You are able move and shoot simultaneously, but at the cost of a massive penalty to accuracy. Gameplay, much like Resident Evil 4, has been moved to an over the shoulder perspective. This is some of the best writing and vocal work the series has ever seen and I’m hoping this level of quality continues into future entries. Meanwhile, side characters such as Marvin and Kendo provide some stellar vocal work that steal the show whenever they appear with some surprisingly emotional moments. The leads do an excellent job of portraying their characters as inexperienced survivors who eventually become iconic the badasses we remember so fondly. Leon and Claire’s banter is particularly cheesy as a nod to the classic Resident Evil games, but the vocal performances remain excellent throughout. The writing occasionally stumbles into the realm of cheesy, but it’s a bad thing either. Capcom did an incredible job in the reimagining of this classic. There’s more examples of this sprinkled throughout. Not only was this a great idea, but Marvin ended up providing some of the best emotional scenes in the entire series. Marvin Branagh, a throwaway character in the original, has been given a much larger role in the story, acting as Leon’s (or Claire’s) guide through the earliest moments inside the RCPD building. Most notably Kendo’s gun shop doesn’t appear until you’ve left the police department. Certain story sequences have been moved around. The story follows the same threads as it did twenty years ago, but with some key differences. The gameplay in the Resident Evil series has always taken a priority over story, and that’s the same in this remake. The splits between Leon and Claire, with each playthrough revealing more intricate details and filling in the blanks of the other. Kenedy and Claire Redfield as they journey into Raccoon City in the midst of a zombie outbreak caused by the familiar Umbrella Corps, a pharmaceutical company that has been experimenting with bio-weapons. There are a few weaker moments where there’s a noticeable drop in attention to detail, but these are few and far between.

Character models look great, and the animations have been vastly improved over Resident Evil VII, from characters wiping the raindrops from their jackets to the way zombies stumble around the environments. All of this works together to ramp up the atmosphere and make the world feel more real and very scary. The Raccoon City Police Department is full of detail and environmental storytelling, whilst providing some impressive volumetric lighting and the best shadows I’ve seen in recent memory. Running on the very impressive Reach for the Moon engine, or RE Engine for short, Capcom has managed to deliver a visual treat without compromising frame rates.

Resident evil 2 remake map layout