Resident Evil Zero is definitely one of the odder entries in the entire series. Serving as the franchise’s ultimate prequel, it spent several years stuck in development hell before finally landing on the Nintendo GameCube, arriving after the Resident Evil 1 remake. Using the same graphical engine turned out to be a natural fit. Still, it took me a few years to actually pick up a copy, since it was $50 and I had other games competing for my attention at the time.

It was originally slated as a Nintendo 64 title, which is a little odd considering the series had always been much more of a PlayStation franchise. Visually, it bears a strong resemblance to the original PlayStation game and Resident Evil 2. One interesting choice was setting a major portion of the game aboard a zombie-infested train, but what really caught my attention was Rebecca Chambers, a member of S.T.A.R.S.’s Bravo Team.

She looks noticeably prettier in this remake, and she’s one of the rare video game characters I genuinely liked rocking a pixie cut. Poor Bravo Team, though. While Alpha Team mostly survived the mansion incident, Bravo Team was essentially wiped out aside from Rebecca. That said, the opening cutscene here doesn’t come close to matching the one in the Resident Evil 1 remake.

Also worth mentioning is the supporting character, who plays a role similar to what Leon Kennedy did for Claire Redfield: Billy Coen, ironically a wanted murderer and escaped convict. Understandably, that made things pretty awkward for Rebecca to team up with him, but when zombies are swarming, I’d hand a gun to Charles Manson himself if it meant surviving. Personally, I preferred Rebecca over Billy.

But unlike Resident Evil 1’s choice between Chris and Jill, you don’t actually permanently pick between Rebecca and Billy here. You control both simultaneously through a strange system the series never really attempted again. It was a bold concept, just not particularly well executed, and I don’t think that’s really anyone’s fault.

You could run around as one character, then switch to the other with the press of a button. When both characters appeared on screen together, the AI took control of whichever one you weren’t using, if I’m remembering correctly. That created some frustration, since AI companions tend to be fairly dim-witted, and in a Resident Evil game, watching your partner waste ammo or take unnecessary damage isn’t exactly a highlight.

Overall, I’d rank it among the weaker entries in the series. Out of the first five games, I’d say it edges out Resident Evil 5, a game I wasn’t particularly fond of after playing some of my brother’s copy. Still, I respect its willingness to experiment and try something genuinely new. It’s also a bit strange that Capcom never brought Rebecca or Billy back for another game, so they could’ve just let them die at the end for all the follow-up they got. It also wasn’t exactly a system seller for the GameCube, though it eventually received an enhanced re-release on later consoles.