Can Invader Studios create a successful survival horror title that recreates the feel of the 90’s?

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Years before Capcom even announced a remake of Resident Evil 2, Invader Studios was hard at work creating a fan-based remake called Resident Evil 2 Reborn. The title gained a lot of notoriety for offering a third-person Resident Evil 2 experience fans had always been wanting. As you already know, Capcom ended the project as the were already creating the official remake that released earlier this year. Instead of ending the project there, Invader Studios modified their remake into their own third-person shooter game that looks to create a survival horror experience a la 1998 with some modern additions.

With a focus on recreating the survival horror feel of the past, Daymare: 1998 successfully made me feel truly scared as throughout. The game is split into 13 levels where you must complete various tasks specific to one of the three main character’s goals. Being a zombie game, you know it’s never as easy as going from point A to point B. Maps are filled with hordes of zombies that are looking to eat, and you end up looking like a delicious snack. Now if you’re hoping to go in guns blazing, you’re not going to last as the game is designed to make you think before you shoot as ammo is extremely scarce. In moments where combat is unavoidable, the game makes you consider everything; including your surroundings. One unique feature to Daymare is the reloading system where you don’t just press a button and continue shooting. When you run out of ammo in one clip you must take the time to reload to prevent the empty clip from falling to the ground. While this sounds like a pain in the butt, it truly adds to the suspense as you must have clips of ammo prepped and think of strategies on the fly in case you do need to reload.

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As you try to just survive each level, you also must be considerate of your inventory; remember, this is meant to recreate your 90’s horror titles. With a very limited inventory, you constantly must think about every item you grab as it could either be your most useful or be a part of your downfall. Luckily you can manage everything with your D.I.D. which is a multipurpose wrist tablet that you use to manage your inventory, check your health status, and view maps; none of which pause the game so don’t think you’ll get any rest when it’s open.

Daymare’s gameplay is fun, but not without its flaws. When it comes to difficulty, the spikes fluctuate way too much especially when it comes to boss battles. What really confuses me is that two of the game’s characters are special ops characters who’s only melee is to slap the zombies. Seeing as most survival horror games of the past included at least a knife, this seems like a missed opportunity.

What really makes Daymare shine is its presentation as it looks and sounds like a AAA title graphically yet was created by a rather small team of no more than 20 people. Each level looks gorgeous, and really adds to the game’s overall atmosphere. The only downside presentation faces deals with the zombies attacking. Instead of offering a solid animation that looked decent, the zombies attempt to grab you and throw up on you. This can definitely be cleaned up in a sequel, but it just looks off here. Disclaimer: We know the voice acting is terrible, however, we’re going to notch it up as trying to be authentic to the 90’s survival horror theme.

Daymare: 1998 looks to create a survival horror experience that recreates the feel of the 90’s with an updated look and feel. The idea was great in theory and executes very well overall, but still feels like it could have been so much more.

THE BREAKDOWN

PROS:

• Gorgeous presentation creates a truly terrifying looking game.
• Puzzles are an enjoyable challenge that really put you to the test mentally.
• A welcome homage to the Resident Evil genre of the 90’s.

CONS:

• Difficulty spikes can make the gameplay annoying, especially with boss battles.
• Offers a lot of cool combat features, but ultimately feel incomplete.
• Story feels rushed and extremely forgettable.