Resident Evil Survival Unit Review: Strategy, Survival, and a Bit of Chaos

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Is it too late to share my thoughts on the latest installment from the Resident Evil series? Absolutely not. I didn’t rush my review, even though opinions seem divided. Here’s my take on the Resident Evil Survival Unit.

Resident Evil Survival Unit is a strategy game with horror elements, created by Aniplex Inc. and JOYCITY Corp. It recently became available after a limited release in certain areas this September.

I downloaded the game as soon as it became available worldwide. I played it on my Samsung S20 SE, which, even though it’s a few years old, has a powerful Snapdragon 865 5G processor. This meant the game ran perfectly without any issues.

Gameplay is decent, you cannot expect more in this compact size

It wasn’t particularly small, but I didn’t have much to complain about. Considering what it offers, the in-game materials are solid. For instance, the game features genuine base-building, and the addition of joystick-controlled mini-campaigns really enhances the experience.

Resident Evil Survival Unit perfectly captures what makes a survival horror game great. You’ll build and upgrade your base with important facilities like a Research Lab, Hospital, and Resource Warehouse, each serving a vital role. As you progress, you’ll unlock heroes – and discover it’s a gacha system featuring iconic characters from the Resident Evil series.

My main focus was to improve and keep the Mansion going, which meant gathering resources to upgrade it. While the game gives you plenty of materials at the beginning, that stops once you unlock the Field – essentially the game’s online world.

This game, like many real-time strategy games with base-building, has a lot to learn. I started by unlocking heroes and building a team. There are two different ways to upgrade them, both of which make them stronger and improve your overall squad’s power. I’ve also created a hero tier list guide if you want to see which heroes are the best.

This game is packed with content beyond the main story, offering a constant stream of events, a fast-paced rally mode, opportunities for exploration, and fun mini-puzzles. You’ll never run out of things to do! I experienced a surprising shift into real-time strategy while battling zombies, and even competed against other players in the Arena. The Exploration mode is especially engaging, challenging you to defend against waves of zombies in a tower defense-style format.

Resident Evil Survival Unit Review: UI is user-friendly, helps to navigate quickly

The game’s menus can be a little confusing at the beginning, as it quickly introduces a lot of features early on. While you unlock things gradually, there are so many that I quickly forgot what everything did. I was hoping to learn more about the characters’ backstories, but unfortunately, the game doesn’t let you delve very deeply into who they are. I’ve played previous Resident Evil games, and this one feels less immersive.

Once I get used to the interface, it’s easy to use – everything is straightforward and accessible. However, there’s a lot packed into the screen, so I have to scroll and swipe to find what I need in the menu.

The game’s buttons are well-designed, and it feels like the developers really wanted to attract a large player base. You can tell some effort went into making it appealing at first. However, the main problem is that it starts out easy and fun, but quickly becomes focused on getting players to spend money.

A story builds up in the beginning, only to perish later

Okay, so the game definitely tries to pull you in with a story – you know, make you actually care about what’s happening. But honestly, I think they wouldn’t bother with all that if they didn’t think it was important. It’s not like you can just skip the story bits; it’s built right into how the levels are set up. And seriously? The game starts in a hospital? Ugh, not another one of those!

I woke up and got dressed, realizing I’d been caught in a zombie outbreak on the way to Raccoon City. I found myself in a strange Mansion with no idea how I got there – it would eventually become my headquarters. That’s when I started exploring, and the game gave me control of my character for the first time.

It’s no surprise this game shares a lot with State of Survival. Honestly, it’s hard to imagine what else a zombie survival game would include – the genre pretty much requires these kinds of elements. Similar games are bound to have a lot in common, and that’s perfectly natural.

The game starts by setting the scene and outlining your objectives. I quickly unlocked several characters early on, but the story-driven chapters suddenly end. The narrative just stops, and the game shifts completely to focusing on building and managing a base.

As a long-time Resident Evil fan, I’ve always loved the series’ rich history – the Umbrella Corporation, iconic characters, memorable locations, and, of course, those terrifying zombies! I was really hoping the newest game would build on that amazing foundation and tell a compelling story. Instead, it feels like they went in a completely different direction, focusing more on letting you spend money to get ahead, which honestly disappointed me. I’ll get into the details of that later, but it just doesn’t feel like the Resident Evil I know and love.

The graphics and sound deliver what you need, not more, not less

Many colorful zombie survival games miss the point of creating a truly immersive experience. They often feel more like visually appealing animations than realistic struggles for survival. A genuinely frightening horror game needs a dark and bleak atmosphere to effectively build tension and fear.

Resident Evil Survival Unit doesn’t need to look like a console game; players on smaller screens care more about having a good time. This game delivers on that front. It doesn’t try to be overly flashy or have amazing graphics, but it immediately feels like a true horror experience.

While the game’s close-up action and third-person combat aren’t particularly polished and feel a bit dated, the overall art, graphics, and animations are quite beautiful. The visual team is incredibly talented, and knowing artists like Yoshitaka Amano – famous for his work on Final Fantasy – were involved explains the high quality.

I thought the sound design was pretty good! It wasn’t mind-blowing, but honestly, there wasn’t much to criticize. It really helped create a dark and creepy atmosphere, which is exactly what you want in a horror game.

While not a major highlight, the game does feature good attention to detail in its sound design – things like unique weapon and menu sounds. However, the repetitive gameplay holds it back, meaning a wider range of sounds wouldn’t really improve the overall experience.

The debate starts: P2W model disguised in a friendly outfit, or not

Here’s what’s frustrating about Resident Evil Survival Unit. Despite its technical issues like lag and glitches, the biggest problem is how aggressively the game pushes you to spend money. It’s not just about small purchases; the entire game seems built around getting you to pay to progress and enjoy the experience.

Like I said before, the game starts with plenty of free items and resources, but it quickly becomes difficult to progress without spending money. Aside from the uninteresting third-person segments, the biggest issue is that the game turns into a ‘pay-to-win’ experience.

Getting the best characters requires spending money. The game relies on a system where you pay to ‘pull’ for characters. Building your base also hits a wall – you can’t expand further until you unlock a feature called the Construction Queue, and that also costs money. Even with in-game currency, you’ll still need to spend real money to unlock it, which significantly slows down your progress as you play.

Final Verdict

The game’s one-line summary is a little confusing for players. I was hoping for a more accessible experience that captured the spirit of classic Resident Evil titles. While it’s not flawless, the game had the potential to be truly great.

Resident Evil Survival Unit Review by GamingonPhone

Gameplay Mechanics – 6.5
Gamemodes and Storyline – 6
Graphics and Music – 7
Controls and UI – 7.5
Free-to-Play Elements – 5.5

6.5

Average

Resident Evil Survival Unit showed potential, but ultimately fell short due to a weak story, despite having solid gameplay, sound, and user interface.

The game started strong and quickly built a lot of excitement among players. However, I suspect interest will drop off once it hits the point where you have to start paying. That being said, the game does a great job of creating a compelling atmosphere, memorable characters, and a truly frightening world influenced by the Umbrella Corporation. It’s definitely worth checking out and forming your own opinion!

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2025-12-13 03:13