Following a number of showings all year long, Press Begin lately sat down with Resident Evil Requiem and performed by means of its tense sanitarium demo. The quick slice places gamers within the sneakers of newcomer Grace Ashcroft as she’s hunted by means of a crumbling asylum by a mysterious new creature. The sport includes a tightly targeted, back-to-basics setup that has followers desirous to see how Capcom plans to steer the franchise deeper into pure survival horror.
After finishing the demo, the outlet’s interviewer interviewed producer Masato Kumazawa, whose credit embrace Kunitsu-Gami, Resident Evil 4, and the latter’s Separate Methods growth. Kumazawa defined that Requiem’s new protagonist is central to the sport’s tone. Grace, whom he describes as “essentially the most scared protagonist in all the sequence,” allowed the crew to discover a extra susceptible, uncooked model of horror. Her connection to Alyssa from Resident Evil Outbreak got here naturally as soon as the crew determined to revisit the Raccoon Metropolis incident by means of a brand new era.
Regardless of the wealthy legacy behind the sequence, Kumazawa famous there’s no strict “lore bible” limiting who can return. As a substitute, characters are allegedly chosen thoughtfully based mostly on the kind of expertise builders wish to ship. And whereas Requiem gives each first- and third-person viewpoints, the crew labored to make sure scares translate throughout each views — significantly by means of Grace’s fear-driven animations and reactive habits. Kumazawa went on to state:
So, with Requiem, we determined to verify it was scary till the tip. However to place extra particulars and be extra particular, it’s not about scaring individuals all the means however utilizing parts of non-horror to enhance the horror. For instance, you may have horror, however then you definitely put a little bit of motion in there. By placing within the motion, and ensuring the participant isn’t fascinated about the horror, the following horror half will scare extra successfully than continuous scares.
Kumazawa additionally confirmed that Resident Evil Requiem initially started as an internet multiplayer undertaking, although it advanced again right into a single-player expertise after the crew decided followers wished one thing extra historically terrifying. Some parts from the multiplayer construct survive, however their goal stays tightly underneath wraps.
Capcom’s aim is obvious in that they hope that the sport will likely be scary from begin to end, utilizing cautious pacing relatively than relentless depth. Kumazawa guarantees long-time followers and newcomers alike will discover one thing to like when Resident Evil Requiem launches on February 27, 2025, for PC, PS5, Nintendo Swap 2, and Xbox Collection X|S and is accessible for pre-order at most main retailers. You possibly can learn the total interview at Press Begin your self, and tell us your ideas and impressions.
