Here's a review a few days after 100% completion of the game.
I'll try to keep is as spoiler free as possible.
-Here's a TL;DR of the review, if you can't be bothered to read though the whole thing:
The game is a lot of fun and offers a lot of replayability. You'll find yourself replaying the same story mode multiple times and seeking mastery of the game due to how it's designed. You'll definitely sink a good 40 to 80 hours into it and with how frequent the sales are, I'd say this survival horror entry is a must buy.
-Here's the full review.
The game is great and it has a lot of replay value due to it's different main story and side story content.
You can have up to 4 fresh playthroughs of the main story and even once you're finished you'll want to replay the game to improve times and routing
I bought this game years ago and have kept coming back to it ever since. A few days ago, I finally completed it to 100%, with over 180 hours played. That probably tells you what I think its biggest strength is: you’ll want to replay it over and over again.
There are two main campaigns, one for Leon and the other for Claire. For your first playthrough, expect around 6–12 hours depending on how thoroughly you explore and how comfortable you are with survival horror. Each character also has an unlockable “2nd Run” scenario, giving you four variations to play through. There’s plenty of overlap, but enough differences to make revisiting familiar territory interesting. On top of that, there are extra modes to unlock.
There’s a lot here, and if you’re looking for something spooky, I’d consider it a must-buy—especially on sale. But the scares are only part of the appeal. The map design is immaculate.
The game is built around three major areas, with puzzles that encourage you to explore, unlock routes and shortcuts, and find supplies and weapon upgrades. Sometimes you’ll find exactly what you need to solve a puzzle you walked away from 20 minutes earlier, and finally connecting those dots feels great.
The first area in particular, the police station, is somewhere you’ll grow to love. At first, it feels confusing and maze-like. The more time you spend there, though, the better you understand it, until you’re confidently planning routes and outmaneuvering enemies in hallways you were terrified to enter a few hours earlier.
That familiarity matters because this is survival horror: resources are scarce, and running away is often the best solution. Exploration gives you the knowledge and tools you need to survive. Finding a shortcut can feel just as valuable as finding ammunition.
The enemies do a great job of making that survival difficult… except for the G-Adults, which I hate with a burning passion. Visually, they’re cool AF, but dealing with them can feel frustratingly inconsistent, especially when you’re trying to finish a run as quickly as possible.
Which brings me back to replayability.
At the end of each playthrough, you receive a rank based on your completion time, with extra restrictions if you’re chasing S+. That system is a huge part of how I ended up spending over 180 hours here. Once you know where you’re going, you start spotting ways to improve: a more efficient route, a fight you can avoid, supplies you don’t actually need to stop for. Suddenly, you’re planning another run before you’ve even finished the current one.
What makes it so satisfying is how your relationship with the game changes. On your first playthrough, you’re slowly exploring and hoping you have enough ammo for whatever comes next. Later, you’re navigating those same rooms with a plan, seeing how far you can push everything you’ve learned.
Resident Evil 2 makes both experiences worth having. I came for the horror, stayed for the map design, and kept coming back to get a little better. After 180 hours and 100% completion, I can confidently say I got my money’s worth.
Still hate the G-Adults, though.
