Written by Tom Moore
The Resident Evil franchise is highly regarded as a strong influence on the survival horror genre and within the series. It’s not uncommon to hear that many fans’ regard the 1998 classic Resident Evil 2 (RE2) as their favorite. It contains the same kind of slow-burning horror as the 1996 original, has great new characters that include the introductions of fan-favorite characters Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, and took players from the isolated Arklay Mansion and to the zombie filled Raccoon City. So when the trailer for a full remake of RE2 dropped at the last PlayStation 2018 E3 conference, there was an intense amount of hype that surrounded the entire fanbase.
However, instead of just being a remake of the game with some updates to the graphics, Capcom wanted to give players a new experience with the classic story. The longtime characters have complete redesigns. The gameplay was no longer going to be the fixed camera play style the original had. Rather they took the beloved third-person shooter style seen in Resident Evil 4, and the atmosphere gave it a much darker feel. The story structure and even some extra game modes make a return and it’s all lead to me thinking about a debate that has gone around for years and that perfectly fitted my feelings after playing it: If the blade of an axe is replaced, and then its handle, is it still the same axe?
In a similar vein to the original, players will control two characters — a rookie Racoon City police officer named Leon S. Kennedy and a young college student Claire Redfield. Each character has their own scenario filled with tons of enemies, a variety of guns, their own unique character interactions, and a few different bosses to give players a unique challenge.
Their stories are mostly the same as they go through similar areas. However, like the original, there is a mode called “2nd run” that allows players to experience a remixed version of the other character’s journey. For instance, when I choose Leon to do my first playthrough, which took between 6 and 7 hours to complete, I then had to play as Claire for the second run. While most of the areas they go through are the same and they fight similar enemies, there are slight difference that allow for players to not feel like they are going through a duplicate experience. The answers for puzzles will be different, the start of second run basically skips the game’s tutorial section, and there will even be letters that players can find that Leon and Claire will write to one another.
Most importantly, though, completing the second run will not only unlock one final boss fight and the game’s “true” ending, but also unlock some great post-game RE2 has to offer. Upon completing the main game, players will be able to test their skill with the 4th Survivor mode, where players will take control of fan-favorite character HUNK and be challenged with hordes of enemies, and Tofu mode, where players will be able to fend of the undead as a delicious chunks of tofu.
The characters themselves don’t feel too different despite new voices and a completely new look. I loved seeing Leon and Claire at their humble beginnings again. It felt like the first time all over again with the great new voice-acting and the fact that these characters have grown so much over the course of this series. Fans are used to seeing Leon and Claire feel familiar with zombies and fighting and that’s why seeing them at their start gives fans a fresh reminder that Leon wasn’t always the badass that many recognize. Their re-designed looks take a bit of getting used to, but it really feels like a genuine trip down memory lane.
The gameplay is probably where the RE2 remake bridges the gap in being both nostalgic and new for this entry. No longer are players forced to fight from fixed camera perspectives as the gameplay is more in the action-y third-person shooter style that started in Resident Evil 4. Although it’s much faster and isn’t generally used in most survival horror games, this kind perspective actually leads to many more opportunities for scares to come naturally. Due to the camera being constantly at the player’s back, enemies will surprise players from behind and you will constantly have to rely on the moans and groans to be aware of what’s around you.
Staying aware of your surroundings is pretty tough to do as the entire game feels like a gigantic puzzle in itself and it mixes perfectly with the games more atmospheric lighting and sound design. The early entries in the Resident Evil series always had players explore their surroundings, with a limited inventory system, to find items that will slowly open so that players can search new areas. This has always led to a more slow-burning horror that made each encounter with an enemy matter and keep an uneasy tone throughout the entire game.
The remake captures this perfectly with the Raccoon City Police Department feeling a growing maze that has much more for players to look out for than just what rooms are where. Mr. X/Tyrant makes a horrifying return and the sound design for him is superb as his thunderous footsteps will cause players to go into a panic upon hearing them. Those that are unluckily found by him will be viciously hunted down by him and players will only be left with two options: flee or gun him down to incapacitate him for a short time.
In my first playthrough, I remember downing him next to a puzzle I had to complete, and I franticly had to do it as fast as I could just to luckily finish as he began to hunt me again. His appearance not only ramps up the pace of the game and causes a different kind of fear in players, but also adds a fitting challenge to the game and will have players being a little more cautious when going into the next room.
The game also feels much darker than the original and I’m not just talking about the blood and gore. Rooms and hallways are legitimately darker with Leon and Claire only having to rely on their flashlight to get a small glimpse of what’s in front of them. There would be plenty of times where I would think I would be walking down a safe hallway, when a licker that’s crawling on the dark part of the wall would lunge towards me and throw me into a panic. It’s a perfect way to keep players on their toes and made me dreadful of any and every dark corridor.
Frankly, what’s so great about the RE2 remake is how it is constantly challenging players through a variety of methods. Enemy accumulation and item conservation become take on big roles towards the end of the game. Enemies are spread out for most of the game, but zombies can crash through windows and take control of narrow corridors very quickly. If players can’t find boards around the map to stop zombies from crashing in, they can easily find themselves wasting ammo or even being closer to death.
Conversing ammo is also an essential part in surviving as zombies and even some of the game’s bosses can feel like bullet sponges and leave you with little ammo for when survival is crucial. Personally, I know how important ammo conservation is all too well as it caused the end of first playthrough to be more challenging than usual. Due to my lack of realization that the last section of the game gives little ammo and health supplies, I was forced to have to frantically kill the final boss using my knife and I definitely don’t recommend trying it. So, if there’s any advice I could give or a rule suggestion for Columbus to add in Zombieland 2, it’s got to be “always keep track of ammo.”
So, to answer the debate if the RE2 remake is still the same game or something entirely new, I think it actually is a perfect example of both. It carries just enough of the original game’s story for nostalgia while also adding just a few new elements to it to create a game that embodies a perfect greatest hits collection of what makes Resident Evil such a great series. Personally, I’d love to Code: Veronica get a similar style of remake next and I think it’s worth saying that just doing an “HD remake” just isn’t going to cut it anymore because Capcom has literally set a new standard on how to modernize a classic.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Resident Evil 2 is now available at video game retailers everywhere.
All photos are screenshots from the game as taken by the author during gameplay.
