Resident Evil 2 remake review: An amazing horror survival game

Recent updates have divided fans but this new release ticks all the boxes and the good news is you don’t need to have played it before.

The sequel drops on January 25, so get your trigger fingers ready.

Ready for a terrifying experience that will make you drop your controller in horror but still keep you coming back for more? Whether you love or hate scary games, you need to play Resident Evil 2, which is easily one of the best horror survival games on the market.

Zombies have been dominating the horror landscape for years, and Resident Evil 2 brings a breath of fresh air to the increasingly stale genre and actually makes the undead scary again. While the recent entries in the franchise have divided the fan base, this remake really takes the series back to its roots.

The remake is near perfect, really doing justice to the original, while still making huge changes and introducing features. Despite the series being more than 20-years-old, it still manages to feel entirely new, which makes for a great experience. If you’re playing for the first time don’t worry, you don’t need to have played any other Resident Evil games to understand what’s going on.

Resident Evil 2 gives the increasingly stale genre a fresh breath of life.

Resident Evil 2 follows either Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield as they fight their way through the zombie infested Racoon City Police Station, trying to escape the undead outbreak. Both characters are more or less the same for most of the initial play through, with different weapons, supporting characters and stories towards the end. While some of the dialogue is a bit cheesy, the strong story, voice acting and serious tone of the narrative more than makes up for it.

After finishing the game, you are able to play as the other character to see a different perspective of the game. This is an interesting feature, but it does mean that you need to almost replay parts of the game to get the complete story.

Although I don’t usually dabble in horror games, Resident Evil 2 had me hooked immediately, keeping me on the edge of my seat for the entire game. There was a constant feeling of dread and paranoia, but I was also determined to finish and explore everything, despite knowing a jump scare could be just around the corner.

The sequel drops on January 25, so get your trigger fingers ready.

The scare factor is enough for horror fans to be on the edge of their seats, while not overwhelming casual or new players. The switch to the new Resident Evil game engine uses completely different camera angles to the original, with an over the shoulder view adding to the suspense. Turning a corner and coming face-to-face with a zombie or the Tyrant character can definitely make your heart skip a beat. The Tyrant will show up at key moments, his footsteps getting louder and louder as he closes in on you, building the suspense.

Being a survival horror game, resources and bullets are limited, as is your inventory space, so careful item management is needed. Players should not be afraid to run away from enemies if they have to, as it could be the only way to survive at times (especially if you hear footsteps approaching!).

The run time is not too long, only taking me about eight hours to finish the first time around, but after a year of emotionally draining games like Red Dead Redemption 2, I think short and sweet here is a good thing. Plus Capcom has confirmed more content will be coming, with new stories called ‘The Ghost survivors’ as a free update for the game. In a time when developers are increasingly trying to drain every cent out of you, giving away free content is a great service to the fan base. You go Capcom!

The second instalment honours the original, while also making a number of necessary changes that will please veteran fans.

VERDICT

This is a remake done right. Resident Evil 2 really honours the original, while also making a number of necessary changes that will please veteran fans, as well as opening the franchise to new players. This is one of the best survival horror games out there, managing to terrify you, while still keeping you engrossed in the story. Scares lurk around every corner, and the game perfectly builds suspense, especially with its background music and sounds.

Resident Evil 2 hits the shelves from January 25th 2019, and is well worth a purchase as it’s arguably the best release of the year so far.

Rating: 4.5/5

Wilson Smith is a gaming writer for news.com.au. Continue the conversation with him on Twitter at @wilson_smithDT

Originally published as Resident Evil 2 remake review: An amazing horror survival game