The Resident Evil franchise has had a tumultuous and declining history regarding its scare-factor: as the graphics got better, the horror – strangely enough – got worse, shifting more towards action spectacles with zombies and the odd fright on the side. That was until recent years, with a franchise invigoration beginning with the excellent and intensely horrifying Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.
Its title suggests a return to form, with Biohazard being the Japanese name of the franchise. With this entry, Resident Evil entered a formative renaissance, returning to the masterpiece-hailed horror it was made for. Shortly after this release came the anticipated revitalisation of Resident Evil 2, the gaming classic that truly put the franchise on the map in its GameCube days.
This industry-shaping remake, unlike the action-packed zombie slaughterfests that soon began to follow it such as Resident Evil 5 and 6, is the ultimate Halloween night experience: a short, sweet and edge-of-your-seat scary return to form set deep within the gothic claustrophia of the Raccoon City Police Station – arguably gaming’s most iconic horror landscape.
What truly makes this game great from a horror perspective is the strangling feel of its environments and resource management. You’ll never enter any situation with 100% confidence in your survival: a premeditative intention by the developers born of the thin and narrow hallways and small, condensed inventory that define every step and decision made.
This is made particularly true as the experience unravels. The opening hours, exploring the puzzling mysteries of the police station, not only crowd you with less intimidating foes – simply some sluggish but still bloodthirsty infected – but also provide you with the sanctity of allies and ammunition. Interactions with the game’s friendly faces differ depending on who you play, whether it be the witty and simply iconic rookie cop Leon Kennedy or the skilled survivor Claire Redfield, searching for her M.I.A. brother Chris from the first game.
Nevertheless, the differing warmths of these companions rapidly metamorphose into ice-cold unbridled fear as you delve deeper into the bowels of the police station, quickly becoming more horrifying than what its surface suggests. Foes like the infamous and utterly terrifying Mr. X stampede angrily after you through the slender hallways of the station and torment with their very presence. It’s impossible to capture in words the immersive, intensifying dread of hearing his footsteps drown out your ears, knowing turning around to tangibly verify his location will only slow down your escape from this fancily-dressed but uniquely unnerving tyrant born of Umbrella Corporation’s malevolence.
It’s not all scares, though; like any good classic horror experience, there’s fun and often-times camp, exaggerative comedy that has become emblematic of a franchise memed for its excess theatrics. Alongside the humour comes the entertaining satisfaction of awesome, heavy-handed weapons to extend your lifespan against a police station swarmed with the hungry undead, though you won’t last long when that ammo runs out. Between the scorching heat of a flamethrower or the head-exploding beauty of the shotgun that becomes your most trusted ally, Capcom’s design philosophy strikes a great balance between making you terrified and tense in spite of your arsenal’s strength.
Resident Evil 2 is available on all platforms and is the quintesential revitalisation of a horror classic to occupy your Halloween gaming. Coupled also with a roughly 6-hour length that makes the title very student-friendly and there’s no reason not to dive into Raccoon City’s zombie-ravaged nightmare. That is, unless you don’t like horror or something, in which case you may’ve read the wrong article!
