JBoc924
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D has long been something we’ve been looking forward to here at Rely on Horror. Despite Revelations looking like the more “traditional” successor to the series, Mercenaries 3D really got us excited at the notion of playing through our favorite levels ranging from all over the franchise’s history with our favorite characters in the now traditional Mercenaries style. What started as merely an extra mode unlocked after you cleared the games has now expanded to make Mercs it’s own beast. And color us even more excited now, thanks to the recent news that the upcoming glasses-free 3D title will have an unsuspectingly large selection of stages, 30 in total, to experience alone or with a friend. Below you’ll find levels that I and fellow editor Dusk are just dying to play through in stunning 3D, and of course experience the celebration of Resident Evil’s 15th anniversary. Enjoy!
As a note before we get started, we theorize that this may have been made possible because lots of the earlier game locations were remade in Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles & Resident Evil Darkside Chronicles. It has been reported that Mercenaries 3D is possible because as an early test with 3DS hardware, Capcom tried porting Resident Evil 5 to the handheld and it was a success. However, instead of a mere port they wanted to create a new title, which soon grew into two new titles (Revelations and Mercenaries 3D). Since Resident Evil 5 is portable-friendly, it should also be expected that Darkside and Umbrella Chronicles would also be more than portable to the 3DS, especially since they were created on Nintendo platforms and the Wii and 3DS are very compatible with each other. Not that we’re complaining, Umbrella and Darkside Chronicles translated most of the older game locations very well (with a notable exception being Resident Evil 3, which had a rather poor retelling in Umbrella Chronicles) and transferring these locations into updated Mercenaries stages might be very interesting. Without further ado, the stages we would like to see in Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D!
The Returning RE4/RE5 Mercs Stages
Dusk: While really looking forward to some classic locations we haven’t seen in Mercenaries to date, I still am looking forward to experiencing the Mercenaries stages in Resident Evil 4 & 5 on the handheld systems with improvements. With new characters, the ability to move while shooting and reloading, plus to experience the RE4 Mercs stages for the first time in co-op, what most of us were expecting to this point with the Mercenaries is still reason enough to excite. Playing the Mercenaries with it’s classic stages on handheld with some improvements with a friend still sounds like a joy.
JBoc: Very true. One of the things that was missing from the Resident Evil 4 experience, in terms of the Mercenaries mode was co-op. Since it was on the gamecube and online-enabled games required troublesome set-ups, a co-op enabled mode would have been restricted to just a local setting. Now, with the power and capabilities of the 3DS we’ll finally get to experience those Resident Evil 4 mercs stages in full co-op play. You also brought up something else that’s interesting: the ability to move and shoot. Resident Evil 4’s merc mode was built around having just one player do all the work, while 5 introduced co-op play into said mode. Now, with the ability to move and shoot Capcom would have to enhance the AI in the Resident Evil 4 stages, something that they may have done already by the looks of recent previews.
Arklay Spencer Estate (Resident Evil 1)
Dusk: When you think of classic Resident Evil, this location is always one of the first to come to mind. Symbolic to the franchise and to horror gaming itself, this not only is a must to include but could be a lot of fun to play! It could also be an interesting change of pace from the style of Mercenaries stages we are used to seeing; tight corridors, winding and looping halls, experienced through multiple floors and levels. We would hope that such a stage could also include the classic zombies as we’ve come to know them, though there are other selections of monsters to consider as well. The classic dog enemies, Cerberus, also make sense here as they were prominent in the mansion and it would be a nice contrast to the slower zombies. For a boss monster, while the giant Snake BOW, Yawn, would be very interesting I believe Crimson Heads are the most logical and best choice. Fast, deadly, vicious, I believe they would be an ideal foe in the mansion setting.
JBoc: Don’t forget about the hunters! When I think of this classic locale being brought back for Mercs 3D I can’t help but think about what enemy is going to be included that can rival the overall threat presented by the lesser enemies, which in this case will hopefully be the classic zombies. The dogs come to mind, but also the hunters. Just imagine, having to pick off zombies one by one in tight corridors, only to have a hunter burst through the whole crowd. With their strength and agility they could prove to be quite a threat within the confines of this classic locale. As for the boss, Yawn would be awesome, but so would Lisa Trevor. She could play an executioner-like role and appear with high-powered moves. Just the thought of being stuck in a hallway with zombies and hunters is enough to inject fear into my veins. And of course, then you have the crimson heads who can also factor in.
