Alright, so I finally got around to doing the Resident Evil 2 ‘2nd Run’ thing the other day. I’d finished Leon’s story, the standard first run, quite a while back and kept meaning to see how the other side lived, you know? Decided it was time.
Fired up the game, selected that ‘2nd Run’ option. I went with Claire this time, figured I’d see her perspective after playing as Leon first. The start was immediately different. Instead of the gas station chaos, I was dumped right outside the Raccoon City Police Department, gate locked behind me. Felt odd. Even the starting pistol was different, not the Matilda I remembered.
Getting Started – Things Felt Off
Right from the get-go, things were… misplaced. Items weren’t where my brain screamed they should be from the first playthrough. You know that side door near the Main Hall? Usually takes a bit to get that open. Nope, this time it was just open, almost like an invitation into trouble. It threw me off balance.
I remember scrambling around trying to find familiar ground, but key items had moved, routes were blocked differently. Had to find that Courtyard Key way sooner than I expected, which changed my whole path through the east side of the station early on.
Then He Showed Up
And then, the main event of the RPD showed up way, way earlier than I was ready for. Heard those heavy stomps echoing in the Main Hall almost as soon as I got there. Mr. X. Man, having him breathing down your neck that early completely changed the dynamic. It wasn’t just about solving puzzles and finding keys anymore; it was about doing that while constantly listening, planning escape routes, and sometimes just hiding in a safe room hoping he’d wander off. Made simple backtracking feel like a real risk.
It’s funny, it reminded me of this time I got hopelessly lost driving in a city I thought I knew. The main roads were familiar, but one wrong turn put me in a maze of one-way streets I’d never seen, completely changing how I had to get where I was going. Same feeling in the RPD – familiar structure, totally alien navigation experience because of one persistent, hat-wearing obstacle.
Pushing Through
The puzzles felt slightly different too. Not always huge changes, but enough to make me stop and think instead of just running through the motions. Like remembering a phone number but one digit is off. The Sewer section, finding those plugs for the chessboard puzzle, felt rearranged. I definitely spent more time down there than I planned.
Playing as Claire meant dealing with the Sherry sections too, which always add a layer of tension. Escaping the orphanage, even knowing the layout, felt fresh because the path and threats felt slightly adjusted for this scenario.
- Finding items in new spots
- Mr. X appearing much earlier
- Slightly altered puzzle solutions
- Different starting point and initial weapon
Wrapping It Up
Made it through the labs beneath the city. Again, familiar territory but navigated slightly differently. The final boss sequence felt suitably epic, dealing with the later stages of G-Birkin. Getting Sherry and myself onto that escape train felt like a proper victory lap after all that.
So yeah, finished Claire’s 2nd Run. It was definitely more than just playing the same game with a different character. The changes were significant enough to make it feel like a genuinely new challenge. Felt like I got the other half of the story, the ‘B-side’ to Leon’s ‘A-side’. If you finished the first run and put the game down, I’d say give the 2nd Run a shot. It’s worth seeing how it all connects and experiencing that different pressure.
