Capcom has a history of taking their games and recreating them in a way that respects the original release while injecting new ideas to elevate the game’s ideas. Most notably, Resident Evil was recreated for the Gamecube, turning up the fear and highlighting the game’s fixed camera angles. This love and attention to detail seems to be at play for the remake of Resident Evil 2. Resident Evil 2 was an instant classic, riding off of the energy of a phenomenal PlayStation release. From there, the PlayStation became a comfortable home for an entire genre of survival horror that was picked up by other studios after the success of Resident Evil. While many are predicting the success of the remake of Resident Evil 2, Capcom solidified that prediction with a short demo.
Called the One-Shot Demo, due to it only giving the player a single 30-minute session, this quick peek at the game instantly creates a more intense feeling of dread into the police station. It is absolutely wild to see a young Leon hesitantly braving the darkness on his first day on the force being beautifully rendered in the RE Engine that was used for Resident Evil 7. Lighting is incredible and many areas of the game now feature more darkness which really shows off the engine. This change in lighting completely re-establishes a level of terror that many players felt all of those years ago.
That’s probably the biggest change between the original game and this remake; Resident Evil 2 is scary again.
Gore has been elevated once again. Where Resident Evil 7 wore inspirations of American slasher films, this rendition of Resident Evil 2 seems to capture zombie classics. Each tendon or shred of skin is perfectly rendered, making it hard to look away. The gore is realistic enough to instill disgust, but there is art to it as well. This is coupled with some pretty incredible sound design that can assist the player’s awareness, especially if they’re wearing headphones. Each growl and drip of water works to raise the hairs on a player’s neck and when fully engaged with it the intensity can be fierce.
Gameplay feels more akin to Resident Evil 4 but oddly takes the best out of moving around in Resident Evil 6 without all of the flopping on the ground and rolling around. Rather than the camera being fixed to the back portion of the player, there is more movement available which allows for better perception of the space and where the character is. Tight spaces are accentuated and the camera rarely got in the way of exploring. It feels different than most modern Resident Evil games but instantly felt familiar.
Resource management also gets some extra things to consider. The player’s knife used to be a handy tool that experts could use to get through the entire game, but now they can break and get stuck in an enemy. The moment I buried my blade into a zombie’s neck only to have it stumble away leaving me empty handed was one of realization and shock that this was different. There are also early moments in the demo that allow for boarding up windows, which never really came into play, but did slow down a few zombies. More importantly, I hoped the boards would hinder the jump-scare-tastic dogs, but I never saw them in my time with the demo.
At the end of the demo, there is a quick promotional video that plays highlighting everyone’s favorite faceless soldier HUNK as well as the silly Tofu. This leads us to believe that the RE2 remake will include all of the additional story paths and playable special modes that beefed out the original game. Hopefully, there will be some new surprises as well!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb2UYq2Yq70
While this was an extremely short look at the upcoming game, there is a lot to be excited about for longtime fans and newcomers seeking a thrill. Personally, I fell in love with the entire Resident Evil franchise after braving through RE4 which absolutely terrified me as a teen. Since then I’ve been picking up every major release and more recently I consider Resident Evil 7 one of the best horror games ever made even if the DLC chapters could have been better. Obviously, I’m a huge fan of these games. Yet, I can easily point out low points in the series and huge mistakes by Capcom.
Thankfully, Resident Evil 2 looks like it’s going to blow players away and I am counting down the days to enter the world of survival horror once again.
For anyone with memories of Resident Evil 2, this is a must-purchase title. For those looking for a well-crafted horror experience with enough extra content for repeat playthroughs, I can easily put some faith behind this release. Of course, I’ll have more thoughts when the game releases, but until then this is one to keep an eye on. Don’t let Kingdom Hearts 3 overshadow this one, although I’m also really excited for that one.
For more on Resident Evil 2, check out the official website. For more scary gameplay but for different reasons, check out our review of Fallout 76 or the latest Daddy Gamer episode on Oxenfree.
