With Resident Evil 3 becoming somewhat divisive with fans due to its relatively short runtime, the one unifying factor between players seems to be that its an absolute feast for the eyes. Not only are its facial animations some of the best ever seen in a video game, but its stunning environments, horrifying monster designs, and realistic lighting have been held by many as jaw-droppingly beautiful.
However, it appears one eager modder has taken it upon themselves to make the game’s already stunning visuals even better, with YouTuber AD Massicuro modding in incredible ray-tracing technology that attempts to create a photorealistic look. The results are astounding, with the modder managing to add brand new lighting effects that make every location pop with more color than before.
Shown off in a YouTube video posted by the modder, the footage displays a number of sequences from the game’s demo under this brand new ray-tracing effect, with the results looking vastly different from the darker look of the original game. In particular, the neon signs included throughout the streets of the demo look astounding, with their vibrant color washing over the streets and reflecting off the floor as Jill Valentine battles legions of the undead. A number of the game’s dingier settings also look slightly more alive, especially as the lighting system makes the game’s blander colors much brighter.
Some have argued that the effect doesn’t suit Resident Evil 3, however, with the comments sections being seemingly divided over the effects of the ray-tracing. One commenter claims “It doesn’t look real, it looks oversaturated with color and light, which makes it much less immersive,” while another cites “extra bloom, more contrast and higher saturation [is] not photorealistic or next gen.” A third commenter simply replies “thank you, it’s worse.” However, these comments are also matched by players who like the addition of ray-tracing, with one user posting “You can tell the way their face reflects the lights in the subway is much more natural with the Mod on,” while another claims “It’s more sharp and real with the RT effect On! Well done!!”
It seems AD Massicuro isn’t the first modder to get stuck into Resident Evil 3, however, with a number of talented programmers managing to add tons of fun mods to the game. One sees Nemesis transform into a particularly violent rendition of Thomas the Tank Engine, while another sees every single zombie on the game’s map be replaced by Nemesis himself. Much like Resident Evil 2, it seems likely that the game’s going to amass a particularly creative modding community.
Resident Evil 3 is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
