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 this great piece from the popular Resident Evil series? Absolutely not. I didn’t rush my review, even though opinions online are a bit 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 and JOYCITY. It recently launched worldwide, following a limited release in some areas last September. I downloaded it as soon as it became available and tested it on my Samsung S20 SE. Even though the phone is a couple of years old, its Snapdragon 865 5G processor handled the game with no problems.

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

Honestly, it wasn’t very streamlined. Still, I couldn’t really ask for much more. The game’s resources are well-utilized, especially considering it features full base-building and even includes mini-campaigns you control with a joystick, which adds a lot of depth.

Resident Evil Survival Unit perfectly captures what a great horror survival game should be. You’ll build and upgrade your base, with important locations like a Research Lab, Hospital, Resource Warehouse, and Command Centre all playing a vital role – you’ll quickly learn what each one does, just like I did. As you progress, you’ll collect heroes, and it turns out this is a gacha system featuring iconic characters from the Resident Evil series, unlocked once you reach the Helipad.

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

This game, like many real-time strategy games, involves building and managing a base. I started by unlocking heroes and creating a team. There are two ways to improve your heroes – both will make them stronger and boost your overall team’s power. If you’re interested, I’ve also created a guide ranking the heroes from best to worst.

This game offers a ton to do beyond the main story, including lots of events, a fast-paced rally mode, open-world exploration, and quick mini-puzzles. You’ll never run out of things to do! I found myself switching between fighting zombies, managing resources like in a strategy game, and competing against other players in real-time battles. The exploration mode is especially fun – it’s like a tower defense game where you fend off waves of zombies.

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

The game definitely relies on a strong narrative to connect with players and keep them engaged. However, I think the story feels forced – if the developers didn’t think it was essential, they wouldn’t have included it. The way the story is presented through cutscenes and level introductions just doesn’t quite fit. And, predictably, the game starts in a hospital… again!

I woke up and got dressed, realizing I’d been caught in the chaos with zombies while traveling to Raccoon City. I had no idea how I ended up in this mansion, which would eventually become my headquarters. That’s when the game gave me control of the character, letting me start exploring with the joystick.

It’s no surprise this game shares a lot with State of Survival. Honestly, that’s expected – what else would you put in a zombie survival game? The genre itself calls for these kinds of elements, and you’ll find a lot of overlap between similar games.

The game starts by setting up the world and what you’re supposed to achieve. I quickly unlocked a lot of characters early on, but the story-driven chapters, which were meant to guide you, suddenly end. The narrative just stops, and the game completely shifts to focusing on building and managing a base.

The Resident Evil series has been around for a long time and continues to be popular, with its memorable characters, settings, and terrifying zombies. Instead of focusing on a strong story, the new game seems to prioritize immediate gameplay and relies heavily on a pay-to-win system, as I’ll explain later.

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

Many colorful zombie survival games miss the mark when it comes to truly feeling immersive. They often end up resembling polished animations rather than scary experiences. A genuinely frightening horror game relies on a dark and bleak atmosphere to create a sense of dread and deliver a truly impactful experience.

Resident Evil Survival Unit doesn’t need to look like a console game; mobile gamers care more about having fun. And this game delivers! It doesn’t try to be overly flashy with graphics or effects. From the start, it’s clear you’re playing a true horror experience.

Okay, I’ll be honest, up close the game doesn’t look super crisp, and the third-person combat feels a little dated – like something from ten years ago. But honestly, the big picture stuff? The overall art, graphics, and animations are gorgeous, and it really grabbed me. You can tell the artists are top-tier, and when I saw names like Yoshitaka Amano – you know, the guy who did the incredible artwork for Final Fantasy – I instantly understood why. It’s just beautiful work.

The sound design is pretty good. It’s not exceptional, but it definitely adds to the game’s dark and creepy atmosphere, and there aren’t any major issues with it.

While not a major highlight, the game does show some attention to detail with its sound design, featuring distinct weapon and menu sounds. However, the repetitive gameplay holds it back, meaning a wider range of sounds isn’t really necessary.

The game offers a user-friendly UI, one that helps to navigate quickly

The game’s menus can be a little confusing at first, as it quickly introduces a lot of different features early on. While it gradually unlocks things, there are so many elements that I found myself forgetting what to do after playing for a short time.

I was curious about how deeply the game would let me explore the characters’ histories. I quickly discovered, though, that you don’t really get to be Leon S. Kennedy, Jill Valentine, or any other character—you just play as them. I’ve enjoyed previous Resident Evil games, but this was a letdown.

Once I get used to the program, it’s easy to use – everything is straightforward and accessible. The only issue is that there’s a lot packed into the interface, so on smaller screens, I have to scroll and swipe to find what I need.

The game’s buttons are well-designed, and it’s clear the developers wanted to appeal to a wide audience. You can see the effort they put into it initially. However, the biggest problem is that it starts out being easy and enjoyable, but quickly becomes focused on getting players to spend money.

As expected, you are thrown a P2W model disguised in a friendly outfit

Here’s where things get tricky. Who is Resident Evil Survival Unit actually made for? Even with its technical issues, the biggest problem is that the game strongly encourages you to spend money to truly enjoy it – and it’s not just a little bit. The game is built around getting you to spend money.

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 sections, the biggest problem is that the game ultimately feels like you have to pay to win.

Okay, so let me tell you, getting the really powerful, or ‘Legendary’ characters in this game feels impossible without spending real money. It’s a gacha system where you basically ‘fire’ a flare gun to try and get them, and it costs money every time. Plus, building up your base hits a wall pretty quickly. You can’t upgrade much further until you unlock the ‘Construction Queue,’ and guess what? That’s also locked behind a paywall! Even if you do have some premium currency, you still have to spend actual money to unlock it. That’s why things start to slow down a lot later in the game – it feels like they’re deliberately making it grindy unless you pay up.

Final Verdict

The game’s one-line summary is a bit 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, it had the potential to be truly great.

The game started strong and quickly gained a lot of excitement. However, I suspect player numbers will likely drop once they hit the point where they have to start paying. That being said, it does a great job of creating a cool atmosphere, memorable characters, and a genuinely frightening world, especially with the Umbrella Corporation’s presence. It’s definitely worth checking out and forming your own opinion!

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 had potential, being part of a well-known franchise, but ultimately didn’t deliver a satisfying experience. While the gameplay, sound, and user interface were reasonably good, the story was weak and held the game back.

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2025-12-13 04:43