Daymare 1998 started as a fan remake of Resident Evil 2, done in the older mid-90s Survival Horror style. The problem is that it sticks to these trappings a little too hard, to the point its not as accessible as modern horror games. If you're really craving that kind of game, this is for you.
Point of interest: This game was the final voice role for Paul Haddad, the original voice actor for Leon S Kennedy, before his death in 2020.
I would love to give this game a more positive review. For much of my time playing, I enjoyed my experience. This review is going to necessarily contain some spoilers for the endgame, which is where the most serious issues reside. A brief mention of some positives: mostly excellent, detailed, atmospheric environments. Some great music and ambient sounds. Clever inventory and ammunition management systems.
What pulled this game down for me is its final stretch. The last boss comes in two stages, a chase where it's invincible and can one-hit kill you, and a fight on a rooftop. Neither of these sections are well-designed. The first stage is still rife with technical issues even this long after release that ensure many unfair deaths. The second stage is much more manageable, but in a misguided attempt to make the boss more threatening it's enough of a bullet sponge that it necessitated the developers giving you an unlimited supply of magnum ammunition for the duration of the fight.
There seems to be a clear disparity in design between the sections of the game where you play as the forest ranger, Sam, and the HADES helicopter pilot, Raven. Sam's sections feel tightly-designed and a solid update of the classic survival horror template. I would consider these challenging but fair, with excellent and well-maintained tension throughout. Raven's sections, especially towards the end of the game, feel poorly-designed by someone whose only understanding of classic survival horror was to make things as artificially difficult and punishingly unfair as possible.
Considering the game ends on the worst of what Raven's sections have to offer, any desire I had to replay this game evaporated as soon as the credits passed. It's a genuine shame as there's some excellent material to revisit, Sam's hospital level is probably the peak of the game in terms of hitting all the markers of resource management, looping level design and puzzle-solving that typify classic survival horror.
The accents are jarring, the characters look like shock-eyed sex game assets, and I just got thrown out of the bonus mode by some random bug, but you know what. I bought this game at full price, and I am pleased with my desicion.
To get the basics out of the way, this is like a lower budget knock off of the Resi 2 remake, look into the production and it all makes sense. But that is not a bad thing, the gameplay is fun if not a little lacking in depth. Zombie, in hallway, you need to shoot it or you get puked on. Simple. As for positives the way they do ammo management is based on magazines wich is really cool. It adds a layer of needing to keep your wits about and staying prepared which is a lovely addition to the survival horror formula. The Character models notwithstanding graphics and enviroments are really nice looking and add to the atmosphere (the hospital was a standout), it really has a Raccoon City feel. Add in some puzzles to change up the gameplay and make you use your noggin, and you are looking at a solid Survival horror experience that is woefully lacking in today's market. They even have safe room music in the very few areas it calls for it.
As for the not great, the cutscenes can go on for a little too long at first and don't look great due to the production of the characters, (although a couple of moments when it really needs to count, they make it work.) The game is not organized perfectly (safe rooms, amount of puzzles, and what not) you'll see what I mean. Also one of the few times this game got annoying was during a chase, (you'll know which one) which in concept is a great idea and could be made to work, but is more aggravating than one would expect given how small it is in the scope of the game. Toss in the game not working perfectly always, and I'm sure these shortcomings could miff people quite a bit.
So, should you play this? As a lover of survival horror, yes. It's not AAA, but it scratches a much needed itch.
I read people saying its a slog. It isn't. I thought the game looks nice, and controls decently. The story isn't too long and the bonus missions jsut add a bit more reasons to keep playing. However, there are some note worthy annoyences that others brought up. The dialogue and the cutscenes are really bad. They use one liners and the voice acting don't fit the characters. The characters are very unlikable btw.
Another gripe I had, is something you just get used too honestly but is silly none-the-less: zombie death animations. You want to preserve ammo, and not waste too much. However, due to the reactions of the zombie to your shots, you can't always tell if it is already dead or just in the middle of it walking to you. In the end, you just shoot it in the head, and if you recognize the walk, you know if it's dead or not.
Lastly, the main boss is confusing. Essentially it has 3 phases, of which phase 2 is just running away from him through a hallway. This is the only part in this easy game I died frequently, because the boss acts differently. Suddenly, it is a 1-hit death when you get near him. He also starts running at some point, and you'll see explosives you can destroy but are only meant to delay his approach in the latter part of this phase. All of these facts are things you learn through dying..
Aside from these problems, I thought the city looked cool, the puzzles OK at best, and at moments the game feels like it was made with love by fans of the genre. Could have been better, but I did'nt dislike the game either. 6/10
but I really did enjoy my time with the game. Thankfully with the latest patch even a power fantasy casual player like me can enjoy it, without worrying about outdated gameplay features, just intense action against nightmare creatures.
