Setting the Stage
Leon S. Kennedy is one of the most beloved protagonists in the Resident Evil franchise. His debut in Resident Evil 2 as an idealistic rookie cop trying to survive Raccoon City cemented him as a fan favorite. Years later, Resident Evil 4 would evolve him into a battle-hardened operative, striking a perfect balance between horror and action.
Then came Resident Evil 6. On paper, Leon’s campaign was supposed to be the series’ return to classic survival horror—a slower, moodier counterpoint to Chris Redfield’s action-heavy storyline and Jake Muller’s bioweapon-fueled chaos. And for the first hour, it almost delivers: a college campus crawling with zombies, a desolate city under siege, and a tone that hints at Resident Evil’s roots. But as the campaign progresses, that atmosphere crumbles under the weight of bloated action set pieces, absurd plot twists, and gameplay that forgets it’s supposed to be scary.
Meanwhile, both Resident Evil 2 (1998) and Resident Evil 2 Remake (2019) showcase how to do Leon justice. They blend tension, exploration, and character development into experiences that feel cohesive and memorable. So what went wrong with RE6? And how can it learn from the two versions of RE2?
Here are 10 lessons RE6’s Leon campaign could learn from Leon’s finest hours.
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1. Keep Horror as the Foundation
In both versions of RE2, horror is king. Whether you’re tiptoeing through the eerie halls of the RPD or creeping past the lurking Lickers, fear drives every decision. The horror isn’t just about jump scares; it’s about constant dread. Even quiet moments are charged with tension because you know danger lurks nearby.
Leon’s RE6 campaign starts with a promising setup—a slow-burning intro on a university campus—but quickly devolves into full-on action, complete with exploding helicopters, underground train battles, and set pieces that feel ripped from an action blockbuster. The result? The horror gets buried under noise.
If RE6 had sustained the creeping tension of its opening act, it could have been Leon’s scariest adventure yet. Like RE2, it needed to earn its action moments by building fear first.
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2. Let the Environment Tell the Story
One of RE2’s greatest strengths is how much world-building is packed into its environments. The RPD isn’t just a police station—it’s a living, breathing character. Notes scattered around the building reveal the station’s last moments of order. Corpses slumped in hallways tell their own grim stories.
The remake expands this beautifully: blood trails guide you to horrors, boarded-up windows suggest desperate survival attempts, and subtle lighting changes signal shifts in tone.
RE6, by contrast, rarely allows players to slow down and soak in the world. Most areas are linear arenas designed for combat, with little incentive to explore. Imagine if Tall Oaks—the city in Leon’s campaign—had been treated like Raccoon City in RE2: a semi-open area filled with optional stories, environmental clues, and pockets of horrifying stillness. Instead of collapsing buildings pushing you forward, the environment could have pulled you in, deepening immersion.
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3. Design Enemies to Build Fear, Not Chaos
Classic RE2 zombies are slow but terrifying. They lurch unpredictably, take multiple shots to down, and can overwhelm you if you’re careless. Mr. X in the remake adds another layer of psychological pressure, relentlessly stalking you through the station.
RE6’s Leon campaign throws dozens of acrobatic mutants at you, turning fear into frustration. Enemies leap, dodge, and swarm in ways that feel more annoying than scary. Worse, the abundance of ammo and melee options removes any sense of vulnerability.
To fix this, RE6 could’ve leaned into fewer but more meaningful encounters. Zombies that felt dangerous, Lickers placed strategically to spike tension, and a single Nemesis-like pursuer to keep players on edge. Fear thrives on anticipation, not sensory overload.
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4. Use Scarcity to Raise Stakes
In RE2, every bullet matters. Healing items are rare. Choosing between fighting and fleeing is part of the tension. The remake amplifies this with resource management that feels brutal but fair.
RE6 ignores this principle entirely. Leon’s campaign showers you with ammo, grenades, and powerful melee takedowns. This abundance destroys suspense because players never feel truly threatened.
