The original Resident Evil was first made almost ten years ago, and since then it has been re-released for PlayStation, PC, Sega Saturn, and GameCube. And now ten years after scaring gamers everywhere, it has been released for Nintendo’s DS, with an added gameplay mode that takes advantage of the console’s unique features. So it is now able to scare a new generation of gamers everywhere or at least in theory.

The story is quite basic, even for a Resident Evil game. Strange murders have been occurring near Raccoon City, so the STARS team is sent off to discover the truth behind these strange events. But when their helicopter lands for them to begin their investigation, several rabid dogs attack them, killing some of the team. The rest escape to a seemingly abandoned mansion from which they then have to escape.

The largest change that has been made to the original game is that a new mode has been added, Rebirth Mode. Essentially, this is the same as the original mode, but it occasionally takes advantage of the DS’s unique features, whether this is touching the screen to slash at zombies or breathing into the microphone to resuscitate your partner. While this might seem like a good idea, it brings little to the gameplay and having to quickly grab for your stylus can get annoying and can give the zombies that added time to attack you. There are a couple of other changes, like the knife that uses the L-button in a similar style to Resident Evil 4. Other touch-ups include auto-aiming and a quick turnaround. However, it doesn’t take full advantage of the DS’s features. The top screen is only used for a map of the mansion, which may be useful for easy navigation. It would have been better if you could alternate between it and your inventory using SELECT.

At first the controls in the game take a lot of getting used to if you are a newcomer to the series. But once you understand how it fully works, you’ll adjust to it within fifteen minutes. However, if this isn’t your first time with a Resident Evil game, you should be moving perfectly from the start, as the controls remain mostly unchanged from the PlayStation original. The only edit is that now you have the ability to pull off a 180 degree turn to quickly finish off the zombie behind you with your new knife. Another obvious change to make would have been to eliminate the need to press a button to move upstairs, which can become very tedious.

The graphics remain largely unchanged since 1996, and now on a portable console they do look good, but at the same time they seem very dated. The only problem with the graphics is that on the menu screens they look very cartoonish and could have been updated to resemble something more like Resident Evil 4, rather than Metal Slug. The sound also remains the same as the original version, including the awful voice acting, with excellent lines like, “You almost became a Jill sandwich.” Overall, the sound is both crisp and clear, and the sounds are as eerie as ten years ago.

When you move something onto a smaller screen and a quieter sound-system, it loses some of the effect it previously had. Take movies for example, when you’re watching a horror movie in the cinema, it is usually far scarier than it ever will be watching it in the comfort of your own home on an average-sized television without the full surround sound system of a cinema. The same applies to videogames. While Resident Evil DS still remains the scariest game available for the DS, due to the lack of competition, it is nowhere near as scary as it was for the PlayStation ten years ago. The smaller screen and quiet sounds almost remove you from the action that is happening onscreen, making it seem like it is happening to the character and not to you. Also, many scarier games have been released in the past ten years and the horror genre in gaming has increased greatly due mainly to the influence of the Resident Evil series.

The game is great for those too young to remember the original, but for fans of the original it isn’t as much fun and not enough has been added to warrant buying it. Also the novelty of playing a Resident Evil on the go can wear away quite quickly. A more renovated Rebirth Mode would make this an essential purchase for everyone, but even still it is great to play Resident Evil on the bus or in a plane.