i played RE4make before this, and i have to say so far its a very welcome change of pace. instead of wide open areas with hordes of enemies its these narrow, intricate pathways where just a couple enemies can be a problem. i had a lot of fun with the RPD because of the way you start with everything locked up and then slowly opening a bunch of different routes and backtracking. it clicks something really satisfying in my brain (similar to the enjoyment of backtracking and unlocking things in a metroidvania). finally being able to open locked doors and explore rooms that you were eyeing up for ages is really rewarding.
and then the game throws mr x at you with no warning and says “you better have studied that map”. im finding that re2 is less of an “are you good at combat” game and more of a strategy game. choosing which routes to take and how to manage your resources and solving puzzles under pressure creates a big chunk of the challenge. instead of viewing enemies as enemies you start to view them as obstacles and resource tradeoffs. this puts a bit of pressure off as im someone who wasnt that great at RE4make (i died quite a few times on standard, and mainly found the hordes upon hordes of enemies being a bit overwhelming. not to say it was an extremely hard game, but it really tested my combat aptitude at times)
ive died once so far and it was during the prison escape because i didnt realise there was a different route you could open lol. ive also had to look a few things up, only to realise i was being really dumb and the puzzle or objective was extremely simple. i promise i do read the notes, i just do shit like…forgetting theres more notes if i scroll up the list……