Direct prequel to the first entry, set in the train and Umbrella training facility. Smart character swap system between Rebecca and Billy, lovingly old-school atmosphere. A notch under the RE1 remake but still excellent of its kind.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player16+
Description
Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen battle Umbrella's first experiments in this Capcom GameCube Resident Evil Zero, European version. Published by Capcom, released in Europe in March 2003. Survival horror prequel with two alternating protagonists, prehistoric monsters and Ecliptic Express train.
Resident Evil Zero review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
Aboard a rain-swept train and then through Umbrella's underground, the pre-rendered sets reach a rare finesse, playing with reflections and chiaroscuro. The visual continuity between the two heroes feeds a constant tension. This morbid elegance, polished down to the detail, makes it one of the console's most refined survival games.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"Pleasant"
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Long"
Technical info
💾1,2 GB📅07/03/2003
Published by Capcom
Resident Evil Zero (GameCube) price, value & rarity
A survival horror prequel originally conceived as a GameCube exclusive, the multilingual European version staging Rebecca and Billy before the first entry. Its tie to the Resident Evil remake and the studio's polished aesthetic make it a centrepiece of the Capcom horror collection on the machine. Its desirability rests on that period-exclusive status and a sought PAL run, complete copies steadily gaining value.
Is Resident Evil Zero still worth playing in 2026?
A prequel to the saga developed by Capcom for the console, Biohazard Zero introduces a partner system where you alternate between Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen, using their complementary skills to solve puzzles and fights. The art direction, with its sumptuous pre rendered backdrops, ranks among the finest in classic survival horror. The stiff controls and the dropping of storage chests prove divisive. For fans of the genre and of Resident Evil, it offers a polished, tense adventure, enhanced by the visual signature of the GameCube era.
