Resident Evil 2

Resident Evil 2 is a re-release of the classic action-horror Resident Evil 2 (1998) from 1998 with a third-person perspective. The events of the sequel unfold two months after the ending of Resident Evil HD Remaster.

A catastrophe occurs in the small American town of Raccoon City. All its residents have turned into zombies due to biological weapons created by the pharmaceutical company Umbrella. The main characters — Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield must find a way out of this zombie madness.

This is not just a simple re-release, but a significantly revised original game with new mechanics, content, and quests, along with modernized graphics. At the same time, it carefully transfers levels, important moments, and maintains the style. Capcom avoids calling it a remake, considering it a full-fledged new part of the famous series, while simultaneously bringing the concept of the original Resident Evil 2 (1998) to a modern level.

The project was worked on by 800 people, who used the RE Engine, which has proven itself in Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, much of the content was made from scratch, and the remaining was significantly improved. The game levels underwent substantial changes and can surprise even veterans of the series. The developers also created many new puzzles, locations, and secrets.

Unlike modern games, the action of Resident Evil 2 does not take place in an open world. Instead, players can explore several main, carefully crafted locations connected by short sleeve-like locations.

Each main location is tied to certain events, filled not only with enemies but also with useful items and equipment. The artists create an atmosphere of hopelessness and fear through total darkness, eerie sounds, regularly encountered blood trails, bodies and their parts, as well as very limited space.

Due to narrow corridors, rooms blocked by various furniture, and cramped conditions in general, firearms lose their effectiveness, allowing zombies to easily reach the player. They are the main opponents, but periodically the player is tormented by various creatures mutated by the T- and G-viruses.

Resident Evil 2 has one storyline, which is told through two protagonists — Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, each having their own story arc with some common moments. To fully complete the game, you need to play as both Leon and Claire.

Each also has their unique abilities in gameplay, and some puzzles can only be solved by one of the characters. Enemies not killed during the first playthrough may appear during the second. Leon and Claire also use different weapons.

However, this pair is far from the only survivors in Raccoon City; as the game progresses, the player will encounter a whole series of important characters. Dialogues as such are absent; the heroes simply talk to each other in cutscenes rendered in the engine.

As for the plot, in the re-release it has been expanded with new dialogues and additional information, but structurally it remains unchanged. Leon and Claire want to leave the city at any cost, but they encounter a girl named Sherry, who is being pursued by a zombie mutant. Now the only way to escape is to fight through the secret underground complex of the Umbrella Corporation.

If you have never played Resident Evil 2, note that you are in for an exciting action game, full of stunning cutscenes and without annoying QTEs, featuring secret corporations and their dirty dealings, personal drama of heroes with different goals, as well as a constant threat to life.

The changes in gameplay are more than significant; the authors have clearly taken into account the success of Dead Space (2008) and Dark Souls. From the first game, it features non-trivial controls, which combined with the characters' inexperience turns aiming and shootouts into a small mini-game.

The new "Resident Evil" has increased difficulty. Survival is necessary for half the game, dodging from every shadow and frantically collecting useful items. For example, ordinary zombies can withstand several shots to the head from a pistol — after a while following the "shooting," they get up and start looking for the main character again.

The combat system has become more modern; for instance, shooting resembles that of Resident Evil 4 (2005) and subsequent sequels, but from the 7th part, the mechanics of limb shooting have been added. A skilled shooter can slow down a zombie with a single shot, which will even affect its appearance.

Zombies remain classic: they are slow and do not possess special mutations like the enemies from Resident Evil 6. However, the main characters are far from being terminators — receiving two bites will lead to the character's death.

Another interesting innovation is barricades. For example, on the first floor of the police station, there are many broken windows through which zombies constantly crawl. This can be stopped by boarding up all the problematic places.

Weapons in Resident Evil 2 can be upgraded by adding stocks, larger magazines, and other "gadgets." However, each character can carry no more than four types of weapons, which maintains balance. However, the inventory size is so small that you can't carry more anyway.