Johnathan Flynn | Contributing Writer
The Resident Evil franchise has had many highs and lows since it began in March of 1996; throughout all of the prequels, sequels, spin-offs and remakes, the series has continued strong.
Since the original game received a remake in March of 2002, a remake for the sequel has been constantly pushed for by the fans of this horror-survival giant. These fans received their wish when, in August 2015, the Resident Evil 2 remake was announced. There was little information in the years following until June of 2018, when a trailer revealing the release date, January 25, 2019 was unveiled.
The game begins with a tutorial level that does not follow the original game’s formula. Despite this, it fits incredibly well with introducing the controls of the game without being paternalistic to the player.
This tutorial also showcases the incredible graphic capabilities of the RE engine with certain moments looking like live-action footage. The reveal of the first zombie is a tense moment that sets the tone for zombie encounters in the rest of the game. The tutorial ends with an opening credits sequence that provides players with a look at the destruction of the game’s setting, Raccoon City.
The game continues its trip back to its horror roots as you are tasked with escaping the city while being stalked by a giant trenchcoat-wearing monster known to fans as Mr. X and having encounters with the mutated scientist Dr. William Birkin – both growing more grotesque as the game progresses.
The tense atmosphere that these monsters add to the game is reminiscent of the earlier games in the series, bringing an even greater sense of nostalgia than an exact remake could offer all while staying true to the theme rather than gameplay.
The inventory system is more dynamic than the original Resident Evil 2. The management of items is important as the space in the character’s inventory is very limited and grows incrementally over the course of the campaign.
The scarcity of items and inventory space is significant to the tense atmosphere of the game with players needing to save their ammo and healing items while avoiding zombies instead of dealing with them directly.
As the game reaches its conclusion, you are treated to either a teaser of the true ending if you are playing the first campaign, or the true ending of the second campaign. This adds replayability to the game, as you can play through a second campaign with different routes of advancement and puzzle solutions.
The differences are enough to warrant the second playthrough with entirely different boss fights depending on the character and playthrough. This “scenario” system, as it was called in the original game, was rumored not to be included in the remake– It is to the game’s benefit that those rumors were not true.
The post-campaign modes are a breath of fresh air as well. After the campaign is beaten for a second time, the “4th Survivor” mode is unlocked and acts as a time trial race to the finish where the only items you can use are the ones you start with.
This mode is difficult due to the sheer number of enemies in tight spaces. Beating “4th Survivor” unlocks a mode called “Tofu Survivor,” where the player character is a human-sized block of tofu who only has combat knives and is slightly faster than the “4th Survivors” player character, HUNK. This mode is more difficult due to the lack of ranged weapons. Both modes act as nice bonuses as they were in the original Resident Evil 2.
The game received a free update with 4 new side modes that follow characters met during the main campaign who are either dead or die soon after meeting them. The modes are titled “No Time To Mourn,” “Runaway,” “Forgotten Soldier” and “No Way Out.” These modes are fun additions similar to the “4th Survivor” and “ Tofu Survivor,” with the exception that you can find items and ammo on your way to the end of each mode.
This game is an early game of the year contender due to it’s few flaws and accomplishing what they set out to do with their remake. I fully recommend Resident Evil 2 to all horror lovers, but suggest you pass if you aren’t looking for a scary gaming experience.
be included in the remake– It is to the game’s benefit that those rumors were not true.
The post-campaign modes are a breath of fresh air as well. After the campaign is beaten for a second time, the “4th Survivor” mode is unlocked and acts as a time trial race to the finish where the only items you can use are the ones you start with.
This mode is difficult due to the sheer number of enemies in tight spaces. Beating “4th Survivor” unlocks a mode called “Tofu Survivor,” where the player character is a human-sized block of tofu who only has combat knives and is slightly faster than the “4th Survivors” player character, HUNK. This mode is more difficult due to the lack of ranged weapons. Both modes act as nice bonuses as they were in the original Resident Evil 2.
The game received a free update with 4 new side modes that follow characters met during the main campaign who are either dead or die soon after meeting them. The modes are titled “No Time To Mourn,” “Runaway,” “Forgotten Soldier” and “No Way Out.” These modes are fun additions similar to the “4th Survivor” and “ Tofu Survivor,” with the exception that you can find items and ammo on your way to the end of each mode.
This game is an early game of the year contender due to it’s few flaws and accomplishing what they set out to do with their remake. I fully recommend Resident Evil 2 to all horror lovers, but suggest you pass if you aren’t looking for a scary gaming experience.
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