A better approach? Borrow from RE2’s philosophy: scarcity equals suspense. Limit weapon variety early on, make ammo feel precious, and force players to think carefully about every shot. Even a minor encounter becomes heart-pounding when resources are low.
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5. Tighten the Narrative
RE2’s story is simple but effective: Leon is a rookie cop trapped in a nightmare, guided by duty and a sense of justice. His arc is personal and contained, making his journey relatable and compelling.
RE6 blows this out into a globe-trotting epic involving convoluted conspiracies, forced political commentary, and cartoonish villains. While ambition isn’t inherently bad, it dilutes Leon’s character. Instead of focusing on his strengths—courage under fire, loyalty to his team, and adaptability—the narrative turns him into just another action hero.
A tighter story could have mirrored RE2’s intimacy: Leon struggling to survive Tall Oaks, uncovering the truth behind the outbreak, and confronting personal stakes tied to his past.
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6. Strengthen Character Dynamics
In RE2, Leon’s relationships are layered. His partnership with Claire reflects mutual trust and optimism, while his interactions with Ada blend attraction with deep mistrust. Supporting characters like Marvin bring warmth and tragedy to the narrative.
RE6 pairs Leon with Helena, a character with potential but little depth. Their relationship lacks the emotional texture that made his earlier dynamics shine. Ada returns, but her role feels forced, and their chemistry is overshadowed by the chaos of the plot.
The solution? Build relationships through shared hardship. RE2 succeeds because bonds form naturally as characters face escalating threats together. Less banter, more moments of earned trust.
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7. Perfect the Pacing
RE2 balances exploration, puzzles, and combat in a rhythm that keeps players hooked. Just when tension peaks, the game gives you a breather—only to yank it away with a new threat.
RE6 never stops moving. While this sounds exciting on paper, the constant action dulls its impact. Without slow moments to contrast the chaos, scares lose their sting.
Borrowing RE2’s pacing would make Leon’s campaign more memorable. Imagine exploring a derelict church in eerie silence, solving puzzles under flickering candlelight, before being ambushed by a grotesque boss. Those ebbs and flows make horror work.
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8. Build Horror Through Atmosphere, Not Spectacle
Lighting, sound design, and claustrophobic spaces define RE2’s terror. A creaking vent or a distant zombie moan is often scarier than an explosion.
RE6 leans on collapsing buildings, massive car crashes, and Hollywood spectacle. While visually impressive, it sacrifices intimacy—the sense that danger is right there, breathing down your neck.
To fix this, RE6 could’ve stripped back the noise. Darker hallways, oppressive soundscapes, and slower enemy reveals would have made Tall Oaks feel truly haunted.
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9. Make Boss Fights Serve the Story
Birkin’s mutations in RE2 aren’t just cool designs—they reflect his descent into monstrosity. Each fight feels like a narrative beat, building toward tragedy.
RE6’s bosses are technically impressive but narratively hollow. A giant zombie shark looks great, but what does it mean for Leon’s journey? Nothing.
Future Leon campaigns should make bosses extensions of the story. Imagine a boss mutated from a character Leon tried—and failed—to save, echoing RE2’s emotional punch.
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10. Add Replay Value Through Depth, Not Bloat
RE2 encourages replay with A/B campaigns that reveal new perspectives and secrets. Each run feels fresh, deepening the narrative without overstaying its welcome.
RE6’s replay value comes from sheer length. Leon’s campaign is padded with repetitive combat and shallow collectibles.
The lesson? Depth beats size. Branching paths, optional side stories, and meaningful choices would have made RE6’s replayability feel rewarding, not exhausting.
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The Chief Lesson
Leon’s campaign in Resident Evil 6 could have been the perfect bridge between his rookie horror roots and his action-hero evolution. Instead, it drowned in spectacle and forgot the fundamentals of what makes Resident Evil great.
By studying the elegant horror design of Resident Evil 2 (Classic and Remake), future games can strike the right balance: fear first, action second. Give us environments that tell stories, enemies that terrify rather than annoy, and narratives that stay personal even when the world is falling apart.
Because when done right, Leon doesn’t just survive the nightmare—he defines it.
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