21 Brilliant Little Details in Resident Evil 3

Resident Evil is back! And in classic fashion, Capcom isn’t afraid to load it up with a ton of cool easter eggs, references and nods to the past. Here are 21 brilliant little details we’ve found so far in Resident Evil 3.

Beware this is going to contain spoilers. You’ve been warned!

1 / Live Action Opening

The game kicks off with a live-action video, marking the first time it’s done this since the original Resident Evil in 1996. Thankfully, the acting’s a little better this time…

2 / The Samurai Edge

Jill’s memorable custom gun, the Samurai Edge, returns once again  in RE3, but is immediately lost during the battle with Nemesis before you get a chance to use it. However, once you finish the game and gain access to the shop, you can buy the bespoke piece, admire its custom engravings and have it ready in the item box for all your zombie decapitation needs.

3 / Jill’s Apartment

The opening is set in Jill’s apartment and is full of tons of little details and easter eggs. Here are some of our favourites:

 

• Jill’s iconic beret from the original Resident Evil is resting on the shelf.

• The famous S.T.A.R.S picture is on her pinboard.

• There’s a fridge magnet of a green herb.

There’s also a dog picture that looks exactly like the dog picture on her desk found later in the S.T.A.R.S office. The plot thickens further when, later in the hospital, what appears to be a picture of the exact same dog is on the ‘missing’ board. It gets more complicated still when he’s seen again under the ‘sightings’ board. The simple answer is likely Capcom is just reusing assets, but I prefer to imagine the complex subplot of Jill’s mysterious mutt.

4 / Dario Rosso

Although a lot has changed from the original Resident Evil 3, one thing that’s stayed consistent is the early appearance of Dario Rosso in the Blue Mountain Warehouse. After he locks himself away, be sure to keep chatting to the rotund coward to hear him say “I’m not going anywhere. I’d rather starve to death than be eaten by one of those undead monsters!” - the exact line he used in the 1999 original.

5 / RE2 True Ending Music

Long term fans of the series will remember how awesome/ludicrous the true ending music was in the original Resident Evil 2. Well it’s back and you don’t have to make it to the end of the game to experience it. Simply take a breather in Moon’s Donuts to enjoy its ’80s-inspired rock glory.

6 / Capcom Posters

There are a ton of references to Capcom games from the past among the many parody movie posters. Here are all the ones we spotted:

• A Monster Hunter-inspired video game from Kidsoft called Monster Shooter.

• Eagle’s Pet Shop features the distinct image of Eagle, an obscure Street Fighter character.

• A little bit more on the nose is a Ghost ’n Goblins inspired card game called Arthur.

• And finally, the most transparent is the game’s depiction of Mega-Man, who is frankly everywhere. He even shows up on the desk of Nathanial Bard. Seems like RE3’s evil doctor / dickhead is a massive fan. Who knew, eh?

7 / Nemesis’ Secret Stash

In the original Resident Evil 3 you were given the choice of taking on Nemesis for rewards, or escaping while you can. Although the remake has removed live selections, you can still take on the giant freak for bonus items. Once downed he’ll drop a giant supply crate with all sorts of upgrades and goodies inside. Just don’t ask where he was hiding that crate beforehand…

 

8 / Kendo’s Deja Vu

When visiting Kendo’s gun shop you’ll notice things feel a little familiar. Turns out Kendo pulls the exact same move on Jill as he does Leon, getting the pounce on both of them in the same way. Once your conversation with Kendo is over you can also approach the door to hear bonus zombie daughter dialogue.

9 / Live Selection Reference

Like the 1999 original, Brad Vickers is outside RPD just before you enter and is carrying that very useful STARS keycard. This time though, it’s your job to take the newly zombified Brad down instead of Nemesis.

In a cool nod to the choices presented in the original, killing Brad is very much optional and, if it suits you, you can choose to save ammo by ignoring him. In fact, Tyrell even encourages you to do this!

10 / Weird Doors

Carlos, acting like a proxy for the audience, regularly points out what everyone is thinking. None of these are more apt than when you approach a locked door displaying a Spade emblem and Carlos says, “Now here’s a weird fuckin’ door.” Finally, a game character that says what we’re all thinking!

