By Wesley Eaton
When Capcom learned they wouldn't be able to port 1998's Resident Evil 2 to the Sega Saturn without dealing a serious blow to the game's quality, they decided to conceive a brand new project specifically for Sega's console. Development lagged until the release of the Sega Dreamcast, and so series producer Shinji Mikami and team shifted focus to the new platform and ended up with a game much more ambitious than they had originally set out to make. Code: Veronica released on February 3, 2000 for the Dreamcast, and again in 2001 as Code: Veronica X for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube, sporting new cutscenes.
I feel the history lesson is helpful considering Code: Veronica's strange position in the franchise. This is a game that, for a time, was locked to entirely different hardware than the rest of the series, does not possess a number in its title, and is still to this day the only Resident Evil game that serves as a sort of bridge between the new and old styles of franchise game design before any sort of remake efforts. Perhaps the most interesting part of Code: Veronica however, is the fact that the game's narrative moves the series' lore forward in a way that Resident Evil 3: Nemesis did not. In fact, this is one of the most lore-important games in the franchise full stop, and yet many people view it as a skippable entry. If there is a "phase two" of Resident Evil, it most certainly starts with Code: Veronica.
STORY & CHARACTERS
The game serves as the direct continuation of Claire Redfield's story from Resident Evil 2 and features both her and later her brother Chris Redfield in playable roles as they seek to escape various Umbrella Corporation controlled facilities, finally leaving Raccoon City behind. Franchise boogeyman Albert Wesker also returns, and in an even more meaningful role. Steve Burnside is a new character and one that I didn’t really care for. He has a very awkward sounding Canadian accent and one of the worst line deliveries I’ve ever heard. Needless to say, he’s a prime candidate for change in the upcoming remake and I would love to appreciate his arc more. On the contrary, I hope the Umbrella-aligned Ashford twins are left exactly the same because they’re easily one of the best antagonists in the series.
The backdrop of the Redfields’ escape in Code: Veronica is an exploration of the founding of the Umbrella Corporation, which involves recounting the drama between the families of the company's earliest members and planting the seeds of bioweapons research that would specifically inform the plot of various future games. This is definitely the most involved story out of the first four mainline Resident Evil titles. If Resident Evil 1, 2, and 3 represent various mixtures of the horror and action genres, along with their penchant for violence over verbalization, then Code: Veronica certainly still has that, but it also feels a bit more like a spy thriller in its tone and plotting. There are high stakes, betrayals, deep guarded secrets, and some relational complexity.
GAMEPLAY
Gameplay is virtually unchanged from prior entries, but feels better than ever. New weapons, new items, new puzzles, and a few new ways to overcome obstacles keeps things fresh. The new fully real-time 3D environments and dynamic camera make traversing the various maps much less of a hassle and provide a more theatrical framing to the game in general. I’m actually a big fan of the fixed camera angles and tank controls of the previous titles because of how those limitations added to the experience, but as the franchise inevitably modernized, I personally would have loved to see more Resident Evil games take this approach rather than leaning into full-on action. This feels like a more natural evolution.
The sore spot in all of this is the very small margin for error when it comes to item and inventory management. Code: Veronica can be very unforgiving. Misuse too much of a certain ammo type, forget to store enough items for Chris after you switch characters, take the wrong weapons into a boss fight, or get caught with too few healing items without access to your storage box and you won't be able to continue the game. If you haven't been saving in multiple slots, you'll even need to restart completely. The thing is, I believe the previous games train you to avoid these blunders, so in one sense Code: Veronica is like a challenging reward for longtime players. It’s certainly not unfair. However, it still shouldn't be the case that making such mistakes actually ruins your playthrough. Some parts of the game are brutally specific in how they need to be approached and require that you've been habitually careful and conservative. The game is definitely in need of some balancing. Overall, I think it's still very enjoyable, but the base experience of the game feeling like a challenge run is definitely the biggest drawback of Code: Veronica for me.
MUSIC & ATMOSPHERE
Code: Veronica is an incredibly memorable experience thanks to great music and a distinct early 2000s tonal identity. The soundtrack is dark, gothic, operatic and includes possibly the best save room theme in any Resident Evil game. The composition is very evocative while still allowing all the voice over work to carry it’s own emotional weight…at least when Steve isn’t talking. From the dramatic panging synths of the opening cutscene to the more melodic tracks throughout the various locations of the game, I couldn’t stop thinking about how Code: Veronica made me feel.
As with many pieces of media from this era, Code: Veronica takes a lot of inspiration from The Matrix. Wesker’s evolution into a walking Agent Smith cameo starts here, slow-mo is in use like it’s going out of style, and the cinematics are chock-full of gravity-defying stunts. I loved it so much. This specific cinematic style combined with the heavy gothic aesthetic is one of my favorite parts of the game. The opening prison on Rockfort Island and the various mansion you visit are dramatic and oppressive, especially with the infected roaming around them, but there’s still a prevailing nu-metal edge to everything that balances horror with over-the-top fun.
FINAL VERDICT
Chris and Claire's international adventure is exciting and everything a Resident Evil game should be. It has the most interesting story in the franchise up to this point, great characters, smooth controls, fun puzzles, an amazing soundtrack, and well-designed environments. In all of these ways, Code: Veronica was a major leap for the series. It's really only the gameplay balancing that hurts the experience, and I think any amount of meaningful adjustment or quality of life changes would instantly fix that.
Thankfully, a remake is finally on the way. It’ll surely be missing the unique early 2000s charm that the original has in abundance, but nevertheless this is one of the most fertile grounds for reimagining in the franchise and I am very excited for it. If you’re excited too, and you want to fully appreciate and understand all of the changes, I highly recommend you start here.