Preview: Resident Evil 2’s remake reminds you what true horror is

The Resident Evil series is over two decades old after the first game was released for the PlayStation in 1996. Since then, the series has evolved and more recently has become a first-person game, ditching its third-person roots.
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The Resident Evil series is over two decades old after the first game was released for the PlayStation in 1996. Since then, the series has evolved and more recently has become a first-person game, ditching its third-person roots.

Resident Evil 2’s remake, however, takes you back to a time when the series, and even horror in general, didn’t have to rely on jump scares or other ways to get a quick one-time thrill out of the player to scare them. Instead, it offers an atmospheric experience that lasts from start to finish.

True horror

At Gamescom, The OP was given an exclusive look at a behind-closed-doors Claire Redfield mission that wasn’t available to the public. The mission gave us our first look at one of the game’s many boss fights, as well as a glimpse into Claire’s story.

Resident Evil 2 takes you back to a time before dodge rolling and quick dodging were the norm. You have to make sure to keep a distance, turn around, and run away when you get the chance.

With no health bar and no way of knowing what we were up against, we had to constantly keep control of our ammo and run away to stay safe.

There’s no way to change your camera around, either. So when you’re running, you have no idea how far the enemy is behind you, if he’s there at all, or if he’s moved around the next corner and is just waiting for you.

This is where sound becomes your greatest ally—you can hear how far he is from you due to his trashing, giving you time to take up a vantage point for the next few shots.

Preparation is key

Resident Evil 2 returns you to the series’ roots, when every enemy could kill you with ease and conserving materials was essential.

You don’t have unlimited ammo and every shot you take needs to be worth it. Ammo is scarce, and using it haphazardly may cause you to be left with nothing to defend yourself.

Scavenging in every part of the level is your best chance of survival. You could go left toward the mission objective or you could risk going down a flight of stairs in hopes that there’s ammo, and not enemies, waiting for you.

It’s a risk, and one worth taking at times, since we were able to find a bunch of grenades and explosive ammo that proved useful in the boss fight ahead. This gave us an advantage that many others wouldn’t have if they hadn’t explored.

Tension that lasts

Capcom has created a game that strips you of all your power as a player, leaving you completely vulnerable.

Enemies or zombies could be hiding behind every corner, forcing you to constantly be on alert and cautiously check every angle of every hallway and room to make sure you’re safe. This gives you a small moment to breathe, calm yourself, and prepare to do it all over again in the next area.

Each enemy has its own weak point that players will need to exploit to come out alive, with most common zombies being killable through a headshot.

Sometimes, however, you have to ask yourself: Should I try to run past everything to conserve ammo, or should I use my last healing herb? You can never be quite sure when you might come across your next batch of ammo or items to keep you pushing forward.

There’s still a lot to look forward to with this game, too. Capcom has only revealed a fraction of the remake at the moment, but more is expected to be showcased before the game’s official release in January 2019.

Until then, however, we’ll have to wait patiently to see what else is in store for Claire and Leon Kennedy in their horrific world.


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