11 / Welcome Leon

Another banger in Carlos’ range of one-liners is, when you aim at the ‘Welcome Leon’ sign in the west office, he says, “Yeah, welcome Leon. Bet you had a kick-ass first day.”

12 / DO NOT OPEN IT

In the shower room Carlos can pick up a note he probably should have left behind. The letter, from Wes to Hector, is a simple but stern warning that he’s dead, in the locker and not to open it. Unfortunately, Leon or Claire didn’t get this note and found out the hard way…

13 / Locker Codes

In a cool little nod to the Resident Evil 2 Remake, all lockers and safes have the exact same codes they do in the 2019 classic. But this leads us onto the mystery of who not only re-supplied these locations, but reset all the locks? For argument's sake, let’s just say it was Marvin keeping himself busy.

14 / Shower Room Hole

One mystery that is solved is how there came to be a giant hole in the shower room wall. Turns out Carlos was the demolition expert who caused Leon and Claire all the hassle. Mystery solved. Although, the hole on the third floor is never explained…

 

15 / The Hanging Corpse

One great touch in the RPD is you now see the events that leave that poor, slack-jawed officer slumped in the west hallway, for you to discover in Resident Evil 2. You also see the corpse that’s hanging in an unfortunate position that Claire or Leon can knock off. It ain’t budging for Carlos though.

 

16 / Carlos’s Haymaker

Making an adapted return to the series is the ability to dodge attacks if timed correctly. Turns out this is a very Jill-specific move and, by performing the same action with Carlos, you’re treated to this absolutely lethal fist instead. That Hunter didn’t know what hit him.

17 / The Lightning Hawk

While exploring the hospital you’ll notice a small gap that Carlos won’t even attempt to crawl through. When you’re back playing as Jill though, make sure you back track to this location as she’s slender and confident enough to crawl through. You’ll find the super weapon- the Lightning Hawk - on the other side. Sitting next to the case is a guy who looks like series’ fan favourite Hunk, but is probably just a fallen member of the Umbrella Security Service.

18 / Je Suis Nemesis

This is an interesting little tidbit. You can actually find out more information about that giant stalker Nemesis while exploring NEST 2. Specifically, his place of origin.

Turns out Nemesis is actually European and was flown in from Charles de Gaulle airport in France. Sure, he could have originated from anywhere in mainland Europe, but I’m sticking with him being French because, A) it’s my article, and B) and it brings me great joy to imagine him saying “Je m'appelle Nemesis”.

Interestingly, these notes also refer to the European branch of Umbrella, something Claire and Chris Redfield go after in Resident Evil: Code Veronica. There’s also mention of the use of Parasites instead of a virus, much like in Resident Evil 4. Maybe I'm clutching at straws, but here’s me hoping these are subtle hints towards the next two remakes. A Resi nerd can only dream.

19 / Alternative Ending

Although the phrase alternative ending is perhaps misleading, there is the option to play out the final events differently and watch how it all goes down. When Carlos prompts Jill to take a shot at Nicolai, if you either miss or refuse to fire, you’ll be treated to a different cutscene where Nicolai takes you both down with some deadly knife moves.

20 / The Beret is Back

Remember I mentioned Jill’s iconic beret earlier? Well, when you finish the game on standard or higher, you unlock Jill’s entire Resident Evil 1 ensemble to wear on your next playthrough. Now you can relieve the glory days like when she avoided becoming a sandwich that one time…

 

21 / End Credits Tease

In true Marvel fashion, Resident Evil 3 has an ambiguous post-credits scene with a mystery person picking up the Vaccine vial Nicolai destroyed.

 

Our first assumption would be that this figure is either Carlos or Nicolai, but that feels a little obvious and his arms are definitely not hairy enough to be Mr Oliveria.

With a little detective work you can see the figure is wearing green, which traditionally  is a signifier for the one and only Chris Redfield. How Chris could have got this vial before Raccoon City was completely floored is a mystery, but you’ll also see there’s a punch bag in the background and that definitely feels like a hint towards the legend who eventually gets absolutely stacked and starts punching boulders.

That’s everything we spotted in Resident Evil 3, but we’re sure there’s more out there to find. Let us know what you found in the comments.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Dale Driver is a Senior Video Producer at IGN and enjoyed spending his time playing the in apocalypse while inside, avoiding the apocalypse.... Follow him on Twitter.