You are about to enter an insane world. The very words you see when you load up a save file in Resident Evil Zero preempt a slick new prequel that has enough new to scare the most seasoned veteran. There are a few quirks that will frustrate players, but the latest RE packs a good punch.

Zero takes place before the mansion incident in RE one. The intro movie details a train and its passengers having lively discussion... before leeches bust through the windows and start eating everybody. Rebecca Chambers and Bravo Team are called in to search the area. On route they discover a transport vehicle that crashed. The transport vehicle contained a criminal named Billy Coen. Soon after, Rebecca and Billy team up to survive and uncover the foundation of Umbrella.

The biggest gameplay switch in RE Zero is the partner system. Throughout the game you can choose to play as Rebecca or Billy. Both characters can be in different locations to cover more ground, or team up to take on baddies. New puzzles require both characters to be separated and help each other get out of sticky situations. The all-important box system has disappeared in Zero in favor of letting the characters drop items to carry new ones. The result is a system that makes you take the only necessary items with you, and forces you to leave important heal or ammo items behind.

The partner system works well but has a few bugs in it. Players can decide whether to team up or go solo. When teamed up the AI controls the other character and can be set to attack or be idle. The system is a fresh twist to the series that lets you have someone cover your back. But it's not always a good thing. On attack mode there are times when the AI simply doesn't react fast enough. It's pretty much set on constant fire in attack mode and doesn't get itself out of bad situations. There are times when the two characters will separate at the spontaneity of the story, leaving you stuck with the current inventory items, which can be dire for the character with less ammo or heal.

Puzzles range from the usual combining items to semi-cheap death traps. There are a few brain teasers will stump you, but not for too long. The new monsters in Zero are quick and very powerful. Besides the staple zombies and hunters you'll find creepy insects, bio-monkeys, and the formidable leech zombie. No new ways to fend off fast mutants puts RE Zero on the difficult side. Monkeys and leech zombies are incredibly fast. Players can use Molotov cocktails to burn enemies quickly but you won't always have gas and empty bottles on you. The tiny GC d-pad and imprecise analog control aren't on your side either.

The RE development team always finds new ways to scare, and scared you will be. Zero doesn't rely on shock tactics, but instead keeps you paranoid with shuffling sounds, or dead silence. The sound engineers at Capcom have really outdone themselves in Zero. Zombies and monsters still sound as creepy as ever. The soundtrack is an uneasy symphony of high pitched organs, deep bass, and frantic violins. There's a lot of texture in the composition and sound freaks will revel in it.

Zero's visuals are fantastic. The character models are well done - a tad more CG than the remake models. The backgrounds are up to Capcom standards. Some feature brilliant pre-renders and lighting, though most don't go anywhere near the tree branch shadows, flowing grass, or dancing fire seen in the remake. Still, if it didn't have its own predecessor to compare to, Zero is a top-notch visual feast. It also features some of the best CG movies seen in the series.

If you want to be scared, scared you will be. Resident Evil Zero has enough spills and chills for veterans and newbies. The complex inventory and quick enemies might have you screaming, but most of the time it's in a good way.