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Resident Evil 2 Remake

Game on

After the well-received Resident Evil 7, the long-running gaming franchise seemed as if it had been brought back from the dead with everyone talking about it.

What many liked about Resident Evil 7, that is its survival horror gameplay and genuinely creepy areas, was what made Resident Evil popular in the early 2000s and left many fans nostalgic about, especially after the fact that the sixth installment of Resident Evil was nothing more than a bland action zombie shooter. Thankfully, Capcom heeded the call to going back to survival horror and released Resident Evil 2 in 2019.

And what an ambitious remake it is! Trying to stay as faithful to the original; enemies, areas, puzzles and most of the story were kept the same. Except, this time the charm of Resident Evil 2 can be experienced with completely new graphics, a modern camera perspective and, of course, modern gameplay.

A fast-spreading virus has taken over Raccoon City and is possibly endangering the entire world. Once you have been infected with the virus, there is no coming back. You will turn into an aggressive zombie that is trying to turn everyone that is not infected yet. To stop the spread of the virus and to possibly save the entire world from this infection, Leon Scott Kennedy and Claire Redfield are trying everything they can to save Racoon City, while putting their own lives at risk.

In Raccoon City Leon and Claire are trapped in a police station, facing a diversity of difficulties. In fact, Resident Evil 2 Remake is not simply an easy shooter. Every move you make will have an impact on the game. At the beginning of the game you can choose between Leon’s or Claire’s side of the story. Capcom has done a great job in building up tension and pressure, due to a dark luminosity, different riddles, never knowing who or what you will face around the corner, some slight jump scares, different opponents, but most importantly Mr. X following you throughout the game. Through dark rooms, Leon and Claire have to search the whole police station with their torch in hand, encountering not only scary zombies but also dogs and lickers.

Munition has to be used wisely, very precise shots are needed, since there is not much ammunition throughout the game. By searching the police station, to find the origin of and a way to stop the spread of the virus, Leon and Claire need to be careful that they do not cause too much noise, or Mr. X will know where they hide.

Mr. X, a tall, scary man with very loud steps, will put you in distress. You need to escape him, however you are not allowed to make too much noise or he will find you, but you should not be too slow either, or he will catch you. However, in safe rooms you can rest and escape him for a moment.

These characteristics constitute great points for the game. However, the game can be quite difficult and it is not unusual to get stuck. This is the case, since there are so many rooms in the police station, where in one end of the map a code is needed, which can only be found on the other side of the map. It can be quite confusing what to do with all the information but also to find all the information and to connect it correctly.

Furthermore, besides it being difficult to keep track, there is not much munition throughout the game, making it difficult to face every opponent and it might be the case to die often.

Overall, it is a great, suspenseful, strategic and scary game that takes one on an adventure with Leon and Claire against the spread of a virus, trying to save the entire world from a pandemic.

by Jennifer Jacquemin