After a video that caused a sensation in 2015 concerning a 3D remake of Resident Evil 2, the little Roman coyotes of Invader Studios, strengthened by their experience, tried to transform the test with Daymare: 1998. Even if Capcom had ended their remake, the italian developers continued their homage. Is it worth it to dwell on it?
The story of Daymare: 1998 Is simple. A virus has spread and it turns everyone into a zombie. Of course, it all starts with Hexacore, a biotechnology company operating in the town of Keen Sight. The company is going to the water and a team H.A.D.E.S, squad of intervention and extraction equivalent to the UBCS of Umrella in Resident Evil, but more meanly, is dispatched there.
The scenario does not hide from paying homage to the first Resident Evil and to B series films from the 90s. The intention is commendable, but force to want to unmask the scenarios of the time, we quickly rub our wits: a story simplistic, manichen and without real surprises. We quickly disregard the story, the surprises punctuating it not really. The archtypes of characters are quite crude and typical of wandering related to this type of story.
Hunk Hunk of burning love!
Daymare: 1998 use homage even in the archtype of its playable characters. The first was Agent Liev, a former Russian soldier with extraordinary combat capabilities. Clearly a copy / paste of Hunk from Resident Evil. Where the damage is that once you have made a Survivor mode run with Hunk in the remake of Resident Evil 2 and you pass Daymare, the sensations are clearly not the same.
The title of Invader Studios shows a sad rigidity in its gameplay. The character is heavy and not very fun to handle. And concerning the three protagonists, the differences are only aesthetic, the way of playing them does not vary. No skill differentiates them from each other. They share the same inventory management, sprint gauge and mental level – which should be kept to the maximum to avoid health or sprint penalties. The mechanics are similar for all three. Liev and Raven are nothing exceptional except their evolution in the script.
Sam, turns out to be the most interesting character to discover. The latter suffers from hallucinations: he sees the man he is chasing as well as his deceased wife. His hallucinations push him to see zombies who are not really present … But on which it will nevertheless be necessary to shoot to get rid of them. Interesting at first but expensive in substance. Being forced to lose ammunition for this mechanism makes progress a little complicated. Despite everything, he remains the most interesting and worked character of this horrifying story.
In short, the gameplay does not convince gure. Between the constraining maneuverability, fairly hollow characters except Sam and fights that lack punch, this gives a rather mixed result. Note that there is no body – body. There is a blow that it is possible to assassinate the enemy, but in 90% of the cases, you get caught by the zombie that you try to attack. You will spend your time sprinting and dodging the zombies. At least if you are not too close to their hitbox.
As for weapons
Then let's talk about the arsenal. The latter is the image of the game: functional but not surprising. You will have a handgun, a shotgun, a submachine gun or even a Magnum. No traces of rocket launcher or grenade launcher.
No weapon upgrades either with resources to pick up to make them more badass. On the bestiary side, same observation: it is scarce. It feels like fighting the same zombies throughout the game, with three or four different skins. A few large stubborn zombies and bosses bring variety, but that doesn't go any further.
As for the level design
The environments are those of a traditional survival horror. A secret laboratory, the city of Keen Sight, clearly a hint of Raccon City or tastes: nothing stands out, therefore, concerning the genre. The levels are rather linear as a whole and you will have, as the genre requires, round trips.
The city wants to be slightly open, but remains designed in a straight line. In short, level design does not breathe genius. We feel the desire to do well on the part of the developers … And an ambition probably too great for their team and the means implemented.
And the technique …
The best song for the end. Daymare: 1998 was tested on PS4 Pro. The frame rate was jerky throughout the experiment, making the title even more painful to go through. We recognize the Unreal Engine 4 in its lighting effects and its decorations. The rendering although dated is not shocking either, except the modeling of the characters rather misses. You will probably have to wait for a Day One patch to see if the fluidity concerns will disappear. But
You stop or I Daymare you!
There are not only negative points to remember. Survival horror above all, Daymare 1998 makes you feel it in its resource management. Every bullet counts. There are few disseminated in the levels, and your cost side should come out first. Tactics are being put in place to know whether to go to battle or wait to run and thus avoid confrontation. Fortunately, the poverty of the A.I. allows to privilege the second option.
The other positive aspect lies in his nigmas. What is a puzzle-free survival horror? Nothing, you tell me. On this aspect, clearly, Daymare 1998 you reserve a king's feast until sated for the next few years. Some are frankly difficult, even frustrating, and ask you to scratch your head to the bone. Special mention for the puzzle with the Greek keyboard. I say no more and leave you the scoop of discovery.
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