The Residence (Resident Evil 1)
Dusk: Not nearly as symbolic as the Mansion from Resident Evil 1 but arguably more interesting. The Residence was the location where spider BOWs became prominent as well as players getting exposure to the deadly boss creature Plant 42, as well as housing the Aqua Ring in it’s basement, a giant aquarium filled with killer shark BOWs known as Neptune. While it may be a bit much to wish for a Mercs stage that included both Plant 42 and the Neptune BOW, both of which are unique monsters in the series but have limited use and might take a bit too much development time to focus on for only one stage, having one or the other would be great while having both would be a bliss to make one intense and interesting stage. With a smaller layout and deadlier creatures, the Residence could involve some interesting strategy between players to survive. Spider BOWs would really complete the package with the regular zombies as well. If push comes to shove though, the Aqua Ring might be a bit too much to ask to include in the Residence stage, though even the upper true “Residence” area would be a blast by itself. Residence is actually one of the stages I am personally very much pushing for.
JBoc: I’m 100% with you on this one. The residence is one of the best levels from this classic game and I would love to see it make a return on the 3DS. Plant 42 and the neptune sharks would be completely awesome to have in their respective areas in the stage, but like you said, it may be a bit too much for just one stage. The spiders are a definite must, though, and they can prove to be the “big” threats of this stage. The upper residence area is what I would love the most, though, and it could be littered with zombies and even crimson heads to change up the pace. And while asking for the inclusion of Plant 42 would be , like you said, too much it’ll be nice if the whole theme of plat-life living here will be kept alive by adding the ivy enemies, even if they weren’t there in the original game. Hey, maybe even the annoying bees can make a comeback here especially in the more confined halls of the upper residence.
The Laboratory (Resident Evil 1)
JBoc: Not only would this level be crawling with the undead, but you can also have Tyrant be featured here. You can separate the stage to multiple levels and have Tyrant be, of course, in the room where you first see him. He bursts through the glass and it’s time to face one of the most memorable foes in Resident Evil history. This stage could also feature the Chimeras. Like the hunters, they’re very quick enemies that could make it hard for players to survive. And I can’t help but desire the heli-pad to be featured. After your fight with Tyrant you ascend to the heli-pad where the level would end and then , like in the game, Tyrant would appear for one last fight. With the co-op focus of this game, fighting Tyrant would be loads of fun. Definitely one of the levels I’m looking forward to the most if included. Something else also comes to mind. The area in the labs where Tyrant rests could also be taken from the Tricell Lab stage in Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. Yes, with the lickers included in their tanks waiting to burst out. That would make for one hell of a fight.
Dusk: The Tyrant could be an interesting foe, and I’m not vouching for him to be a playable character like Nemesis (cough), so if they wanted to include the Tyrant as our boss baddie for this stage I say go for it. However, assuming it’s like RE4 and RE5 where stronger monsters are used as the basis for the boss enemies and not the bosses, I would say the best choices would still be the Crimson Heads, something I remember being prominent in the Labs. The Chimeras are cool enemies but it’s questionable if they would make a good boss monster swarm, like the Lickers in Experimental Facility, as the advantage they had in RE1, the ability to travel between rooms freely, is kind of useless in a Mercs stage where all monster can travel free. However, they are quick buggers that could be paired well with zombies for the stage. The Labs in my opinion were always a bit small in what you actually played, but the Mercs stages often had areas you previously could not explore in RE4 and RE5, so if they wanted to add areas that players haven’t played through before I wouldn’t mind. The Labs might naturally make a good size for a Mercs stage though, or at least one of the smaller Mercs stages. You got a few back-rooms and labs, the generator and self-destruct room, and of course, the Tyrant room. It was rather small-scale to a location like the mansion, but a good natural fit for Mercenaries.
R.P.D. Police Station (Resident Evil 2/3/Outbreak)
Dusk: If the Arklay Mansion is the most symbolic area of the series, then the R.P.D. Police Station is the most visited. Being the central “hub” of Resident Evil 2, as well as appearing in Resident Evil 3, Outbreak, Umbrella Chronicles, and Darkside Chronicles, this location has been the most reoccurring area in the entire franchise. Not to mention it’s design is almost begging for a Mercenaries stage, it fits almost perfectly into Mercenaries mechanics, with many paths and open areas all centered around one singular hub at the center of the station. It would make sense for it to feature a similar enemy set as the Arklay Mansion, Zombies and Cerberus, but feature Lickers as the boss enemies (likely a swarm like we see in the Experimental Facility RE5 Mercs stage). This fan favorite location fits too well into the Mercenaries and is another location that is more than likely to appear.
