Resident Evil Requiem will quickly be upon us, launching February 27 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC. Ahead of its launch, I went hands-on with the upcoming survival horror recreation to play an hour as Leon S. Kennedy and two hours as Grace Ashcroft, and you’ll learn my ideas right here.
Following that gameplay session, although, I interviewed Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi, who addressed rumors surrounding the sport’s exploration, making clear that it isn’t an open world recreation. I additionally spoke to Nakanishi about giving Leon a chainsaw, this recreation’s tackle Resident Evil zombies, nostalgia, constructing stress in horror, and a lot extra. You can learn the total transcript of our interview under:
Interview Q&A With Resident Evil Requiem Director Koshi Nakanishi
Game Informer’s Wesley LeBlanc: The first query I wish to ask is in regards to the chainsaw. Why now? Why is now the time to place a chainsaw in Leon’s fingers lastly?
Resident Evil Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi by way of an interpreter: So the chainsaw – first off, when you’ve performed earlier Resident Evil video games, you most likely know chainsaws are a reasonably symbolic weapon in quite a lot of completely different video games. So each time a brand new entry within the Resident Evil sequence, or each time the builders are engaged on a brand new entry within the Resident Evil sequence, there’s all the time quite a lot of thought put into how the chainsaw can be used on this recreation. So on this recreation, the zombies can truly use instruments. They have retained a few of their reminiscence pre-turning right into a zombie. And so yeah, with the ability to use instruments is one thing the zombies can do right here. And so with that being the case, it made sense for all of the zombies to additionally be capable to use a chainsaw. So, going from there, if one enemy with the chainsaw is defeated, it is sensible for the opposite zombies to select it up and to have the ability to use it. And so from there, it went to, “Well, if that’s the case, then of course, you as the player also want to use it.” And in order that’s form of how that line of thought naturally progressed and resulted in Leon with the ability to wield a chainsaw in Resident Evil Requiem.
Another driving power behind it’s that by Resident Evil Requiem, Leon has quite a lot of expertise underneath his belt at this level, so it felt like a very good time for Leon to show the tables a bit and use a chainsaw himself, since he is gone up in opposition to so many chainsaws beforehand.
And maintaining with the chainsaws, I seen instantly within the Leon part that when it hits the bottom, it is spinning. Zombies walked over it and it reduce their legs off. I’m curious if there are every other form of physics interactions like that within the recreation, or is that only a cool little one-off with the chainsaw?
Nakanishi: Using enemy weapons is a reasonably large function of gameplay, so with the ability to use enemy weapons in opposition to them can be going to be one thing you will see come up past the sections that you’ve got performed as effectively.
I’m curious – you’ll be able to change views between third-person and first-person. How did the staff land on it defaulting to first-person for Grace and third-person for Leon?
Nakanishi: So, truly, for the preview that you just performed, it does not begin on the very starting of the sport. The story has progressed a bit. So truly, within the closing model of the sport, once you begin the sport, it is going to ask you, which do you favor? It’s as much as the participant, actually, on what they wish to use, they usually can freely select what they wish to use once they begin the sport.
Is the intention for Grace and Leon’s various gameplay experiences to talk to one another when it comes to balancing stress?
Nakanishi: It’s precisely as you stated – the thought there may be to construct stress with the very horror-focused sections with Grace; she does not have as many choices for fight as Leon, as he is far more combat-focused. So yeah, precisely as you stated, that is the intention behind the design of the 2 characters, to have that stress and launch between the 2. And so [I’m] actually completely happy that you just had been in a position to decide that up from simply taking part in the preview.
What was the ethos behind designing the monsters and zombies on this recreation?
Nakanishi: For Requiem, the primary theme that ties principally all of the enemies collectively is a virus. So clearly, the zombies are contaminated by a virus. There was not an entire lot proven within the preview, however there are different creatures as effectively who’ve been contaminated by the virus. So, it is form of going again to that very central theme of Resident Evil, the enemies, principally, that that by way of line that goes by way of all of them is centered round a virus.
Something I actually loved within the preview is that it felt nearly nostaglic, within the sense that the Grace part felt very Resident Evil 2 police station, and Leon felt like towards the top of the sport, the place you are simply kicking butt. I’m curious – is that intentional to arrange a shock really feel for later within the recreation, or is it only a biggest hits of Resident Evil?
Nakanishi: Obviously, Capcom has a protracted historical past with the Resident Evil franchise. The thought was to current an developed model of among the gameplay you understand and love. So, as you stated, Grace, there is a sturdy feeling of RE2 to indicate an evolution of the zombies, once more, an evolution of RE2’s gameplay, and Leon as effectively. So yeah, you are proper on the cash there too.
What is the design intention behind the blood synthesis system?
Nakanishi: There are form of two issues that led to together with that crafting system with blood in Requiem. So the primary one is: in plenty of RE video games, there’s all the time quite a lot of blood within the atmosphere, proper? There’s all the time quite a lot of blood in every single place in several environments. So the primary query that form of led to that system was the dev staff taking a look at that and saying, “Is there any way to implement that element into the actual gameplay?” So that was one of many first drivers behind it.
As for the intention behind that mechanic, it was so as to add one other layer of participant alternative. So, as an example, sure, there’s all the time the selection of operating away or preventing the enemy, however understanding that you could probably acquire blood from the enemy offers you one other incentive to defeat the enemy, such as you had been mentioning. So it simply provides one other layer of alternative, and I suppose danger and reward for gamers going by way of the sport. Speaking about alternative, I do not know when you utilized it or not, however there’s an injector within the recreation that you could additionally craft that, when you sneak up, you’ll be able to defeat an enemy with one hit. You’ll discover that you could’t acquire their blood. So, yeah, once more, it is actually about, you understand, including participant alternative and giving completely different incentives for selecting various things.
What do you suppose is probably the most defining facet of those zombies versus others within the RE sequence?
Nakanishi: The factor that actually units these zombies aside, which we’re certain you skilled once you performed, is that the zombies truly retain some reminiscence of their life earlier than they became a zombie. So you’ll be able to truly see that of their actions, as they’re form of centered on what they had been doing or what they had been accountable for earlier than they became a zombie. So retaining a little bit little bit of their previous lives is one thing that is actually new for the RE sequence right here, and you may truly, when you look carefully, be capable to make the most of that stuff to your benefit.
Nakanishi closed out the interview by addressing rumors that Resident Evil Requiem is an open world recreation – it is not, and here is what he needed to say.
Resident Evil Requiem launches February 27 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC.
For extra in regards to the recreation, learn my hands-on preview of Resident Evil Requiem right here, after which take a look at the most recent information from the Resident Evil showcase that aired final month. After that, examine Leon’s customized Porsche within the recreation, after which take a look at the Resident Evil Requiem Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller.
