Capcom’s Resident Evil Showcase has unveiled the game’s digital deluxe edition, a Porsche collaboration, and 30th anniversary concert plans.
Except for some missteps with Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom has been on a roll this generation, with an almost unbroken run of critically and commercially games. What they’re still not very good at, though, is online showcases.
They always tend to be weirdly short, with very little important information, as they leave juicer reveals, such as the inclusion of Leon S. Kennedy in Resident Evil Requiem, to events like The Game Awards.
We’re still not sure there was any real point to the Resident Evil Showcase on Thursday night, because we already knew Requiem looks great, but if you want further proof, and a few more details, there were some new titbits on offer.
The main takeaway is the Requiem (aka Resident Evil 9) is essentially two games in one, with Leon’s sections inspired by the fast action and low scares of Resident Evil 4 and Grace’s by the more slow-paced horror of Resident Evil 2 and 7: biohazard.
In the footage that was shown, all of Leon’s sections are played in third person, whereas all of Grace’s were in first person. However, Capcom reconfirmed that you can switch perspectives for either character, from first to third and back again, whenever you want.
The showcase was only 12 minutes long, but director Koshi Nakanishi revealed that the game will feature zombies that, Day of the Dead style, still retain some element of their human mind, from a chef muttering about making meals to a maid that can’t stop cleaning.
Another revelation is that the game is named after Leon’s massive gun, which he seems to give to Grace, and that he’s armed with a hatchet for hand-to-hand combat. Meanwhile, the crafting system seems to involve collecting infected blood from downed zombies, although whether both characters do that is unclear.
What is known is that there’s going to be multiple difficulty levels, with the simplest including aim assist. There are two standard modes, one of which has a finite supply of ink ribbons needed to save the game – just like the PS1 originals.
Beyond that, all the showcase did was detail collaboration with Porsche and watchmaker Hamilton. Although when Porsche were talking about a customised Cayenne Turbo GT for Leon to drive it wasn’t clear if that just meant cosmetic differences or James Bond style gadgets.
There’s a watch each for Leon and Grace and replicas available to buy from February 27 – the same day the game releases. Although there’s only going to be 2,000, so they’re going to be difficult to obtain even if you can afford them.
Other random announcements included a digital deluxe edition, with various extra costumes, weapon skins, and screen filters, and a free pre-order bonus for everyone, of an extra costume for Grace.
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The game will be available on streaming service GeForce Now from launch and a Switch 2 Pro Controller will be released the same day too. There’ll also be amiibo, but there were no images of those. Although Capcom did show some 1/6 scale statues that will be out this autumn.
They did mention the 30th anniversary of the franchise, which is on March 22, but only via some vague talk of concerts in Japan, North America, and Europe.
Hopefully there’ll be more than just that, but Capcom wasn’t saying and nor did they address the burning issue from Requiem of how much of Raccoon City is in the game. So far almost all the footage has been of interiors, but there are a few shots of people outside – although whether these are cut scenes, brief sojourns, or something more significant is unclear.
Resident Evil Requiem will launch on February 27 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. Ports of Resident Evil 7 and Village will also be released on Switch 2 the same day.
Whether this showcase was the last one before launch is unclear but while the game won’t be featured in the Xbox Developer Direct at the end of the month there is a chance it may feature in Nintendo or Sony livestreams, if they occur before the end of February.
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