E3 2019: ‘Resident Evil 5’ On Switch Is Just How You Remember It

At this point, there might be more Resident Evil re-releases than there are Resident Evil games. Ten years after Resident Evil 5 released, the well received has created a divide among its fans as the game that took both the game play and the story in a much more action focused direction. Nonetheless, it remains very popular, which is why the game is creeping its way to the Switch. As a large, fairly demanding co-op game, we were curious about how Nintendo’s handheld hybrid would be able to handle this classic from the previous generation.

Playing through the opening moments of the game up until the defeat of the first chainsaw enemy, longtime protagonist, Chris Redfield, and his partner, Sheva, fight their way through a shanty town full of infected villagers. The over-the-shoulder perspective works great with the third person gunplay, forcing players to rely on shooting vital points like their heads or knees to set them up for crowd controlling melee attacks. Both teammates must share ammo, healing items and weapons to survive, all while making sure neither one is killed. Whether controlled by the CPU or another player, if either person can’t be rescued when in danger, it’s game over for both.

While we can’t speak on what the performance will be like in docked mode, playing it as a handheld felt just as good as it did on the Xbox 360 so may years ago. The graphics still hold up today, as the gritty environments fit the diseased tone of a town overridden by a deadly virus. The character models were completely uncompromising while the frame rate stayed steady, even when facing down a large amount of enemies. Towards the end of the demo when squaring off against the aforementioned chainsaw killer, projectiles, explosions, new enemies and environmental destruction all went off without a hiccup. Needless to say, this is a great sign for players who want the authentic RE5 experience on the road.

Sure, Resident Evil 5 has been re-released ad-nauseam at this point, but for those who want a portable version of the shooter, this Switch version is delivering in all aspects so far. With faithful visuals and stable performance accompanying the frantic game play, it’s easy to see why Nintendo’s latest console would be the latest platform to house the title. Let’s hope that the rest of the game is as impressive when it launches this fall.