Q : We played as Claire this time around which seems to have the dramatic aspect of the story taken to a new level. What did you take into account in order to prepare this Claire gameplay part that we got to experience at Gamescom?
Kanda : We were aware of how people acclimatized themselves with the mechanics and gameplay style of the RE2Remake, so we wanted to offer them a lasting impression derived from the tension and panic you feel while playing against G-mutated Birkin with our latest demo.
Kadoi : This demo version was customized so as to be played through in a short period of time, meaning that the weapons’ variety and ammunition amount were adjusted favourably.
Kanda : The setting that you saw is the underground area of the Police Station
Q: We noticed that Claire battles against the First Form of G which was not included in her A scenario and moreover chief Irons seems to have his story elaborated further. So we might say that the alteration of the plot is something to be expected in the main game?
Kadoi : Well, a considerable part of the plot and how events unfold is something that hearkens back to the original game, but on the other hand we not only altered and re-imagined various plot parts so as to elevate the cinematic presentation, but also re-arranged the order of events.
We are convinced that we went about creating this game in order give players the opportunity to fully experience the dramatic quality of the story, and even more so, we went as far as adding here and there dialogue during gameplay that helps the player witness the story in its entirety. I would like to think of it as being something that truly whets the appetite of those who enjoyed the original.
Kanda : I’d say that chief Irons has far more “mingling” in the story this time around, which makes people hate him even more (laughs)
Q: Is the storyline unified and linear or did you add non-linear aspects to it?
Kadoi : Despite the fact that the story can be experienced as one whole thing, there’s an overall feeling that you are playing as if both characters had each their own individual scenarios.
Q: Just comparing Sherry to her original model, we get the feeling the she’s more of a grown person here.
Kadoi : In the original she was rather a 12-year-old immature child, something akin to Japanese cartoon-styled children. With that being said, we made sure to make her look something more close to her age and something that is more realistic. It goes without saying, that her garments follow suit to depict the dressing style of the ‘90s.
Kanda: With regards to her design, we want to be spot-on when its comes to the period where the story is set.
Q: Seeing the original again, the remake has certainly more action elements to it, and the pattern of find-the-enemy’s-weak-point seems to be more prominent. In order to accomplish that did you change various aspects of the (game’s) design, perhaps even experimented with new moves and commands ?
Kadoi : It is a weakness (for Birkin) the fact the he has an eye attached to his arm. We certainly made some tweaks to the way the game is experienced by players, and how much fun they can get out of it, so we made it possible for the players to spot the weakness, level their weapon at it and shoot. However the impression that you get from looking at the game as whole hasn’t changed much.
Q: Playing the demo I was able to obtain a hand-grenade, yet I was baffled as to why you can’t equip it as main weapon.
Kadoi: We actually classified the weapons in two categories, main and sub. The knife and hand-grenades are subweapons. In the vein of Resident Evil 1 Remake, the subweapons can be triggered by the players as a means of self-defence. What is more is that they can be used as stand-alone.
Q: While playing we also spotted gun-powder that can be combined and produce...?
Kadoi : Based on the various mixtures there are types of bullets to be created. There are large quantities of gunpowder that the player can acquire, but there’s also the enhanced gunpowder that is sparsely scattered around. The enhanced powder companion makes for potent bullets, the gunpowder companion makes for regular hand-gun ammo, and when combined we get to make bullets with powerful impact in their own way. So choose wisely depending on whether you are the type of player that unloads ammo on enemies every time, or the type of player who saves up their powerful ammunition for later use.
Kanda : This game truly enjoys the aspect of item/resources management. Always be sure to think strategically when it comes to what kind of bullet-type you want to produce and the point of the gamer you’re at.
Q: Of course, we couldn’t have missed the herbs.
Kadoi : Well, the green herbs are synonymous with health revival, but there’s always the catch of sacrificing inventory space. Then again, combining it with blue and red herbs together, not only does the resulting mixture act as an antidote to poisoning, but it also gives a boost in the toughness of the character over a period of time. The latter is a rather trivial, easy-to-overlooked, effect of the herbs.
Q: I am impressed to hear that. What did the people who played this demo think about the game?
Kanda : Being able to have a brief chat with the staff that were at the hall, they told me that people wanted to spend more time on it. I saw that people got the drift of what kind of difficulty this game has, and how we want the difficulty to be, but there were still those that made it until the end of the demo. As you’ve may already guessed by now, they did in-fact want to see more of the game. We’ve had many of those requests too.
Q: Is there anything in particular that you would like to point out?
Kadoi : We are revealing Claire gameplay for the first time. Just take your time to absorb this new Claire thoroughly. Because up to this point we’ve only showed a portion of her in both still images and in promo footage that we released, and somehow there was a difference of opinion and thoughts about her were divided. Nevertheless seeing her in action will do justice to her and I am convinced that the clouds of doubt will disperse.
Q: What is the aspect that has evolved the most in this game?
