Surviving Raccoon City's outbreak was near impossible, as the Ghost Survivors DLC for the fan-favorite protagonists Leon Kennedy and Jill Valentine. It takes cunning, a cool head, and some luck to come out of these situations alive as enemies like Mr. X and Nemesis hunt down more resilient survivors, ensuring no one reveals Umbrella's secrets. Characters like Robert Kendo and Marvin Branagh weren't as fortunate to survive Raccoon City, but the free DLC gave players "what-if" stories of people who could have.
The Ghost Survivors has three playable alternate scenarios, with a fourth unlocked after completing the others, involving characters who met with unfortunate fates in the re-imagined story of RE2. These mini stories happen at multiple points within the main narrative, limiting players' exploration ability, with none of them entering RE2's former museum, now police station. New variations of zombies were also introduced in the DLC, providing a more difficult experience as players had to prevent zombies from regenerating or spewing poison once they died. However, while the free content provided new experiences with imaginary possibilities, some of these scenarios could be considered canon with a few stretches of logic.
The Ghost Survivors DLC told the possible stories of people like gun store owner Robert Kendo and the mayor's daughter, showing alternate realities of these poor souls managing to survive. Katherine Warren, the estranged daughter of Raccoon City's mayor, has a unique playthrough of escaping Police Chief Irons' taxidermy operation in the orphanage, killing the sadistic hunter before she rescues journalist Ben Bertolucci. Another cool scenario is about Alpha Team member Ghost, who plays similarly to the Resident Evil 2 remake's unlockable bonus mode 4th Survivor named HUNK, getting his hands on the G-Virus vial Ada Wong drops; however, by the end of his story, Ada corners him in a cable car, taking the sample back and presumably killing him. A wave survival mode involving the sheriff at the start of the game is also playable, forcing players to navigate small isles in a gas station, ending in Leon arriving to save the day and rescue the sheriff.
RE2's Ghost Survivors Being Canon Might Create Plot Holes
Though these scenarios are cool alternatives to what happened in RE2, it is a stretch to make them canon. Katherine and Sheriff Daniel's stories aren't likely as they are both confirmed dead, not to mention Katherine - who was made an actual character in Resident Evil 2's remake - kills Chief Irons, which contradicts RE2. With Kendo and his zombified daughter, he initially takes his own life after making sure she has ed away, but the DLC has him getting called by a friend who owns a helicopter that will fly him away from the city.
Realistically, Kendo's alternate scenario and the Alpha Team member Ghost are the most likely to be considered canon, as their deaths happened either off-screen or in non-mandatory cutscenes. Though each story provides interesting possibilities about what could have happened, Capcom has yet to confirm if any of these scenarios are part of an official alternate timeline. No matter the canon status, The Ghost Survivors gave players free content, enriching the game's lore and giving them more challenges within Resident Evil 2.
