Fans expecting a massive sandbox for the next installment in the survival horror franchise might be surprised. While recent titles like Resident Evil Village flirted with open-ended hub designs, Capcom has confirmed that Resident Evil Requiem will strictly eschew the open-world trend. Instead, the developers are doubling down on the claustrophobic, structured foundations that defined the series’ golden era.
Bridging the Gap Between RE2 and RE4
In a recent sit-down with GameSpot, the creative leads behind Requiem detailed a vision that prioritizes mechanical depth over map size. The game is designed as a spiritual evolution of the series’ most iconic benchmarks, specifically tailored around its two lead characters: Grace Ashcroft and the legendary Leon S. Kennedy.
The gameplay experience is split into two distinct styles:
- Grace Ashcroft: Her segments focus on “Survival-Horror,” mirroring the tense, resource-management-heavy gameplay of Resident Evil 2.
- Leon Kennedy: His path leans into “Survival-Action,” channeling the high-octane combat flow perfected in Resident Evil 4.
Modern Tech Meets Classic Design
While the structure is a throwback, the presentation is cutting-edge. Game director Koshi Nakanishi explained that the team is leveraging the technical milestones achieved in the first-person era of the franchise to enhance this third-person return.
“Grace’s game plays very close to Resident Evil 2, and Leon’s gameplay is very close to Resident Evil 4, but when talking about the technical side of things, the portrayal of characters, environments, and things like that, they’ve taken basically what they learned through 7 and 8, and of course, used that here,” Nakanishi said. “Again, the idea was basically to evolve the gameplay that was in [Resident Evil] 2 and 4. Beyond that, expression and artistic direction, a lot of the know-how from Resident 7 and 8 came into play.”
Fresh Nightmares and a Cinematic Twist
Capcom isn’t just rehashing the past; they are introducing “unpredictable” behaviors for recently infected zombies to keep veteran players on edge. Perhaps the most poetic addition to the gameplay is Leon’s new arsenal choice: after twenty years of running from chainsaw-wielding maniacs, the veteran agent will finally be able to wield a chainsaw himself.
Via: Gamespot
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