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the deadly G-virus that’s caused the city-wide
zombie outbreak.
For some reason the station was converted
from an old museum, which means it’s a
twisting, turning building full of old-fashioned
idiosyncrasies. Bizarre puzzles lie behind peculiar
lock mechanisms, and you often find yourself
juggling several areas of interest as you zig-zag
your way between rooms avoiding the legions of
the undead. You rarely feel like you’re completely
lost, however, and enough routes from room to
room open up to give you options for how best
to tackle your checklist.
On the map, rooms you’ve fully explored turn
a different colour from those still hiding secrets
so you always know where to direct your
attention, as well as noting types of locks, things
you’ll want to investigate later like a crank
missing a handle, and items you might not have
had room to pick up on your first pass-through.
Unlike the ultimately more linear (though still
fab) Resident Evil VII, the different strands
of investigation mean you have to do somecareful inventory management
while taking care not to miss
anything. You absolutely need
to milk your bullets and health
for all they’re worth because
the game takes you by surprise
time and time again.TONGUE TIED
What’s brilliant is the
wonderful way the game
unfolds step by step. As you
make your way through,
mastery of the environment is
always just beyond reach. Just
when you think you’ve started
to get a handle on it, things
change. You really get the
feeling that the city is slipping
further and further into chaos
as time passes, and new threats
are thrown at you.
Much worse than your
average zombie stalks the halls.
Lickers begin to infest the
corridors, climbing on walls
and ceilings, ready and waiting
to ruin your day with their
slobbery tongues – but only if
they hear you. Then there’s theTyrant, an absolutely relentless
behemoth who pursues you
tirelessly after you encounter
him. If you’ve played the
original game, you might think
you know the Tyrant, but think
again. As unstoppable as ever,
the heavy thunk of his walk
echoes from nearby rooms
as he draws ever closer. Is he
above you? In the next room
over? You do not feel safe.
All these things throw some
serious stress your way, but
what’s amazing is that it’s still
underscored by those regular
zombies which, to be honest,
are far from basic. Grim, nasty,
oozing in many cases... getting
jumped by one when you
get sloppy is always going to
cause you serious problems,
no matter where you are in the
game. At no point in Resident
Evil 2 can you afford to get too
confident, and that’s horror
genius. For every inch you claw
back against the nightmare,
Resident Evil 2 pulls you down
another two. It might be the“YOU WILL YELP, YOU WILL
SCREAM, YOU WILL SHOUT
VERY LOUD RUDE WORDS.”
Right Alligators
in the sewers?
Some enemies
may be absurd,
but always
cause a thrill.Flames are cleansing,
though your flame-
spewing ammo will
be limited (just like all
other resources).Left Get used
to mixing and
matching your
“herbs” for
“healing” (don’t
waste them!)