N-Philes

Resident Evil Deadly Silence

Posted April 3rd 2006 by Jorge Gomez.

Back in 1996, when Capcom released its original incarnation of Resident Evil on the Playstation, the term "Survival Horror" had yet to be coined, much less defined. Many a gamer was left scared stiff as Capcom took gaming to a different level and ripped open the possibilities of not only experiencing a great game, but being scared to hell in the process. Now, in 2006, Capcom tries to not only bring back the classic franchise to the DS, but it also throws a couple of new features into the mix; adding to what is already a great game.

The story of Resident Evil, (for those of you who have somehow yet to experience it) follows protagonists Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield. Their mission: to find out what happened to the Bravo team, gather any survivors, and get out as quickly as possible. While investigating the wreckage of a downed Bravo team helicopter, the Alpha team is detoured by a pack of vicious, flesh-hungry hounds with the only escape nearby being a giant, creepy mansion. When inside, they are left with the only options of trying to relocate their comrades and escaping, all while uncovering the seedy underbelly of Umbrella Corp. Will Jill and Chris find and escape with their original team intact? Can they survive an army of undead creatures that roam the mansion's innards? Lastly, and maybe the scariest question of all, can Capcom possibly re-release this game again without seeming like they don't have any ideas left?

After the graphical perfection that was Resident Evil 4, going back to the static backgrounds of the RE of yore isn't quite as unpleasant as one might think. The DS handles its own with impressive 3D character models (good enough to make out the characters' facial details). Even though the backgrounds and scenery are pre-rendered, they still look as good as ever on the tiny DS screen by adding that hint of creepiness as you observe and explore your new surroundings.

While the classic Resident Evil feel is captured perfectly in the graphics department, don't go counting out the audio in this revision. The sound is executed exceptionally as you'll hear the everything from frightening zombie moans to the sound of zombies' heads popping off and rolling away to the smaller, more subtle sounds of shell cases of a freshly emptied gun falling to the floor. Not only that, but the developers have managed to stuff the tiny DS card to the gills with the complete, laughably-bad voice acting from the original RE on Playstation, as well as the entire eerie musical score to further startle players when they least expect it.

Rather than just releasing a half-hearted port of the original game for the DS, Capcom went ahead (thankfully) and beefed up what was already a blast to play. In addition to the "Classic Mode" found in this version, Capcom includes a "Rebirth Mode"; a reworked version of the original that eases players woes by turning the difficulty down a notch while adding more ink ribbons, monster encounters and ammunition for maximum creature destruction.

In this mode there are touch screen elements inserted, furthering the game's replay value. For instance, in one of the rooms in the mansion, right when you enter, the game automatically switches to a first-person view and zombies, crows, and other beasts will all start charging the screen. It is here where the player's objective is to swipe or tap the stylus on the touch screen to swing your weaponry around, turning the undead into gory heaps. While this mode is quite entertaining, and at times very challenging, one can't help but feel that the touch screen elements we're thrown in at the last minute. Frankly, it would've been a nice move on Capcom's part to allow the players to actually be able to trigger this action themselves. Regardless, players can receive their fix of stabbing baddies in the RE mini game, "Master of Knifing", which is basically just a knife-a-zombie marathon. Besides using the touch screen for stabbing purposes, Capcom has also cleverly utilized other parts of the DS, for example, by having the gamer frantically try to administer CPR to a fallen teammate by blowing into the microphone.

The controls themselves are identical to that of the console versions; you'll find yourself using the R button to aim, and A button to shoot. You'll also find a hint of RE4 in this version as holding down the L button will ready your character to fighting stance, while following it up with the tap of the A button will have either Chris or Jill swipe away at their enemies.

With all elements of this game considered, it's no question that you'll be returning for more, but to add even more to the replay value, the game features wireless multiplayer via the DS' local networking. You and three friends (who also hopefully own a copy of Deadly Silence) will be able to choose from two multiplayer modes. Both modes use the same maps, which are basically just portions of the different areas in the game, but both modes differ greatly.

In the "Co-Op Mode", the game has players work as a team use everything in their inventory -guns, ammo, and health - to work together and find the exit. In "Competitive Mode", players have their own worries to deal with; it's an all out free-for-all as players defeat as many monsters as possible, with the victor being the one who has the biggest body count. I had some great times with this game's multiplayer functions.

Steady Beat - Pretty steady heartbeat for a game starring undead monsters.

Resident Evil Deadly Silence brings the frightening, yet fun gameplay of the original Resident Evil to a handheld system with a great end result. With a slew of new additions like multiplayer, "Rebirth Mode", and "Master of Knifing" mini games, it's no question that it will have gamers screeching for more. If you've enjoyed Resident Evil over the years, and RE4 hasn't spoiled what your perception of what the franchise was originally about, then give Deadly Silence a try—you might just find that terrifying things can come in small packages.

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