Don’t Expect Resident Evil 2 Remake Combat To Be Like Resident Evil 4

As explained by producers during an interview, Resident Evil 4 was an action game first and foremost, while Resident Evil 2 was definitely a different beast, and this will be reflected in the remake despite the things they look to have in common.

Resident Evil 2 remake was awarded the best of show prize at E3 2018, and from the gameplay that was showcased (and played) at the event it really seemed like Resident Evil 4 in the way it looks and feels.

Capcom has indeed opted for an over-the-shoulder view which clearly resembles that survival horror masterpiece, that, anyway, was quite different from the Resident Evil 2 game we’ve all fallen in love.

As explained by producers Yoshiaki Hirabayashi and Tsuyoshi Kanda during an interview with GameReactor, Resident Evil 4 was an action game first and foremost, while the second title in the franchise was definitely a different beast, and this will be reflected in the remake despite the things they look to have in common.

“I really want to make sure that everyone knows that just because the game is in an over-the-shoulder perspective, a third-person perspective, it’s not RE4,” Harabayashi said.

“RE4 was over-the-shoulder but at a conceptual level it was designed to be more of a shooter game, so you had plenty of ammo and you were constantly moving forward through the gameplay, but Resident Evil 2, the new game, it is over-the-shoulder but in terms of gameplay experience it’s a classic survival horror like Resident Evil 1 to 3 – the originals – were. Going to that perspective doesn’t just mean the gameplay’s going to be Resident Evil 4 style, and that’s reflected in the combat as well. It’s more of an old-school style than a Resident Evil 4 style shooter.”

“That means that of course the combat features heavy resource management style of classic survival horror games,” Kanda added.

“You’re not gonna have that many bullets, so you’re gonna have to decide for every zombie you meet: do you wanna take it on and fight or do you wanna run away and strategically save your bullets for another time? It’s also got that backtracking, Metroidvania style of exploration in from the old games, so the combat style is definitely more the classic mould.”

Resident Evil 2 is coming to PC, PS4 and Xbox One on January 25, 2019.