JBoc: My earliest memory of this franchise all comes back to this one locale. With Resident Evil 2 being my entry-point into the franchise you can definitely see how this level would be at the top of my list of must-haves in the game. Zombies and possibly even crimson-heads galore! A ton of lickers can be used as the boss threat and also Mr. X. I know I bring up this big guys a lot, but this level’s exuctioner type foe can be the cloaked tyrant himself. Bursting through walls like he did in his respective scenario in the game, and appearing right where you think you have the upper hand against the hordes of zombies, Mr. X can prove to be quite an addition to this level’s rogues gallery.
Umbrella Labs (Resident Evil 2)
Dusk: The Labs in Resident Evil 2 were very interesting, feeling echoing and haunting as much as they were deadly and surreal. Dark pits of abyss, dim lights, it very well accomplished the feeling of being a hollow shell but not quite empty, as there were signs of plant life growing throughout it all. This is a bit funny given the themes of Resident Evil 2, the G-Virus that kept growing after death, the monsters that refused to die… However, the design, featuring a central platform that stretched out in a few different directions and lead to crooked halls and terminals could make for a very interesting Mercenaries stage. Zombies are on the list of usual suspects, though beyond that there are several candidates. Plant 43, a smaller but still deadly plant monster related to Plant 42, is on my list of must-shows being another unique and interesting monster to face. For a boss monster, the giant moth could be an interesting foe, being one of the few flying enemies in the series. Having a the Giant Moth as a boss monster for this stage could have frenetic results. The Evolved Licker, the unexplained plant-like Licker also found in the game, is less likely as at the end of the day it’s just a bit of a tougher Licker. Dark, grim, ominous, yet tangled in strange plat life, the Umbrella Labs could be another great contribution to the unique yet familiar stage themes and design in the game.
JBoc: Naked zombies. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think about the Labs in Resident Evil 2. They could be mixed with the obvious injection of basic zombies into this level’s enemies. Taking a bit more bullets to kill and whatnot, there may not be a need to insert crimson heads into this level. Lab-coat zombies should also be prominently featured to definitely give off that vibe of being in a lab where experiments have gone wrong. And yes, totally agree with having the moth in here as well as the green-toned lickers. And one last thing: William Birkin. Seeing as how there’s no actual continuity within the levels of a Mercs game, story-wise, they can put in any form of Birkin into this area. Hell, all they have to do is take his in-game model from Darkside Chronicles and call it a day. Or better yet, include all of his forms (minus one) in this stage! Throughout the duration of the level you could encounter Stages 1-4 of Birkin, with him appearing in his stage 4 right in the area where the classic self-destruct timer goes off. A man can wish…
Raccoon City Streets (Resident Evil 2/3/Outbreak)
Dusk: While not a singular location, the streets of Raccoon City were used in Resident Evil 2 to immediately visualize the difference between Resident Evil 1 & 2. Choosing an exact location is a bit difficult as many roads are ran across in Resident Evil 2, 3, Outbreak File 1, Outbreak File 2, Umbrella Chronicles, and Darkside Chronicles. However, the most likely solution would be to choose some of the streets in Downtown Raccoon City and form a stage from it, maybe around the bar or warehouse. The enemies are harder to name since most people only really recall fighting zombies on the streets in most of the games (with a notable exception of RE3, but still limited), but there were a lot of them so maybe having a ton of zombies wouldn’t be that bad of an idea. As such, the logical boss with a mass of zombies would be Crimson Heads, which can be a boss used in more than once like the Giant Majini in RE5s Mercs stages.
JBoc: The streets of Raccoon City is an interesting predicament. There’s a lot of different ways that the developers can go with the decision of what exactly to include in this stage. There are many areas, so much so that a personal want of mine would be to have the overall “Street of Raccoon City” be split up into different stages. One stage could be where the bar and warehouse is situated from early in Resident Evil 3. The warehouse in this level could also prove to be the sight of a “last stand” of sorts where hordes of zombies/crimson heads are pouring through. Another enemy I would love to see in this, potentially, set of stages would be the Drain Deimos. And hell, they should even include Nemesis into this if he’s not being planned to be an inlcusion in the roster of playable characters that is.
