Resident Evil 2 is an absolute survival horror masterpiece surpassing its predecessor. Leon and Claire in a zombie-overrun Raccoon City, two interlinked campaigns, Mr X pursuing the player. Permanent tension, brilliant level design and effective narrative. A genre pinnacle on PS1.
Your verdict
Category
Survival1 player16+
Description
Capcom sequel directed by Hideki Kamiya, where rookie Leon S Kennedy and civilian Claire Redfield survive Raccoon City's zombie outbreak across two discs. Created by Capcom, released in 1998 in the United States, Europe, France, Germany, Italy and Spain with multilingual versions and Preview demo under the Resident Evil 2 title. Zapping system with two interleaved Leon A/B and Claire A/B scenarios, over fifteen hours on two discs, fixed-camera pre-rendered 3D environments and orchestral soundtrack. European multilingual editions with Preview demo.
Resident Evil 2 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
A sequel directed by Hideki Kamiya, Resident Evil 2 unfolds an urban, desperate art direction through its pre-rendered fixed-camera backdrops. Raccoon City's baroque police station, its sewers, underground labs and zombie-overrun streets make a cohesive nightmare, where lighting and cinematic framing intensify the tension. The end-of-the-world aesthetic elevates the survival horror. A masterful visual setting.
Resident Evil 2's soundtrack weaves a masterful anxious atmosphere: muffled pads, subtle dissonance and dramatic surges match the flight through Raccoon City, while key confrontations unleash tense orchestral themes. The hushed save-room melodies offer rare havens of calm. This sound design, richer than the original's, fully takes part in the fear. An unforgettable atmosphere score.
A sequel with two interlocking scenarios, the narrative and technical peak of survival horror on the console, scaling up the first across a city given to infection. Still fairly widespread in the West, its interest lies in this status as a genre high point rather than scarcity. A prime piece for anyone wanting the most celebrated entry of the saga on PlayStation.
Memorable bosses
Across Raccoon City, the same foe keeps returning, ever more monstrous: William Birkin mutates with each encounter, from clawed colossus to unrecognizable mass of flesh. That biological escalation, paired with a Tyrant who hunts without pause, raises the tension from one duel to the next. The grotesque decay of a boss who refuses to die remains a peak of '90s horror.
Is Resident Evil 2 still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 1998 on PS1, Capcom's project signed Hideki Kamiya consolidates the original's formula on the scale of a city consumed by apocalypse. The Leon and Claire dual campaign offers rare narrative replay value, the staging climbs toward grand horror cinema and the room by room reading keeps an intact tension. The art direction and the music by Masami Ueda and Shusaku Uchiyama remain magnificent. Tank controls have aged. Stays a major milestone, recommended for every survival horror devotee and for Capcom fans curious about the studio's late nineties peak on Sony's first home console hardware.
