Resident Evil 2 Remake Devs Talk About Their Focus On Making Zombies Scary Again

Resident Evil 2 remake’s director Kazunori Kadoi and producer Tsuyoshi Kanda talked about various improvements and evolutions from the original version, including their focus on making zombies scary again, DLC, and more tidbits of info in an interview with 4Gamer at Gamescom 2018.

4Gamer: We didn’t expect to see G appear so suddenly in the game’s second playable appearance.

Tsuyoshi Kanda, Producer: The reason we showed G was because we wanted to show you guys something in motion. I’d be happy to know that we were able to show the intensity through the battle.

Kazunori Kadoi, Director: Also, this was the first appearance for Claire, and we wanted her to get a good look. Up until now we’ve only been able to show her in still-images, so there was a fear of her being ugly. [laughs] I believe we were able to clear that up.

We saw some developments that are different from the original version, such as the exchanges with Sherry and the timing of when you meet the Chief.

Kazunori Kadoi: For the most part, the flow of the game is the same as the original version, but we’ve made some arrangements to make things easier to see and understand. Again, we’re also making it so that you’ll feel something different through both Leon and Claire.

We got the impression that Sherry appeared more grown up compared to the original version.

Kazunori Kadoi: This time around we made a conscious effort to design her more as a 12-year-old. Her clothes in the original version had a bit of a cartoon-like design, but in the remake we’ve given her more realistic clothing.

There are main and sub-weapons. How are they used?

Kazunori Kadoi: The main weapons are used for attacking regularly, while the sub-weapons are used to fight back when you’re grabbed. You’ll get to use the sub-weapon at anytime,  so you’ll get to enjoy a more active kind of battle this time.

Tell us a point of evolution about the graphics.

Kazunori Kadoi: Resident Evil 7 was in first-person, so you couldn’t see the player character. This game is being made so that you can properly see the character on the screen. We’ve focused on parts such as clothing details and the lack of expression from zombies.

Support for NVIDIA’s RTX Technology was also announced. How will this change things?

Tsuyoshi Kanda: The Ray Tracing technology that was announced at the conference currently isn’t being used at this stage. This simply means that it is running at 60fps and high-resolutions using the RTX graphics card. As for the PC version, it supports native 4K resolution, and from here on we’re making adjustments to see how far we can go with a steady 60fps.

What’s the biggest point of evolution in the remake version?

Kazunori Kadoi: That would have to be the zombies. Zombies have had a fixed image of being smallfry enemies, so a big concept of ours was to go back and remake them as a subject of fear, once again. Everything from behavior to gunshot wounds, to ragdolls when they’re taken down, are all being carefully adjusted. The zombies are shaping up to be something I can proudly send out as the face of Resident Evil 2. We’ve been making sure that the walking motions won’t be the same pattern, and even calculated the timing of when they raise their arms, so with all that included we’re making them the subject of fear. In other games when enemies ragdoll it means they’re dead, but in Resident Evil 2 we made it so that they’ll still revive afterwards. There are some expressions that will make you think they’re dead when they’re really not.

Did you guys throw in any Crimson Heads?

Kazunori Kadoi: There aren’t such elements, but you can expect things to get pretty persistent.

How will the game present the fear of parts that can’t be seen?

Kazunori Kadoi: The original version brought a fear that came from not being able to see due to changes in camera angles, but this time you’ll get to freely move the perspective in a view from behind, so we’ve added darkness, increased the number of corners, and such to add to the fear of what can’t be seen.

Can you tell us about downloadable content?

Tsuyoshi Kanda: The DLC that’s included in the Deluxe Edition, with additional costumes for Leon and Claire, and the original version’s BGM.

Kazunori Kadoi: The original version had BGM set for rooms, but in the remake version we made it so that it gets amped up depending on the situation. So if you go with the original BGM, you’ll get to enjoy playing the game with a nostalgic sense where a BGM starts playing when you enter a room like before.

Again, there isn’t a title call in the Resident Evil 2 remake, so if you use the original BGM then you can hear the nostalgic title call as well.

Did you add the old school Capcom logo animation?

Kazunori Kadoi: Now that you mention it, that was a  thing. I didn’t look too far back into that. [laughs]

Are there any plans for DLC to be sold separately?

Tsuyoshi Kanda: None at the moment.

What are some points to appeal to those who are playing Resident Evil 2 for the very first time with the remake?

Kazunori Kadoi: We definitely want them to experience the survival horror exploration where you advance from a behind-view camera. The game is being made with the RE Engine and the graphics quality is very high, you’ll hear the zombies from all angles, and we put in a lot of work on the realistic parts of the sound side.

Will the game make an appearance at Tokyo Game Show next month?

Tsuyoshi Kanda: In addition to making a playable appearance at Tokyo Game Show, we’ll have plenty of information to share for the players in Japan, so we hope you look forward to it.

Was there a reason the game is being released in January instead of the holiday season?

Tsuyoshi Kanda: It’s releasing in the same week as the original version. It would’ve been nice to release it perfectly 20 years after, but it ended up being 21 years… [laughs] So I hope those who purchased the game 21 years ago can buy Resident Evil 2 around the same time 21 years later while looking back at fond memories.

Thank you very much.

Resident Evil 2 releases on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on January 25, 2019. Check out our previous report for a first look at the PC version, more footage from Gamescom 2018 here, and details on Claire Redfield here.