Clock Tower (Resident Evil 3)
Dusk: The stage is well-made to be a Mercs stage, having multiple rooms collected all-together with doors leading into each room in abundance and thus each room is easily accessible, making traveling convenient. As a clock tower, it has a precise base and parameter with a layout that is more vertical with higher ground to reach, which could make for some interesting player strategies and play-style choices. Besides the interesting layout and artsy rooms, the enemy variety is a bit tougher to call. Zombies, as on the list so far, are the must-have staple choice but then we get spiders to climb the tower and be a threat. Beyond that, there’s not really an enemy that exists in the actual stage that would be a good boss monster. Readeads or Hunters would be a good choice, though possibly the best choice would be a flying enemy. To make up for the lack of flying enemies in RE3, something like the Giant Moth I suggested in the Umbrella Labs stage idea could make sense. Not only does a flying enemy make sense with the tower motif, but the Giant Moth also fits the bug enemy styling the actual stage in RE3 has.
JBoc: Here’s yet another no-brainer. Like you briliantly described, this level has a unique structure that is just begging to make the transition to the world of Mercenaries. Zombies are an obvious must-have as well as crimson heads. I wouldn’t mind see the dogs rear their ugly faces here, though. Hell, possibly add some Drain Deimos while they’re at it, they’ll fit as well. The moths are a good choice for this level seeing as how the whole flying motif fits in properly in the clock tower (and of course I’m lead to think about medusa heads in Castlevania’s clock towers!). With that being said. That giant bat boss from Resident Evil 0? Why not add him in or something similar. The former is more likely though due to my belief that Capcom would rather just port over existing enemies as opposed to designing brand new ones. Regardless, this level will prove to be quite a fun one, especially with players spawning in different locations!
The Park (Resident Evil 3)
Dusk: The Park has always been one of my favorite Resident Evil areas aesthetically. Besides combining nighttime strolls and fountains with graveyards and sheds, the stage could do wonders with the new camera perspective and the ability to jump up and down small ledges with the press of a button; there were many shallow water areas in the park that were never used in RE3 that could be easily implemented now. While the area originally had a ton of sliding worms and the giant worm boss, Grave Digger, I believe the best and most plausible enemy set would be the tried and true zombies and Cerberus combo set with the boss being a pack of Hunters. One interesting thing many remember about this area was that Zombies also came from submersion in the Graveyard. If this was emulated in the graveyard and shallow water sections of the park, it could provide a very hairy and tense approach to the stage. Plus the sewer-like underground shortcuts could also add an interesting way to maneuver the playing field.
JBoc: Pretty much nails how I would love to see this level done. And also, I think it’ll be kind of cool to see the, once again, naked zombies that rise up from the ground to attack Claire in one of Code Veronica’s opening sequences. I would love for the Grave Digger to be featured somehow. A logical solution around his massive size would be to have him just pop out in certain areas, disabling one to go through him instead having to look for another way around. And if you get too close, of course, you’ll feel his wrath. I mean, having his as a full-fledged boss would be awesome but due to possible size limitations of the enemies, I’ll be fine with just randon and short appearances by this massive and memorable threat.
Military Training Ground (Resident Evil Code Veronica)
Dusk: The main core of Rockfort Island, the Military Training Ground only makes sense if the Mercenaries 3D had Code Veronica influence (which given that Code Veronica is, in many ways, the prequel to Resident Evil 5 and important to the history of Resident Evil, would only make sense for some RECV representation). With the multiple buildings, wider outside areas, and more restricted military camp feel it also would be another stage that could work well in the Mercenaries style. Zombies are an obvious must here as with most classic Resident Evil stages, but other than that it is open to some of Code Veronica’s unique monsters. The Bandersnatch, a cost-effective Tyrant alternative, could do well either as a regular monster or a boss though I believe thanks to it’s common status and number of them on Rockfort and that they are weaker than Hunters, they would work best as regular foes alongside Zombies. The boss monster then would either be the Gulp Worm, the Albinoid, or the Hunters. The Gulp Worm has the same problem as the Grave Digger in RE3 though where the digging animation and programming of the Gulp Worm likely would be too complicated programming to be worth the time it would take to be put in, especially since it couldn’t travel the whole island and have limited use. Albinoid is one that could be used and could be interesting if it could be walking on land with electric properties, but in Code Veronica, the Albinoid adult is only seen in the water (even if the Albinoid infants can travel on land) and it is a relatively unknown creature in the franchise to be a monster the developers likely would turn too. Thus, and most likely, the Hunters would be the boss enemy. Likely they would be in a pack like Lickers, though a cool attribute if developers wanted to go above and beyond is instead of making the Hunters spawn randomly here, to instead use the robots known as Sweepers to maybe catch the player when they run by it’s sight and trigger a Hunter swarm.
