Resident Evil 2 Deluxe Edition

Genre: Third-Person Graphic Adventure / Horror Game

Players: 1

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Review:

When the remake of Resident Evil 2 was first released in 2019 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, it was something of a revelation (no, not that kind of revelation). At that time, we were still a year away from the upcoming release of Final Fantasy VII Remake, so to see a beloved classic game get such a thorough top-to-bottom remake that not only brought the game up to modern standards but arguably pushed well beyond modern expectations was a true delight and surprise. Keep in mind that this is in a franchise where the most extensive remake we had seen was the GameCube remake of the original Resident Evil, which was faithful to the game design and controls of the original game, mainly updating the presentation – beyond that, the most any of these games got as far as updates were straightforward remasters.

By contrast, Resident Evil 2, first released on PlayStation in 1998, was now completely reworked, remaining largely faithful to the story and overall premise of Resident Evil 2 while bringing the game fully into 3D (as opposed to the original’s 3D characters on pre-rendered backgrounds), with this release not only updating the game’s graphics, but its dialogue and controls. Ah yes, the controls… you know there was a time when Resident Evil fans actually argued that the game needed to have bad controls or it wouldn’t work as a Horror game? The remake of Resident Evil 2 soundly puts those terrible arguments to rest.

Releasing on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026 as a Deluxe Edition with all of the game’s DLC content, Resident Evil 2 is in fine form here. It lacks the raytracing of the PlayStation 5 release of the game, the mostly-solid 60FPS framerates do briefly drop a little in some places, and some enemies at a distance have their framerates reduced, but overall this game is still a visual treat on Nintendo Switch 2, with extremely detailed environments, excellent character models, and outstanding lighting and shadows. Capcom raised the bar with just how impressive a game’s graphics could be when this game first released in 2019, and even in 2026 the game still remains incredibly impressive.

I should note that there appear to be no attempts to make use of features unique to Nintendo Switch 2 here – no gyroscopic motion controls, no Mouse Mode controls, or anything like that. This version of the game seems more or less on par with other versions (or at least the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions).

When it comes to the gameplay, this is classic Resident Evil at its best. Players take the role of rookie cop Leon Kennedy or college student Claire Redfield as they navigate Raccoon City Police Department and the surrounding area in the midst of a zombie outbreak, now well-underway a few months after the events of the first Resident Evil. Much like the original game, each character’s campaign can be played one after the other, with the events from one affecting the other, though the way that plays out has been somewhat reworked in this release.

Regardless of their chosen character, players will criss-cross back and forth through the building as they get new information, keys, or other trinkets that enable them to progress, all the while staving off zombies while trying to conserve ammunition and healing items that are generally in short supply, in addition to managing a limited inventory space. And of course at some point players must contend with the Tyrant, or Mr. X, a nigh-invincible opponent who must be hidden from rather than confronted.

I have very few complaints here. The gameplay is tight with great controls that make aiming relatively easy, while still keeping zombies a threat due to their general persistence and the various ways they can push into an area to catch you off-guard, as well as the conflicting desire to blast them away while being mindful of your limited ammo supply.

Really, if I had to make one complaint, it’s largely due to the legacy that this game honors – some of the puzzles in this game are outright goofy to the point of being outlandish, such as an early goal to get three pendants to place in the plinth of a statue to unlock a hidden passage. It was bad enough doing stuff like that in a mansion that could be dismissed as a kooky eccentricity, but what police department has stuff like that built into it, or doors with multicolored card suit keys needing to be found? It works as a puzzle, but it clashes terribly with the otherwise largely grounded tone of this game.

Overall though, it’s hard to complain too much about a truly outstanding remake of an absolute classic of the Horror genre, and the port to Nintendo Switch 2 retains pretty much everything that made this version of the game great. If you enjoy Horror games, Resident Evil 2 is an absolute must-play, and if you missed this game when it released on other platforms or enjoy playing games portably, you owe it to yourself to play this game as soon as possible on Nintendo Switch 2.

tl;dr – Resident Evil 2 is a Graphic Adventure Horror game, with this release on Nintendo Switch 2 of the game’s 2019 remake every bit as impressive as when it first released. Even now it remains a graphical marvel, a superb reworking of a Horror classic into something with better gameplay and improved story, all while remaining faithful to the vision of the original game. If you’re a Horror game fan who somehow missed this game on other platforms or wants it on a handheld, you should consider this an absolute must-buy.

Grade: A+

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