Gamescom 2018: Resident Evil 2 Remake makes quite an impression

I got to play a demo of Resident Evil 2 Remake at Gamescom 2018. Claire Redfield was the playable character and she was equipped with a pistol, an Uzi and a grenade launcher. Resident Evil 2 remake plays like a modern action/horror game with an over the shoulder camera.

The game is dark, and you must rely on a flashlight to see anything at all in some areas. I spent some time finding more ammo/healing items which are stored in slots in your inventory. Every time you would pick up something, whether it is a new item or just more bullets, the inventory page would open page and ask you to slot it. Even if you were just picking up ammo of the same type, you would have to click on the same ammo type and then select an option to stack them. I am not sure if there was any option to quickly equip at least more ammo, but it became annoying as the menu kept disturbing the flow of the game, especially during a shootout.

Nevertheless, Resident Evil 2 is an extremely tense game. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, as I carefully moved through the narrow paths. I got lost a couple of times, but was always reward with more useful items. There is a boss fight extremely early on in the demo where you are required to run around and focus your shots at the enemy’s weakpoint. Aiming is difficult by design and you must be extremely careful about the timing. Missing is not an option as it takes a while for the reticle to be stable again. Claire can jog, which isn’t that much of a help, but at least you can get to the other side, collect more supplies and aim your shots. The enemy deals a lot of damage and you can enter a hurt state extremely easily. If you are caught, you can use either a knife or a grenade to get out.

My first encounter ended badly and I got killed, but I had already used up my grenade launcher earlier so lacked the firepower to take him out. The second time, I had a good recollection of where the ammo or healing items were and was able to take him out without much of a trouble. Even then, the encounter sequence is well designed and gives you no room to breathe. The tension present in Resident Evil 2 remake is hard to explain without playing. I think it has to do with the camera angle, which is up close and personal, to the point where its hard to much outside of directly in front you. That adds this extra layer of dread, both when you can or cannot see the enemy  attacking you. I had a few gripes with QOL features in the game, but hopefully they can be rectified in the final release. Other than that, Resident Evil 2 is a faithful re-creation of a Capcom classic.

By: Parth Bagaria

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