When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead will be remade in 4K. Here’s our review of the revived Resident Evil 2…
Inventory management, staring at map screens, and paying careful attention to how many bullets you have left (it’s usually ‘not enough’): Resident Evil 2’s 2019 remake can be boiled down to elements like these without being too facetious. On one hand, it’s a fine nod back to the 1998 original, of which this is a complete remake – not a remaster, not a mere update. On the other hand, it’s the kind of thing – when you describe it as a space-managing, map-staring, bullet-fretting exercise in paying attention – that makes Resident Evil 2 sound… shall we say, ‘uninspiring’. And yet, Resident Evil 2 is the best since the series began.
That’s all down to the simple fact, as simple as something like this could ever be, that Capcom has entirely captured the spirit of the original. The oppressive atmosphere of working your way through a claustrophobic police station, knowing full well the city around you has gone to hell, is present and accounted for. The giddy terror of being jump-scared out of your boots by a licker dropping in from above is just as pulse-wrecking as it ever was. And, in so very many ways, the modern Resident Evil 2 ups the ante – not least of which through its very smart, very frightening use of one particular enemy: the Tyrant.
You might fight off most zombies in relative comfort, choosing to inflict a bit of damage before skirting around the edges of a room and moving on to save ammo. You might sneak past those lickers, or throw a few bullet-bones for the undead pooches littering the place. But, at certain points in the game, there’s an ever present stomp-stomp-stomp, reminding you and your blood pressure that there’s a more serious threat on its way. And he is always on his way. The Tyrant, to borrow a fitting phrase, will not stop, ever, until you are dead. That’s quite a lot of pressure to have to deal with.
But there is respite to be had, and that’s what pushes you on: the desire to be safe. To get this over with and escape. Resident Evil 2 manages to make you feel as desperate and flustered as its protagonists, Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy – no mean feat.
So, you invest in it, it draws you in, and the more it draws you in, the more the recipe works. Before you know it, Resident Evil 2 has you perched on the edge of your seat, lights down low, headphones firmly in place, begging it not to scare you again. You just need to make it to the next area; to find that key to move on and get one step closer to safety. Stomp-stomp-stomp.
Problems rear their heads, and no playthrough is free from feelings of slight irritation every now and then. The backtracking might be accurate to Resident Evil’s past – and that of survival horror in general – but it really does feel like a waste of time. It’s also striking just how linear your movement is, with extraordinarily few occasions in which you’re able to even mantle, and even fewer where you can climb things (at least without a ladder).
Enemies can sometimes feel unfair with regards to how often, how quickly and how accurately they can grab/attack… puzzles are often illogical (though obvious) at best… Look, we’re clutching at straws – nothing is ruinous, and most of it does just hark back to what Resident Evil 2 was to begin with.
It’s not a free running simulator, it isn’t a series of logical physics-based puzzles, and the threat of the zombie (et al) hordes is meant to scare and frustrate. So it’s a flimsy argument to say this brings the experience down in any real way, as my irritation at any of these factors quickly drifted away.
One aspect I’m not so forgiving of is the way in which the first and second scenarios intersect and impact one another – or, I should say, how they don’t. In the original, the A and B scenario for each character saw plenty of moments replayed from a different angle, fundamentally different routes taken and – importantly – decisions made in A directly impacting the situation in B.
While there is bisection between the first and second stories in this remake, generally it’s just another playthrough of the main game with the odd different route thrown in. Puzzles are largely the same, items required are the same, and beyond a few notes from the other character, there’s little to show you’re working your way through the story parallel to them. And the lack of impact between the two runs is jarring, coming from a Resi 2 vet: having to weigh up whether or not to grab the machine gun in your playthrough of A – knowing it would mean it wouldn’t be there for the character in the more difficult B – was a genuinely tough choice.
Again though, it’s not ruinous. It just couldn’t be. Resident Evil 2 manages to expertly straddle the line between homage and entirely new game, and in both respects it’s a huge success. It feels old, but plays new; it carries the imagery of the original, but looks spectacular by 2019’s standards. Resident Evil 2 makes a fantastic case for the importance of revisiting – and honouring – gaming’s past, while at the same time not overshadowing or forgetting about the original. It is, in short, bloody brilliant.
Highlight
It was always going to be the Tyrant, wasn’t it? Mr. X himself is nothing less than panic-inducing, relentlessly pursuing the player and leaving very few areas actually safe – even some you would think have to be. Come your third or fourth playthrough, this stomping monstrosity still manages to wedge your heart at the very top of your throat.
Verdict
As a remake, it’s glorious. As its own thing, it’s brilliant. A stellar effort by Capcom.
86%
Genre: Survival Horror
Format: PS4 (tested) / XBO / PC
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Price: £44.99
Release: Out now
