Resident Evil 2 Remake (Review/Analysis)

Developer: Capcom

Release Date: January 2019

The Resident Evil series in general has been the main influence and pioneer of the video game horror genre for years and continues to be, showing us that old dogs can learn new tricks and sometimes overhauling old dated mechanics can help push a game into a modern accessible light that previously was not possible. I think the ability to create a game that satisfies both fans of the original old school survival horror genre and the more modern over-the-shoulder action oriented Resident Evils like RE4, RE5 etc. is a great achievement in itself. The game manages to revive an arguably dying genre (survival horror) and successfully bring it forward in a modern way without alienating hardcore fans in the process and still retaining its core “essence”, that being survival horror and a powerful atmosphere. The game has also basically set the new standards/benchmark for what a “remake” of a video game can be and what it can achieve. No longer will developers be able to just up-res some textures, call it a remake and get away with it. Thanks to RE2, gamers can come to expect a lot more from developers if they are actually going to take time out of making new games to do a remake, to actually make it a worthwhile venture. Capcom has remade RE2 so extremely that it almost feels like an entirely new game altogether, yet still retaining the original identity and essence of the original 1998 game. On top of all this, the RE engine is put to incredible use and everything looks beautiful, disgustingly beautiful in all its gorey glory. The lighting is used to great effect and creates a fantastically dark atmosphere that begs to be explored with your flashlight. Zombies are rotting masses of flesh, with half their faces falling off, missing lips bearing their blood soaked teeth and soulless white eyes. The sound design is astounding as well, with Zombies having possibly the most realistic and terrifying screams and moans I’ve ever heard in a video game or even movie for that matter.

Being a massive RE fan (of both the original survival horror titles and the third-person titles) I was initially worried when finding out that they were doing away with the fixed camera angles of the past. The original RE1 remake was faithful to the original a kept the fixed camera angles and the game was fantastic and terrifying. My main concern was that with doing away with the fixed camera angles, they would lean more towards player empowerment and the tension of not knowing what was behind the corner would be lost. Amazingly, Capcom has managed to successfully implement the third-person camera without losing the tense atmosphere of the previous games. There were definitely plenty of moments that made my heart race and palms sweat when I played through this game either from well planned jump scares, the tense oppressive atmosphere or a particularly strong enemy pursuing you without any intention of letting you escape (Mr X/Tyrant).

All enemies felt like a genuine threat and you were always faced with the dilemma of “do I try take out this enemy by using a ton of my precious ammo or do I take my chances and try run by them, hoping they don’t sink their teeth into me?”. Main mechanics are player movement, player health, enemy movement, enemy health, camera movement, gun aiming, item collection, item combining/analysing, puzzle solving and shooting your gun. Puzzles were of reasonable difficulty and nothing was so hard that I felt anyone would need a guide for, which made me kind of wish they came up with some tougher puzzles or possibly the puzzles were harder if the difficulty was turned up. Nonetheless, the tried and true RE formula of collecting resources and key items, exploring your environment, solving puzzles, fighting enemies/bosses all while trying not to be brutally killed in the process never gets old and left me wanting more by the end. The game did feel like it was over a bit too soon, especially if you have played the original 1998 RE2 and know the general flow of the game (RPD, Sewers, NEST). Also the giant spiders and the giant moth boss from the original did not make a return but literally everything else from the 1998 original did which shows the developers have great respect for the original and worked hard to bring it forward in a modern way. Overall the game received glowing reviews and sold extremely well, there is also a rich speedrunning community surrounding the game, with top players being able to beat the main game in an incredible 55 minutes!

While the game is relatively new it will no doubt pave the way for setting new standards in what we can come to expect from remakes of games and that remaking games doesn’t have to be a lazy cash grab, it can actually be a revival of a series that sparks new interest and gains new followers that possibly never knew about it in the first place. A remake done well can be both a nostalgic experience AND a new one, surprising old players and bringing in new ones all at once.