When Resident Evil 2 released in 1998, it had to follow up on a game that defined a new genre of horror. Not only did it manage to improve the formula, it went on to be what many people consider the best game in the series. After a long stretch with no new information besides âitâs coming,â weâve finally seen Resident Evil 2âs remake in action, and itâs very different from the original.
Resident Evil 2 follows rookie cop Leon Kennedy and survivor Claire Redfield as they are caught in a zombie outbreak in the fictional Raccoon City. The pair hole up in the cityâs police department and are eventually drawn into a B-movie plotâs worth of evil scientists and freaky monsters. I wasnât at E3 this year and regrettably didnât get to play the game myself. I have a long, fond history with the Resident Evil series, and looking over the footage and gameplay coming out of E3, Iâm finding that where I was originally skeptical, Iâm now excited.
One of the things I appreciated about the Resident Evil Remake (affectionately called REmake by fans) was how it retained most of the original design of the source material. Full game remakes werenât as common when REmake released on the Gamecube in 2002, and instead of try to drastically changes the game, it was mostly about new content that built upon the original. REmake still had tank controls and pre-rendered backgrounds, keeping the gameplay the same while sneaking in fresh additions. The Resident Evil 2 remake takes a different approach and completely reimagines how the game plays.
The biggest change is the perspective. Resident Evil 2âs remake embraces an over the shoulder camera style similar to Resident Evil 4, allowing players to control Leon or Claire with much more fluidity. Iâm a big fan of how tank controls work in Resident Evil; they stifle movements and make dodging enemies consistently tense. Seeing the camera change in RE2âs remake was disheartening at first, but watching the game in action is changing my mind. Zombies seem particularly nasty, able to withstand tons of bullets and lunge quickly at Leon if they get close. Quite a few gameplay demos Iâve watch have shown players sneaking around enemies instead of engaging, and I enjoy the idea that the Raccoon City Police Department will always remain dangerous. Resident Evil 2âs action looks quick and thereâs plenty of gunplay, but the increased enemy toughness should keep things from feeling too safe.
Iâve also noticed how bloody the game is. Resident Evil 7 leaned into grindhouse violence, and Resident Evil 2âs demo shows an equally gleeful use of gore. This time, itâs less The Devilâs Rejects and more Day of the Dead. Shotgun blasts can peel the skin from a zombies face, police officers are torn apart at the waist, and itâs even possible to shoot at limbs until they stretch apart into a sinewy mess, bones clattering to the floor. Resident Evilâs always had its share of decapitations and torn throats, but Resident Evil 2âs increased visual fidelity really helps the gore shine. I canât wait to see what happens if Mr. X or the mutant crocodile lays hands on the player.
The Resident Evil 2 remake seems to pull heavily from many of the different projects involving Leon Kennedy. The camera recalls Resident Evil 4, while the dark environmentâwhich requires a flashlight to properly traverseâcalls to mind the âHook Manâ concept video for that game, which was a Resident Evil 4 prototype game set in a dark mansion. Seeing Leon wander the dark RPD halls feels like a long term validation for that concept, which relied heavily of light and shadows. This is a dark game, and if Resident Evil 2 takes advantage of that, it could be make for tense encounters and exploration.
I wasnât sure about the Resident Evil 2 remake when I saw the reveal trailer at Sonyâs E3 2018 press conference. Iâm a sentimental fool who would have preferred a very literal remake, without much risk taken or changes made. But watching the gameplay in action, Iâm intrigued. The designers seem to be assembling a devious little Frankensteinâs monster, cobbling together pieces of various games and aiming to unite them into a game that matches the originalâs reputation. So far, it looks like theyâre on the right track.
