The Resident Evil sequence might set a future installment in Japan — a setting no mainline sport has visited thus far.
Whereas no new sport in Japan has but been confirmed, Resident Evil Requiem producer Masato Kumazawa has mentioned the potential of a contemporary title exploring the sequence’ homeland in a brand new interview, sparking discussions amongst followers about what such a sport may seem like.
Chatting with Japanese outlet Futaman, in remarks translated by IGN, Kumazawa mentioned {that a} Japan-set Resident Evil sport had been considered. “I feel that each Japanese Resident Evil fan has positively considered a Japan setting, and I’ve additionally thought-about it myself,” Kumaza mentioned. “Because the sequence is primarily developed by employees in Japan, I feel everybody on the dev group has most likely considered it. Regardless that Japan hasn’t appeared as a setting for the video games but, I feel it’d sooner or later sooner or later.”
Whereas the Resident Evil sequence has primarily been set within the US, it has additionally explored fictional locations in different components of the world, such as Resident Evil Village’s Jap European setting and Resident Evil 5’s controversial foray into West Africa. Nonetheless, we have now by no means seen Umbrella Corp’s impression on Japan.
Silent Hill f transported Konami’s iconic horror sequence to Sixties Japan final yr, kicking off some discussions on Reddit and different boards as to why Japan’s different main survival horror franchise hadn’t gone for a Japan setting but. Though there was some enthusiasm for a Resident Evil set in Japan amongst Japanese-speaking commenters, many hope that such a sport would steer away from a conventional village setting, which has already been achieved by many different Japanese horror video games such as Silent Hill f, Deadly Body and Siren.
On the flip facet, some followers have pointed out that Japan has potential as a setting, contemplating all of the small islands that would encourage in-game places for a virus outbreak.
Reacting to Kumazawa’s remark, some Japanese followers identified that Capcom’s survival horror franchise has had a Japanese essential character earlier than, however in a spin-off solely launched in Japan.
Takeru Tominaga is the protagonist of the official Resident Evil manga Biohazard Heavenly Island. He’s the assistant director of Idol Survival, a actuality TV present that includes bikini-clad fashions on a Caribbean island that simply so occurs to be the previous web site of an Umbrella Corp lab (what might probably go fallacious?). Quickly, he and the remaining contestants and crew are preventing a really completely different battle in opposition to the zombifying T-virus. “Even when it’s troublesome for them to make a Resident Evil set in Japan, a Japanese protagonist is likely to be attainable,” mused a user on X. The video games even have just a few Japanese or half Japanese characters together with Resident Evil Outbreak’s Yoko Suzuki and, in fact, Jill Valentine.
Kumazawa additionally assured followers that, regardless of its final-sounding title, Resident Evil Requiem would by no means be an finish to the sequence. Though Resident Evil Requiem does wrap up or pay tribute to a few of Resident Evil’s iconic components (“It’s a Requiem for Leon’s battles in opposition to bioterrorism, and a requiem for the previous Raccoon Metropolis incident”), Kumazawa added that “There are nonetheless many issues we might love to do, such as telling the tales of characters that didn’t seem in Requiem.”
He additionally says future Resident Evil video games will “protect the core components of the sequence” and keep true to established characters and settings, whereas experimenting with completely different concepts. “Gamers will get bored if we simply preserve making the identical sort of video games, so we might prefer to proceed taking over new challenges.” He provides Village’s Megamycete idea and Requiem’s POV switching as examples of recent concepts the dev group has tried out to maintain the sequence contemporary.
As for what’s subsequent for Capcom’s survival horror sequence, Kumazawa hopes followers are trying ahead to the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem story enlargement. In the meantime, Resident Evil is getting a brand new film set in Raccoon Metropolis, which is able to hit theaters this September.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance author who beforehand served as editor, contributor and translator for the sport information web site Automaton West. She has additionally written about Japanese tradition and flicks for numerous publications.