Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (Wii) Review

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles starts off amidst events before the fourth instalment in the series, with Leon Kennedy and Jack Krauser working together in search of a missing woman in South America. On their way through a beautiful sunny town, something doesn’t seem right...and then they are attacked by what seems like zombies. All this takes place in the form of an arcade shooter, where you can choose your character and follow the story as it unravels from their perspective.

As you progress through the levels you’ll come across many weapons, upgrades and icons that give you more information about characters and the story background - great for Resident Evil fans who want to know everything there is to know about the tale, but not necessarily worth chasing down if you are not overly interested in the series’ plotlines. The story mode is quite lengthy for an on-rails game, clocking in somewhere between 7 and 10 hours.

The Darkside Chronicles isn’t much different to The Umbrella Chronicles. Generally the Wii Remote and Nunchuk combination is the best way to play, although the game doesn’t usually make use of the Z button. Enemies are easy to mow down, but sometimes there are scenes where damage is unavoidable; these moments tend to come around in boss fights but can occur with your average enemy, which can get extremely annoying since herbs - plants that recover your health - are sparse and best preserved for harder moments in the game. Luckily, each character also holds a health spray that fully recovers their health when ‘killed’, acting like a second life so that you don’t have to restart a scene. It’s vital to retain these for as long as possible if you want to get through the levels alive, however, as you are only afforded one of these per level...

As you would expect with an on-rails game, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles looks great, the character models of your partner especially standing out since, except on boss fights, you’ll see them in front of you most of the time. The partners also affect the gameplay, occasionally popping a few zombie heads off getting damaged themselves. Should you not have a friend to aid you and would prefer some additional firepower, you can replace your AI partner by bringing in an extra Wii Remote as a second gun. This is particularly effective against bosses - some are almost impossible to beat without them. Quick-time events, where a button must be pressed or the Wii Remote waggled according to an on-screen command, have been made easier, with more time allowed for input before the enemy’s blow actually hits, but it’s mystifying why certain attacks are not attached to them.

The sound effects are good, but they are often re-used, with some enemies not even having different voices to one another, and music doesn’t play a lot aside in a few boss battles - and it is hardly memorable when it does. Despite this, and the overall atmosphere not feeling as confined or intense as it was in The Umbrella Chronicles, The Darkside Chronicles does still give off a Resident Evil vibe, even moreso than its predecessor in parts.