Resident Evil 2 Review: A Return to Classic Survival Horror

Introduction- A return to the classic survival horror!
The second instalment in Capcom’s long running Resident evil series arrived back on the 25th January, 2019 reimagined from the ground up; surprisingly it manages to return the series to the classic survival horror elements present in the previous entries which made the series so memorable starting all the way back in 1996 with the release of Resident Evil 1 on the original PlayStation.

Resident Evil 2 Remake takes a brand new and modernised view of the original RE2 and this has been brilliantly done by the developers over at Capcom, they have taken the spark which gave the original the essence that made it what it was.

Preamble – Condition of my parole.
So, Why was Resident Evil 2 even made to begin with?. What cascade of events lead to it being deemed necessary to create it?

Since Resident Evil 4 leading up to the catastrophe which was Resident Evil 6. I am in no way saying that Resident Evil 4 is a bad game. In fact, it is considered to be one of the best and innovative games of all time; it had the perfect blend of suspenseful horror and tense action. I am merely stating that although RE4 was a good game, it set the action trend which grew to be excessive in later entries that forego the horror elements in favour for more action .The series had slowly shifted its focus on a more action-orientated approach; a stark contrast to the fundamental elements of survival horror.

This trend led to Resident Evil 6 which didn’t even try and conceal the fact that it was no longer a survival horror. Upon release the game was met with mediocre appraisal from fans however stole significantly well. However Capcom were not happy about losing the appeal of their fanbase and so froze all development on future games for a thorough rethink.

And in 2017 release Resident Evil 7 which refocused the series back onto horror with a change to a first person perspective and significantly less action. In a way the Resident Evil 2 remake was Capcom's way of apologising to its fanbase for past mistakes; fans had been asking for a remake since the first Resident Evil remake in 2002 with an improved story, less rigid dialogue, a complete graphical, overhaul smoother gameplay and added features such as the Crimson Head enemies. If there was to be a RE2 remake many would’ve hoped that it would have followed in the same vein as the RE1 remake...only it wasn;t quite exactly like it

Gameplay - A rejuvenated floppy disk
Unlike the RE1 remake, RE2 features an Over The Shoulder (OTS) camera perspective, although this is attributed to the action oriented games, RE2 uses clever ways to subtly make the player play in the way of the classic fix camera angle era:
Although you can move while aiming/shooting, your crosshair significantly increases so your shots are less accurate similarly when standing still your crosshair focuses into a point making your shots more accurate and increases your chances of a critical hit. This is used to emulate the classic tank controls of the original in a modern way. Additionally, RE2 subverts the typical zombie trope of “always aim[ing] for the head”. Zombies typically take 9-12 shots to the head or can even take a whole clip! it is much more efficient to cripple them in the legs or lower body and run around them.

RE2 again uses the classic survival horror elements: backtracking through claustrophobic hallways; central hubs; elaborate keys needed to unlock areas;puzzle solving; limited inventory and limiting and discouraged combat are amongst many things that make the game survival horror. Additionally, an extra sense is utilized: sound, used by the Lickers. These are mutated creatures which can only identify you by sound. So, in order to get away scot free it is necessary to walk as slowly as you can to avoid detection.

Moreover, there are many boss fights in the game, something that gives the whole story ( from a gameplay perspective) structure, everytime you beat a boss it reflects a significant hurdle being overcome, like a new stage of the game is being progressed into.

There is also a sense of intimacy added to the game, this is created by both by the environment’s ambience and atmosphere and how it reacts to you. For example, if i shoot a particular zombie in a particular spot causing a wound in that spot, the game will always remember which particular zombie has the particular wound so upon returning that particular zombie is identifiable and link directly to past actions, this instills in the player that the actions made in the present will directly affect the future.

Story (Beware 20 year old spoiler)
RE2 follows the story of Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield. The former is a rookie cop on his first day on the job.(What a first day) and the latter is the sister of the male protagonist in the first game (Chris Redfield) who comes to Racoon City to try and find out what happened to her brother. You do not need prior knowledge of the RE universe at all as it's only loosely connected to the previous entries.

These two get trapped in the city and must find a way out, along the way Leon meets Ada Wong, who in this iteration of the story is an FBI agent (although not really: she lied :( ) and is secretly a freelance agent looking for the antidote to the genetically engineered T-Virus, the virus which has caused the population to turn into zombies. And Claire meets Sherry who is the daughter of Dr Willam Burkin creator of the G virus, a new strain of the T-Virus which causes overactive mutation turning those infected into abominations. Of course at the end both Leon and Claire stumble across the Umbrella Corporations (the company behind the viruses )Lab and blow it up.
I think the reason why the re2 story holds up is that you're uncovering a mystery and has great motivation for characters.
RE2 is good because there’s an ongoing element of discovery and mystery: What is happening; why did this event happen; who's behind it and the result of it. Well the result of it is always coming after you but there is also all these third parties; such as mr x and the lickers, it’s very good because it's simple but compelling, you are discovering what the heck is happening in racoon city and you’re experiencing it along the way along with the characters, and getting introduced to new information. That, to this day, makes it a simple, effective and compelling story.

Atmosphere - Spooky
RE2 again uses the brilliant photorealistic RE engine that debuted in RE7, unfortunately words will not do it justice, These visuals are incredible. These things are better to be shown.
Furthermore, RE2 uses great sound design and ambience to give a really unsettling feeling to the player. This is also coupled with the zombie groans and moans, especially when you are walking down a long cold hallway, and you hear the reverbated groan of a zombie far in the distance, given you a sense and dread. This is only possible thanks to the brilliant RE engine.

Mr X - Tyrannical
Mr X aka T-003, is a genetically modified terminator. He is able to follow you around, open doors or even climb up stairs and is literally invincible, though it is possible to stun him temporarily though at considerable cost to ammunition. He can also be alerted when you fire a shot anywhere on the map. And will immediately start to head towards you, we are even able to hear his paranoia inducing footsteps as the draw closer and closer.

Conclusion - New Classic
Spooky, Gothic starting area - check; Limited ammo - check; Unforgiving enemies - check. This game has by far the darkest story of all Resident Evil titles.

This is a great entry point for newcomers to the series since it has the perfect blend between classic Resident Evil game mechanics and modernity

9.6/10 - A must play!