Resident Evil 2 (2019) Review
Played on Xbox One (base)
Developed by Capcom
Released 25th January 2019
Resident Evil 2 is a staple within the survival horror world, having its presence, impact and legacy still felt to this day by games that try to emulate it, ever since its 1998 release. So when Capcom announced this remake of the fan-favourite, the hype was clearly undying. This 2019 remake was originally considered to be released alongside the 2002 remake of the first game, however, Shinji Mikami didn't want to divert the developmental attention and resources away from Resident Evil 4 and thus has allowed for this incredible modern reimagining of the series, marking a continuous remaking cycle of other Resident Evil games as seen with the most recent Resident Evil 3 remake.
Story
The Resident Evil 2 Remake isn't just a graphical update to the familiar brilliance of the original, but a masterpiece in its own right. The story follows either Leon S Kennedy or Claire Redfield (player's choice) as they traverse the infested areas of Racoon City. The narrative slightly differs depending on which of the two you initially pick, but not to a large degree. As the two progress through vicious areas like the monstrous police station or the despairing labs, you'll discover more and more about this city-wrecking incident. I was incredibly interested and immersed in the narrative as most of its moments served as horror spectacles or action climaxes. I mostly enjoyed the near claustrophobic start as it did a brilliant job of unsettling the shit out of me, and I'm mildly infuriated that the last third of the game served as more of an action-horror than survival horror. Still great action, but incomparable to the terror.
Gameplay
The gameplay is splendid. The tense feeling and sense of false security are what most survival horrors simply attempt, but with this game, it is mastered. This is due to the most horrifying antagonist I've ever seen: Mr X. This imminent threat to your survival is amazing in all its glory. Trying to solve a logical puzzle in this game that is displayed through the well-made level design, before suddenly hearing shotgun-like pounding and heavy stomps nearing you has made me admittedly shit myself out of pure fear more than once. My main problem with Mr X, however, is that he does not appear as often as I had hoped. It's odd because at one point I’d wished the sections with him would end as soon as possible, but I also wished that more sections like those appeared. The want for them to end quickly is purely from the overriding sensation of fear, amongst the enjoyment, going, into overcharge and my mind being unable to handle the amount of love I found for the game.
The other aspects of the game are also fantastic. As mentioned earlier, the puzzles have a plausible solution to them that doesn't require guides. They're made even better by the intricate level design that is enjoyable to traverse. The game becomes even better with that terror that you have built up from knowing you'll only barely survive most situations. This occurs with tough inventory management and resource scarcity. Not knowing whether a single bullet fired would've been better used in an upcoming area or right now is a strangely entertaining feeling. This applies even more so to the other adversaries of the game.
The terrifying zombies in this game are relentless, empowering, and won't go down easy, often implying that avoiding a fight is better for the player. Other enemies like the Lickers instil an even greater sense of despair with their rapid and deadly movements which make for some incredibly tense moments. The easily accessible UI (User Interface) in the form of the map and inventory is also a great touch.
However, I do have some slight complaints about the gameplay. Leon's weapons are basic: way too basic. A pistol, shotgun, Magnum and flamethrower are decent by themselves, but compared to Claire's grenade launcher, Revolver and more, it feels like Leon was scammed with his arsenal. Additionally, the movement is rigid. While it achieves the suffocating and hopeless feeling it endeavoured to convey, it makes for some frustrating moments when trying to avoid getting grabbed. Finally, the last section of the game frustratingly removes a small amount of that initial fear factor and survival management that I loved in the first part of the game, by essentially gifting the player with rooms full of ammo, gunpowder, herbs for healing, and grenades.
Bossfights
The boss fights are great. While in actual gameplay, they serve only as intimidating bullet sponges, in terms of aesthetics, they're awesome. The game doesn't consist of many boss fights; four to be exact, and although they're located more towards the end, the build-up for them is marvellous. The fights themselves stand at another level. Without spoiling anything, these horrific-looking creatures that you sink your bullets into have an appearance that coincides more with Bloodborne or the upcoming Scorn. Essentially they look like behemoths of monstrosities that feel like they haven't been used to their maximum potential. These visual and audible designs get somewhat wasted by performing one easily-telegraphed attack before being open to get sprayed with bullets. Understandably, Resident Evil is not a boss fight simulator like Dark Souls or Hollow Knight, but the thought that these envisioned boogeymen aren't as impacting as they could've been doesn't sit well with me.
Characters
Luckily, the characters aren't one-dimensional. Instead of the bad voice acting and monotonous character sheet of the original, we get to see fully-fledged characters. These are most definitely not The Last of Us or God of War level developed and thought out, however, they're not basic or generic; they're just enjoyable to watch. Occasionally, characters like Leon or Ada will strike with a semi-cliche "save the world" attitude which got annoying real quick, but despite that, the interactions between characters were very genuine and did not overstay their welcome.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere of this game is impeccable. The opportunity to see the progressive decay of the city as you go along the story was one of my favourite visuals alongside the bosses. Other than being optically appealing, the game also packs a punch with its sound effects. The desperate snarling of the zombies, the insect scattering of the Lickers, the pounding rain, and the nightmarish boots of Mr X are fantastic bonuses to the atmosphere. However, the shots from your acquired weaponry often sounded tame compared to what I expected, which only slightly dampened the experience. The soundtrack also does have a distilling factor of emphasising the terror in a situation, but not to a level of remembrance that haunted me for days after the game.
Story - 8.5/10
Gameplay - 9/10
Bossfights - 7.5/10
Characters - 7/10
Atmosphere - 8.5/10
Great
A phenomenal way to experience survival horror, only dragged down by minuscule flaws.
