Resident Evil 6 on Switch

Originally released in 2012, the year in which the world was supposed to end, the zombie-filled post-apocalyptic sixth main instalment in Capcom's long-running, beloved Resident Evil series took gamers by surprise. Moving away from the traditional mould previously followed, Resident Evil 5 offered a four-in-one campaign, PvE-type mode, co-op focus and multiple multiplayer modes. Whereas Resident Evil 5 (a game we just recently reviewed for the Nintendo Switch) was the first game in the main series to introduce co-operative gameplay in the campaign, Resident Evil 6 was completely built around it.

Resident Evil 6 introduced us to a four-campaign long co-operative experience, with each campaign having a different setting, different enemies, different objectives and different protagonists. What's more, on occasion two campaigns would overlap, having four playable characters meet. The four campaigns were and still are headlined by the following; Leon, who takes his newfound partner Helena with him in a dark, retro, survival-focused campaign; Jake, who teams up with Resident Evil 2's Sherry Birkin - who is less helpless here - for some intense action; Chris, who has an operative called Piers following him around making for two beefcake badasses going up against zombies with guns; and Ada, who has the masked "Agent" by her side in a timer-heavy campaign that's perhaps the only non-co-op focused of the bunch.

You have puzzles to solve where the two playable characters split up and stay separated, forcing some teamwork into the mix. Separate weapons are distributed amongst characters and co-operative actions need to be executed. These aspects just aren't as fun when playing the game alone, and this is clear in the Switch version as well. Resident Evil 6 is meant to be played in co-op. Apart from the campaign being focused on co-operative play, the game also lets you allow others into your game, which is a neat feature. This will let you see other players as a different character pair during the previously mentioned overlapping scenes, when your game will collide with theirs for a moment before you both return to your own adventures.

Resident Evil 6 actually looks pretty good on the Switch and while the Resident Evil 5 port had clunky controls, the controls weren't as big an issue with the sixth main instalment. In fact, we found that we could play comfortably with the Switch in our hands and that's exactly how we wanted to play it, considering how well the smaller screen masks the sub-par resolution and how lovely it is to bring Resident Evil with you on the go. You can also choose to use motion controls when aiming through the main menu and, as with Resident Evil 5 on Switch, this works remarkably well. We didn't experience any technical issues either except for the odd framerate drop when a lot was happening at once. The Switch edition of the game also comes with all DLC, costumes and various game modes, which is a delightful bonus even though they are all multiplayer modes and not story expansions like in Resident Evil 5.

Resident Evil 6 does have a narrative interesting enough to keep one intrigued but it's hardly a masterpiece story-wise. That said, however, it is a lot of fun when playing with a friend and it's a great game to pick up on Switch for that fantastic portability. The Switch version of the game is actually pretty impressive and if you're interested in playing Resident Evil 6, we can definitely recommend it.