggest learning movement as early as you can, and committing to trial-and-error in combat early on.
One movement mechanic that can go under the radar is the quick turn. I did not use it at all in the first few hours of gameplay and I totally regret doing so, as it was really useful, especially in boss fights where pausing to take a shot and running away is the key strategy—well, really it is the only strategy for almost all bosses.
The Island and the Antarctic Facility
The events of Code: Veronica happen mostly in Rockfort Island, which is located somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean, then to another Umbrella facility in Antarctica, which they reach by plane. It is one of the most random transitions in gaming I have ever experienced, but I should have known that Resident Evil isn’t bound by normal logical conventions.
Rockfort Island is owned by the Umbrella Corporation, where experimentation is led by the Ashford family. The specific structures and buildings on this island are a lot to unpack, as there is a palace, a prison, barracks, a laboratory, and another laboratory underwater. Aside from the facility in Antarctica, the two other bizarre things in these games are the submarine that leads you to the underwater laboratory and the hidden mansion behind the overground laboratory.
The underwater laboratory is pretty much the same in vibe as the overground facility, but the hidden mansion is evidently more of a standout to all the locations on the island.
There are 2 entrances to the mansion: a bridge behind the overground laboratory and a sewer entrance. The bridge is nothing that special, but the view of the mansion past the bridge is something I was awestruck with. The vibe turns completely different, almost akin to the Spencer Estate, where the building is overlooking everything from the top of a mountain. It is a great mystery how the mansion is supposedly “hidden” when it is clearly above everything else and could easily be seen. A series of steps, fountains, and short winding paths has to be traversed after you cross the bridge, all of which makes it feel like a location in Vampire Night—might be too old of a reference.
The inside of the mansion itself is very much like the Palace location. Lots of eerie and old-timey royal items and decor. A huge grotesque body of some sort is hanging in the middle of its lobby. There are a couple of offices and the residents’ bedrooms.
Overall, there are tons of locations on the island itself that make the experience varied, but there is nothing that truly instills fear.
As for the facility in Antarctica, it is more or less concrete and metal walls and floors, so it’s not even that remarkable. It does feature a big spider boss and moth enemies, which were the only remarkable things in that level.
Claire, Steve, Chris, and the AShfords
Why are Claire and Chris Redfield even in the island? Claire was trying to search for Chris and was captured, and then imprisoned in Rockfort Island. There, she finds Steve Burnside, who is on the island for his own reason, and they both try to take down the leaders of the facility, called Alfred and Alexia Ashford because they are Umbrella.
What’s funny, though, is that taking down the Ashfords was never Claire’s main goal, and they just happened to mess with the wrong siblings. Another thing to note as well: Chris was off elsewhere for the entire first half of the game and only went to Rockfort Island to save Claire after receiving an email from Leon Kennedy.
Oh, Leon? He is not in the game aside from a couple of mentions by Chris and Claire. Yet, how did Leon know Claire’s whereabouts? Claire emailed Leon about the island after she escaped imprisonment. Honestly, the game is just a series of happenstance that led to the downfall of two Umbrella facilities.
Oh, and one last thing: Albert Wesker is also there. The entire reason why Claire escaped imprisonment is due to Albert’s attack on the island, which caused chaos on the island.
This Resident Evil entry is probably one of the most bizarre ones next to Resident Evil 4. I don’t really mind it, though. The experience was solid—except for the boss fights—and the story kept me entertained. There were a ton of twists in the story that I never would have thought would happen.
Is Resident Evil – Code: Veronica X A Good Game? Is Resident Evil – Code: Veronica X Worth it?
Unlike the other entries in the franchise, Resident Evil – Code: Veronica X is one of the older games in the series which features tank controls. Because of this, a ton of players used to modern controls and mechanics may feel that the game is too hard or tedious to learn, play, and complete. Therefore, the short answer is: it totally depends on the player, but it is still a yes for me.
However, if you are one of those that can get over this hurdle or have already done so by playing the other Resident Evil games that used tank controls, then you should be fine.
The game is definitely challenging, but there are tons of ways to defeat enemies or get past them if directly winning isn’t possible. There are a lot of enemies, but there are also a lot of weapons, ammo, and ammo ingredients lying around to be taken and used.
The puzzles in this game aren’t the hardest, but the large map may make things feel extra tedious. Fortunately, the game has wide areas, unlike the more claustrophobic halls and paths in Resident Evil 1 and 0, which gives you more space to move around. paths in Resident Evil 1 and 0 which gives you more space to move around.
My two pieces of advice for those who want to try this game out is to learn how to use the knife effectively in knocking down enemies, and to be resourceful but make use of everything you have if you think you need to.
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