As one of the longest-running survival horror series, Resident Evil has had somewhat of an identity struggle over its many years. Some entries have been more action-focused, while others prioritized the dread and horror many come to the genre for. The last entry, Resident Evil Village, arguably leaned toward the action side of the equation. But the upcoming ninth entry, Requiem, aims to double down on the series’ horror elements. Speaking with IGN, Resident Evil: Requiem’s director Koshi Nakanishi describes the series as existing on a sort of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 continuum, with 2 demonstrating the series at the height of its terror as a horror franchise, and 4 representing its desire to indulge in giving you more action-based solutions to confronting cities full of the undead. “Firmly swinging the scale [for Requiem] toward the Resident Evil 2 style was our intention,” Nakanishi said. “It’s almost an upgrade of that Resident Evil 2 style.”
RE devs on what makes a game scary: ‘we don’t even know anymore’ A return to horror is good news for those of us who love RE for the frights first and foremost, and the ability for the protagonists to aim a gun competently second. The only problem is that the devs have made so many of these games that they’re starting to lose a sense of what’s actually scary. “We can’t tell anymore,” Nakanisi said of the fright factor in RE games. There was actually a bit of worry internally before we showed the [Requiem] hands-off at SGF and the first hands-on at Gamescom, was this actually scary? Because we don’t even know anymore. This is our bread and butter, what we make every day. In efforts to make Requiem scarier, the team debated whether or not it was worth mutilating the game’s protagonist, Grace, like previous characters in the series: “What if [she] gets a big gash in her leg, or her leg gets cut off?” Nakanishi said. While we don’t exactly know what bodily harm awaits our girl, based on early footage of the game, it looks like Capcom has dialed in an appropriate amount of horror. I mean look at this friggin’ thing. https://youtu.be/4ikhM0aVofA?t=414
So, while Resident Evil has had its ups and downs in terms of balancing action and horror, it seems like Requiem is going back to its roots in terms of focusing more on the horror aspect of the game. It’s interesting to see the developers grappling with the idea of what truly makes a game scary, especially when they themselves are unsure of what is truly terrifying. Maybe it’s just me, but it’s refreshing to see a game series that has been around for so long still trying to push the boundaries of what is considered frightening in the gaming world. Whether or not mutilating the protagonist will truly enhance the horror experience remains to be seen, but it’s clear that Capcom is dedicated to delivering a spine-chilling experience with Requiem. Can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.
