Modder Adds Co-op and AI Partner to Resident Evil 2 Remake

Players can now experience the Resident Evil 2 remake alongside a friend or an AI companion.

Modder Shopcreeper01 recently returned to the Resident Evil 2 remake and introduced a local cooperative mode that allows two players to explore Raccoon City together.

A second player can join Leon, Claire, or any other character as HUNK or one of 14 other characters for split-screen gameplay or with a classic fixed-camera perspective. In addition, players can run through the story campaign with an AI-controlled partner.

Image source: Capcom; Shopcreeper01

For this modification, Shopcreeper01 modified the character death mechanics. Running out of health no longer leads to death; instead, the character is “knocked down.” A downed player can then heal themselves if they have a healing item, or be revived by another player.

Shopcreeper01 explained that he wanted to help his wife get through games that she finds very scary: “HUNK started as a support partner—he fought alongside Leon or Claire, supporting them with first-aid kits and ammo. Now he can become a full-fledged partner for split-screen play with his own inventory, as well as a “downs” mechanic.”

The “Local Couch Co-op (formally known as HUNK’y Friend)” modification for the Resident Evil 2 remake is available for free download through Nexus Mods. The mod requires ReFramework (v1.5.9.1), which is publicly available on GitHub.