Kadoi : Without a doubt, the zombies. People got used to seeing zombies as pitiful sitting ducks, and treating them light-heartedly. But we set our sights on fixing this and everything zombie-related was remade from scratch with the one purpose, to instigate fear. With that in mind, we made a point of redesigning the zombie-behaviour and the hitting-dying animations.
Kanda : Don’t be mistaken, these zombies are really tough and terrifying to behold. I think they are the arch of the entire game.
Kadoi : We made sure to create various patterns of movement for the zombies. There is certainly variety in the zombie-horde, and they are shown in their typical zombie mannerism with their arms raised and prolonged. From their appearance alone, you can tell that they are evoking fear.
Q: While playing the game, will the allocation and appearance of enemies change perhaps?
Kadoi : There is a so-called randomness. You might take them down, leave the room and return later, only to find out that they aren’t there anymore and they have been relocated. On the other hand, there are cases where zombies play possum when you just thought you had killed them. It’s a whole new type of horror that doesn’t allow you to feel safe at any given moment.
Q: Will there be any chance of seeing zombies coming back to life as Crimson Heads?
Kadoi : Well, not quite I should say, but the zombies in RE2Remake are tellingly tough and obnoxiously persistent. Just when you thought they were dead, and you were ready to walk just past them, out of nowhere they grab your leg again...
Q : Anything else in particular that has been modernized?
Kadoi : Another important thing is that going through this game is not an easy task- it is terrifying in itself. As you know in the original game the fixed camera angles impaired the vision of the player and by doing so the sense of terror was constant. Even though we have over-the-shoulder camera we designed the environments having corners, bends, turns, alcoves, nooks and such, and then we went the extra mile to plunge them into darkness so as to create brand new terror. Further, we know how important it is to have in the game ambient sounds and sound effects that invoke horror to player’s senses.
Q: Can you share with us information regarding the DLC support?
Kanda : The Deluxe Edition comes together with extra costumes and a soundtrack. That soundtrack is there to offer a more nostalgic feeling when the player goes through the game.
Kadoi: Those tracks in the soundtrack are sourced from the music back at the day, and you are able to take your pick. In the original game music tracks would switch upon entering rooms, while this time around the whole sound design is done so that we have the players be on the edge of their seat. On the other hand, we went to town on doing the sound design like the past games where music would switch on entering the room.
Although a trifle, when you do choose to switch to the old music tracks the announcer in the title screen calls out “Biohazard 2” in the old style. We thought it wouldn’t be befitting to have a title announcement for the remake, we do hope instead that this will put a smile on the face of those who want to enjoy the old sound design.
Q : Any features geared towards newcomers in the series that you would like to tell us?
Kanda : Although Resident Evil has solidified its place within the horror genre, the feeling of going through a survival horror game with an OTS camera, is something that newcomers ,unaware of the old classic Resident Evil play-style, will appreciate to have at their disposal.
Also, the impeccable visuals courtesy of the RE Engine, the ambient and enveloping sound design that elevates tension to the next level, all the above make up for a horror game of the highest quality possible.
Kadoi : Many people might be well acquainted with the name Resident Evil 2, but their lasting impression is that they have an obsolete game in their hands due to an archaic camera angle system. So we redesigned and re-imagined the game to have all the necessary smoothness and fluidity in it, allowing the players to get the most excitement out of it.
Q: Any specifics as to how the graphics have evolved since RE7?
Kadoi: RE7 being first person, the player cannot see the main character properly. In contrast, despite RE2Remake being OTS we worked hard on the characters and all those bits and pieces that pertain to their overall presentation. We concentrated our efforts on the details of the clothing, we worked hard on the torn attire of zombies and their gruesome wounds and injuries, all those are making the difference here.
Q: There’s has been information regarding the compatibility with Nvidia’s RTX. Any specifics that you would like to share?
Kanda : We are entering the testing phase from now on. That is to say, the version that we exhibited here is not indicative of the targeted visuals and technology that will be implemented in the final product.
Now, to address the compatibility issue, we still figuring things out and what we plan to do with it. We are fine-tuning the game so as to allow the PC version to run at native 4K plus an even further stable frame rate.
Q You received the Game Critics Awards Best of E3 2018 price. What did it mean to you?
Kanda : I think it must be the first time a third party developer from Japan receives such an award, and we’re nothing but honoured to have accomplished that. This award will help to increase the popularity of the game that will reach out to people that know little of the series. It’s a great award for us to receive, that will encourage us to give all our energy to deliver the best game possible.
Q: Next month is Tokyo Game Show. Should we be preparing for major updates?
Kanda : I can’t go into specifics right now, there will be a playable demo, there will be a live event on the stage of Capcom’s booth. We’re going to sum up the information that we unveiled at E3 and Gamescom for the Japanese fans, and moreover we have plans to present the game to them in the best light possible. Stay tuned and be sure not to miss it!