Resident Evil 2 Remake - Claire’s Story
I restarted RE2. I wasn’t too deep into it, so it was not much of a loss. I just could not get over the fact that I had wasted too many bullets in the gas station. With the ammo scarcity, Resident Evil series has trained me to value ammo over everything else. As an added bonus I was able to get my wife to see the disgusting blood and gore in the beginning (and the cheeseburger. I can not get over how gross that looked). I had a feeling she would like it based on how much she loves horror movies.
Claire makes it to the police station
After the car blows up inside Racoon City, Claire finds herself out in the open with all of the zombies converging, being alerted by the giant explosion. Both, Claire and Leon are fine but there is a wall of flames between them. Each one sets out with a plan to get back together in the safety of the police station. Claire is only a short distance away from it, but still barely makes it inside. All the zombies are left outside the gate, clawing to get a piece of her brains. The whole station is boarded up and shut down. It also seems deserted, which is odd considering all the announcements we have heard asking people to seek shelter at the police station. Did none of them make it here? Or did they all make it but still turned once they were inside? Most of the doors are locked so Claire can not investigate the place properly. Since she is no master of unlocking, she is going to have to find a different way to get past the locks.
Must have been an intense trial
The front desk has some more ammo and a typewriter. Saving will have to be done the old fashioned way, but at least there is no longer any need for the typewriter ribbons. The monitor is displaying a video feed from somewhere inside the police station. It shows one of the officers being chased by someone and asking for help. Leon has not shown up yet, so Claire will have to go help this man on her own. There is a shutter leading to the inside of the station, but it is partly jammed. Claire has to crawl through the blood and disgusting water to get to the other side (which is steeped in darkness). Crawling through blood and under a half open shutter is my new phobia. It is truly commendable how many new situations this game finds to make the player uncomfortable and at a loss of control. Claire is halfway under a shutter which may fall on her and break her back. She can not look behind her, nor can she see anything in front because of the darkness. I felt a twinge of panic each time I went under this door (and this is just the beginning).
The place is as deserted as it is dark, but I see zombies lurking in every shadow, and around every corner. Claire knows she is getting closer because she can hear the officer screaming. Inside the office, the police officer is just on the other side of another shutter, and this one will not open all the way either. Just enough of the shutter is open to let the guy crawl through, but as he tries, my worst fears come true. Something on the other side starts ripping him apart. By the time Claire pulls him through, the lower half of his body is gone. There is a small notebook in his hand with some clues on how to solve a puzzle in the main hall. Claire is shaken up, but not enough to leave the notebook behind.
This is my new favorite fear
A pamphlet found in one of the rooms explains why there are so many oddities in a police station. This building used to house the Raccoon City Museum, and some of the weird artifacts are holdovers from that time. This is still does not explain who would turn a museum into a police station. It also does not help when Claire herself asks the same question. Even as a museum, it must have been a hassle to solve puzzles to get around in the building. Maybe the next time they remake it, the pamphlet can say this place used to be a large escape room (which got turned into a police station because the pandemic destroyed all escape room businesses).
Claire makes a run for the main hall. All the screaming dying police officer did, has brought out zombies from all the corners of the station. I died a few times here because I kept getting turned around in the dark. It is probably better to die a few times while figuring out the optimal path to safety and then make a run for it. It is better than wasting a bunch of bullets and making out on the other side with low health. As Claire crawls through the door, an undead hand grabs at her ankle and starts pulling her back. Another officer walks calmly up to the door and shuts the door on the zombie hand.
Marvin is not long for this world
Claire is relieved to have made it out in one piece. After calming down, she takes a better look at the man who saved her. This is Marvin Branaugh and he seems to be injured. Marvin gives the first piece of good news that Claire has heard ever since she came to RC. Chris is not here. He is on vacation somewhere in Europe. As great as it is that Chris is not in this zombie infested city, it is a little odd he went on a vacation without telling anyone where he is going. Maybe he is on a top secret mission to rescue the President’s daughter from a cult. I should look up the timeline of these games.
I have a feeling I will be seeing this a whole lot
Marvin tells Claire to get out of this godforsaken place while she can. He knows it is already too late for him. The implication is he is carrying wounds from zombie bites and is only moments away from turning himself. His advice is to shoot whoever comes for her regardless of who they used to be. The player already knows why he is saying this, but for Claire this must have been a confusing advice. She has yet to see a normal person transform into an undead husk of their former self.
Claire knows Chris is not here which means there is no reason for her to stay in Raccoon City anymore. Leon has not shown up here yet. The only question is should she wait for him here or try to make her way out of here and look for Leon on the outside. Either way, it is quickly becoming apparent Claire’s problems are only beginning.
01-03-2021
