I don’t dislike this game, however I don’t love it like most people seem to.

I recall not being a big fan of the way the game looks, in particular how dark it is. I don’t really know how to explain it; the darkness felt like more of a nuisance than something that enhances the spook factor. And it’s pretty washed out, too. Not terribly pleasing to look at.

Mr. X is pretty easy to just run around or away from; he’s too slow to be a much of a threat, and his omnipresence just makes him bothersome to deal with. I think the way he moves fast in unloaded rooms and whatnot is a little annoying too.

I think the separate campaigns are extremely under-utilised. The zapping system from the original isn’t expanded upon at all, and the B run gives rise to a ton of continuity errors. Continuity between the two campaigns was also questionable in the original, but there was enough differentiation between them to distract from it. Here, you don’t even get different boss fights until the end. And the new playable Ada and Sherry sections I found rather mundane.

I’m not too sure how to feel about zombies being able to follow you into other rooms. I know it was a thing in RE1 Remake; it happened so rarely though, so when it did happen it was a genuine shock. It happens all the time in 2 Remake and it sorta felt like I was unintentionally being discouraged from exploration. (This is definitely something I’d have to experience again—perhaps I’d like it now.)

It’s the music in RE2 Remake that’s possibly the greatest transgression. The original’s perfect soundtrack is almost completely scrapped in favour of one that’s so low key, it might as well not be there at all. As such, the game is sorely lacking in atmosphere. The most frustrating part is that the new, late game action tracks are fucking excellent; why couldn’t the rest of the soundtrack be as good?

For positives: I think the first few hours (from arriving at the police station, to the car park after the first Birkin fight) are fantastic, my qualms with the darkness and the OST aside. I’m still very sore about not having a fixed camera and pre-rendered backgrounds, but if it absolutely has to be third-person, the first few hours are about as close to a classic survival horror experience I could hope for from a modern game. Those first hours, the sewer, and the lab all excel at almost everything that survival horror should.