Another Impressive Port For The Switch 2
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/77717/resident-evil-2-remake-deluxe-edition-switch-2-review
When the Switch 2 came out, my initial question was “why?” Why give a new updated Switch that looks and arguably plays the exact same as the original model? I still bought in, hoping for a justification down the line, but over the last year I’ve been shown over and over why the Switch 2 is exactly the console I’ve been waiting for.
I reviewed the port of Resident Evil VII Biohazard for the Switch 2 earlier this year. In my review I spoke of my history with the franchise as well as how Capcom has been having a stellar run of remakes and new IP. I also raved about how impressive of a port it was. So, if we discount the cloud only versions, we are now getting the full fledged Resident Evil 2 Remake with all the grotesquely updated visuals and mechanics that came with the PlayStation 4 release in 2019.
For the uninformed, the Resident Evil series gameplay presents elaborate escape room styled puzzles set in various locations while also fighting hordes of monsters. Resident Evil 2 specifically occurs in Raccoon City, in the middle of a full on outbreak of a virus that turns people into zombies and monsters. The entire city is in utter chaos and our two protagonists, Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, are stuck in the middle of it all, trying to survive the night.
Resident Evil 2 was originally released on the OG PlayStation and has been fully remade as far as the visual designs, but also quality of life features such as auto saves and map clarity that will highlight if everything in a room has been discovered . Despite all that, the puzzle design and gameplay are still the gold standard for the series. Raccoon city is such a mysterious place to explore, and every new puzzle leaves you scratching your head until you finally come to those a-ha moments. The puzzles are clever, well thought out and always achievable. Also being a survival horror, the scares are top notch, and the item scarcity is limiting while not feeling super oppressive. For reference, I played on the normal difficulty, and while I was counting bullets and healing items, I was still ok to make a few mistakes without completely hosing my game.
Resident Evil 2, like its predecessor, has a two playthrough system, where you can choose to play as two different characters, that will allow different perspectives and plot points, providing two separate experiences of the game. It’s a fascinating way to remix the game, while still keeping it fresh. The difficulty is roughly the same for both characters, and you will need to play both playthroughs to get the complete story, but it's well worth it. One of the best new additions to the Resident Evil 2 Remake is the expanded role of Mr. X. In the original game, Mr. X is an unkillable villain that stalks you through the halls of the police station, but originally, only shows up on a second playthrough, but now he appears in both Claire and Leon’s playthroughs at different plot points. He is a perfect foil to ratchet up the tension, and enhance key moments of the story when necessary.
In step with my previous review, I’m incredibly impressed with the level of polish I’m seeing in the Switch 2 edition of Resident Evil 2 Remake. The Raccoon City streets, police department, sewer systems, and Umbrella labs have never looked so detailed and fully realized. The RE engine does mindblowing work to graphically push the Switch 2 to great heights, with no hitching. The game runs smoothly at around 50-60 fps, and I only saw any kind of issue when I would peer deep into the distance to see enemies roaming at around 30-40 fps. It was noticeable when I searched but generally, the game ran like a dream. Another minor issue was that some textures generally looked a little muddier than I remembered, but again, the amount of times this occurred was pretty sparse in comparison to the rest of the game.
The story remains the same, as before with the nefarious plans of the Umbrella Corporation being exposed over the course of a dozen hours, but this level of graphical intensity has so far been something lost to us on the Nintendo ecosystem. Now, with the power of the Switch 2, we can bring in some of those more graphically intensive games of the last generation. Not only can the Switch 2 handle them, but runs them like a dream. Both handheld and docked, Resident Evil 2 Remake runs smooth and looks mostly the same as before, minus a few muddying textures and distance framerate drop. It’s honestly impressive.
As someone who also owns a Steam Deck, it’s impressive how the Switch 2 is keeping up mostly as far as performance. It’s like having a portable Playstation 4, and I can’t wait to keep playing my favorite games that were always stuck elsewhere, but now welcome on the Switch 2. I can honestly say, I’m recommending the Switch 2 to people who want to revisit these games. I’ve now played 2 separate Resident Evil ports on the Switch 2, and I think I’m going to continue rolling through these rereleases, if only to relive it while handheld from the comfort of my couch. Resident Evil 2 has always been the pinnacle of Capcom’s games, and it fits right at home here. Peak survival horror.
Topic: Resident Evil 2: Remake Deluxe Edition (Switch 2) Review (Read 26 times)