JBoc: The Sweepers are definitely the enemies I’m rooting for in this potential stage. Their method of attack, or lack thereof, can definitely mix up the flow of this stage. They can be properly placed right near time extensions making it hard to actually avoid them! Especially if players are running out of time and want to increase their combo and kill counts. And once again we have yet another huge worm that should in reality be included, but due to programming restrictions, may unfortunately not be represented. Like I said about the Gravedigger for the RE3 stage, having the Gulp Worm in it’s entirety as a full-fledged boss enemy may be a bit much for the aforementioned reasons, but having him pop out from random (or scripted) areas would be just fine by me. Some form of loving for the big sexy gulping worm! Oh and do I really have to mention zombies? Of course we want them in here! And lastly, they could in fact find some way to implement the T-078 Tyrant in here. Let’s hope they do just that.
Antarctic Transport Terminal (Resident Evil Code Veronica)
Dusk: The Antarctic facility was one of the least expected locations for a Resident Evil game to take place back in the day, but it worked well with Code Veronica’s themes. Visually it is different than most other locations in the series and is one that sticks out for the sheer unexpectedness of it. It’s design is much more closed-quarters with some open rooms, but a rather tight space. On the enemy front however, there isn’t too much new. Zombies and Black Widows (a spider BOW specifically in Code Veronica) are the main enemy choices, with the only boss creatures to be chosen either being the Queen Black Widow or Hunters really. Still though, the unique style of the place as well as being a rather memorable location would make quite a nostalgia trip and be an interesting locale.
JBoc: Yeah, this level’s main hook may just be its inclusion itself. It was a very unique locale and it provided for some really awesome moments. There’s some open areas as well as confined areas, which will make for varying strategies for players if it makes the cut. And having people spawn at different sections will also boost said strategy, with players trying to reach each other and take out as many enemies as possible. On the enemies front, zombies of course. The Black Widow spiders should also definitely be in this stages and should be attacking in groups. That’s more than enough to creep me out with just a mental visualization. If I remember correctly there was also some moths in this level. So having them come back for this occasion is definitely desired. Hordes of them.
Management Training Facility (Resident Evil Zero)
Dusk: Resident Evil Zero is actually a bit of a difficult game to select stages for. The Ecliptic Express seems too narrow for Mercenaries and the train movement or the outside forest could be an issue. The Training Facility makes a lot more sense, but then you have to ask which part of the Training Facility? Do we just go for the plain Facility, do we aim for the underground basement and torture chambers? Do we aim for the Laboratories inside the Church? The Church has always been a personal favorite of mine, so I was tempted to go with that but in honesty that becoming a stage is slim and it’s design might be a bit awkward for a Mercs stage. The Torture Chambers would make the most unique Mercenaries stage and fits the design style as well while having a different aesthetic approach. The torture chamber takes my vote as the stage that should be a Mercenaries stage, the interesting layout and cage-room labyrinth at the very bottom of the Basement (with the retractable bared-doors blocking your path) promise to be very interesting. However, in reality the most likely option would be the Training Facility itself. No matter the case of location, the enemy choices that might fit best would be the classic zombie paired with Plague Crawlers. While Leech Zombies would be a logical boss choice, I actually think for the Training Facility if there were to be two Resident Evil Zero stages, the Eliminators would be a better fit here. Deadly but small and quick, and naturally found only in this facility. The Training Facility could also be directly connected to the Torture Chambers below, which if the case is a win-win situation though that might be asking too much of a single stage.
JBoc: Definitely. If this stage is to make the cut among the 30 announced stages, then yes, definitely have the leech zombies make a return. Being surrounded by a horde of them would make for quite a tense scenario and then you throw the cuddly Eliminators into the mix and you have yourself one dread-filled stage. Zombies are one thing, but the aforementioned enemies could prove to be an equal threat as the ones seen by the other levels’ potential boss enemies.
That does it! For now. We’ll actually be continuing this feature in the near future in celebration of Resident Evil’s upcoming 15th anniversary. Now, we would love to hear your feedback! What levels from the main games aren’t on this list that you would want? Hit us up in the comments below or you can email me directly at jbocanegra@relyonhorror.com. In our continuation piece to this feature we’ll be focusing more on the franchise’s spin-off titles.
