Resident Evil 2 is one of the best and most influential survival horror games ever made. Now you can share its remake with a friend, and it might just be my favorite co-op survival horror experience.
I've always been a fan of horror games, and I've played through most of the mainline Resident Evil games. I've wanted a co-op experience with those earlier games for a long time. I played this remake from start to finish in split-screen with my daughter, and outside of a few quirks, it felt surprisingly natural.
RESIDENT EVIL'S COMPLICATED CO-OP HISTORY
The idea of having a partner in Resident Evil goes back to the original game in 1996. Shinji Mikami later discussed a planned companion who would help with enemies, traps and puzzles, but the idea was abandoned because of hardware limitations. The prototype footage is interesting, although there's an important distinction: from what I've been able to verify, it's unclear whether this was ever intended as actual two-player co-op or simply an AI-controlled partner.
Resident Evil 0 expanded the partner idea in 2002, letting one player switch between Rebecca and Billy to navigate environments and solve puzzles. It wasn't a cooperative game, but that partner system helped lay the groundwork for later co-op entries. There are now PC mods for the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil 0 as well, which I want to check out.
Outbreak brought cooperative survival horror to the series in 2003 with up to four players online. Resident Evil 5 then gave us a mainline game with full two-player co-op in 2009, playable online or in split-screen. Resident Evil 6 continued with co-op, although with much less horror.
The spin-offs explored other approaches. The Umbrella Chronicles and The Darkside Chronicles play like two-player light-gun games. Deadly Silence on Nintendo DS has multiplayer modes, but you need multiple systems and copies. Revelations has co-op Raid Mode rather than a co-op campaign, while Revelations 2 has a campaign built around partners that you can play in split-screen. There are some great standouts, but those aren't always the entries people consider the best Resident Evil games. That's why getting a partner into the Resident Evil 2 remake is so exciting to me.
Resident Evil 5
PLAYING RESIDENT EVIL 2 IN SPLIT-SCREEN
This mod is honestly a dream come true for me. The most important part is that I could play the whole game with a partner, from start to finish. I used the official Steam version of Resident Evil 2 remake. This isn't a step-by-step installation guide: the mod is on Nexus Mods, and its instructions are the place to check the required files and setup. I used Fluffy Mod Manager to select the game, enable the mods and launch it.
There's a lot of customization, including how the second player appears. You can use a shared screen, but I wouldn't recommend that option for ordinary play because the camera follows player one and player two can get lost. Split-screen feels much more balanced. You can split up to fight enemies and hunt for items, or stay together and explore side by side. Both vertical and horizontal layouts are available.
Resident Evil 2 Remake (PC)
CHOOSING YOUR SECOND CHARACTER
You can choose player two's character and outfit. We mostly played as Claire because having Leon and Claire together made it feel like Resident Evil 2. The options also include HUNK, Sherry Birkin, Ada Wong, other NPC characters and even Tofu.
Resident Evil 2 Remake (PC)
DIFFICULTY OPTIONS AND SHARED ITEMS
Player two has several difficulty options. Standard mode gives them a separate health bar, and they can be injured or knocked down. Support mode provides unlimited ammo, automatic ammo refills and infinite healing items. Invincible mode prevents enemies from hurting the second player at all.
You can also adjust options such as infinite ammo and health independently. That makes it easier for someone with a different skill level to jump in and experience the game with you. Player two can have a separate inventory, and you can share items between players, which makes managing supplies easier.
Resident Evil 2 Remake (PC)
PIGGYBACK MODE AND CUTSCENE CHAOS
One of my favorite extra features is piggyback mode. Player two rides on player one's back, so one person handles movement while the other shoots. It reminds me of Pragmata, and it's really funny to see, especially when the characters show up in cutscenes. Sometimes it looks strange and breaks the scene a little, but it also works as an assist mode. I tried it with my daughter and she really liked it. You can jump on and off at any time.
There's also an option to let player two appear during cutscenes. While Leon is in a scene, the second player can still move around and shoot. That was another thing that kept making us laugh.
Resident Evil 2 Remake (PC)
BUGS, TELEPORTING AND A SECOND ADA
Of course, this is an unofficial mod, so there are bugs and some janky moments. Player two can get stuck, fail to trigger certain events or be unable to pick up specific items. At one point Claire was hovering above Leon, walking in the sky. Luckily, if you get stuck, you can teleport back to player one.
We also encountered a second Ada beside the story's Ada. The duplicate got up and started walking around, and later she began following us, even though the Ada we were supposed to rescue was still where the story had left her. We found the duplicate again hanging around in a wall. I don't know exactly what caused that, but it was another strange moment in our playthrough.
Resident Evil 2 Remake (PC)
HOW DOES IT FEEL AS A CO-OP HORROR GAME?
I know I'm biased, but I think most games are better as a co-op experience. I really enjoy sharing games I love with the people I care about. When we were playing Resident Evil 2 in split-screen, it often felt like this was how the game was meant to be. I liked it enough to finish the entire game with my daughter, and it held her attention throughout.
The main thing missing is puzzles designed specifically for two people to communicate and work together. That wasn't how the original game was built. Even so, exploring dark environments, splitting up to find items and talking our way through puzzles with someone sitting right next to me really elevated the experience.
Resident Evil 2 Remake (PC)
FINAL THOUGHTS
I really like the direction of the newer Resident Evil games. The first-person perspective mixed with survival horror has produced some of the scariest experiences I've had, especially Resident Evil 7. This co-op playthrough was also my first experience with any of the remakes, and I really like what they're doing with those.
What I'd love to see is those newer ideas combined with the partner gameplay of Resident Evil 5 and Revelations 2. Take the scariest parts, keep the survival elements and build a co-op experience from the ground up, with split-screen as well as online play. Until then, this mod is the next best thing.
For more games to play together, see The 20 Best Couch Co-op Horror Games or browse the Co-op Database.