Six New Things We've Learned About Resident Evil 6

Resident Evil 6 is just over two months away from release. As the latest bio-terror outbreak approaches, Capcom has been unleashing trailers, demos and screenshots left and right. Its latest volley of visuals has been accompanied by a considerable amount of new commentary from RE 6 director Eiichiro Sasaki, which we've gathered here. Also included - three videos showcasing new parts of the Leon, Chris and Jake campaigns.

The Start of Development

We all know Resident Evil 6 has been in development for several years. With Resident Evil 5 arriving more than three years ago, Capcom has had a considerable amount of time to work on its next installment. In fact, much of what we've seen so far was created almost two and a half years ago.

According to Sasaki, early designs of RE 6 focused on technology and general direction, including the Leon sequence just released (see the first video below), Chris's arrival in Lanshiang (which can be seen in several trailers) and the Ustanak's pursuit of Jake Muller (see our E3 and Dragon's Dogma videos for an approximate idea).

"With this [Leon segment] we wanted players to experience the fear of walking through the darkness," Sasaki said. "Light and shadow play a very important part. The initial concept was a scene in a curved tunnel with a large crowd of zombies at the far end, lit so as to be visible only as silhouettes."

A Fear of Lights

That experimentation with lighting resulted in what Sasaki calls "scare lighting," which is mostly a cosmetic effect added by Capcom to enhance the mood and tension in some of these darker, slower sequences.
Sasaki admitted there technically is no light source for this effect, which casts a glow underneath creatures for an eerie visual, but the end result is something scarier, so the concept stayed. "I think it produces a great cinematic effect," noted Sasaki.

Safety (and Fear) in Numbers 

One common observation about Resident Evil 6 so far - some of the sequences with Chris Redfield don't seem like they'll be too scary. As we saw in the E3/Dragon's Dogma video, it appears as though Chris is not only accompanied by Piers Morgan, but an entire squad too. Why would anyone be scared when they're surrounded by agents armed to the teeth?

That feeling might change if those agents are being killed one by one, and you're seemingly powerless to stop it. Worse yet, that force is none other than a giant snake, which bears a striking resemblance to Yawn from the first Resident Evil game. "That's what this part of the game is all about, the escalating fear you feel as your team grows smaller and smaller. It's a kind of terror you can only experience in a group scenario," said Sasaki.

Yawn's Cousin

So you have to fight a giant snake. That's not a big deal, right? If you, your partner and a half dozen other BSAA agents are well-armed, a mere reptile - even a big one - should be target practice.
Unless it has the ability to blend into its surroundings.

Sasaki explained that his team was attempting to capture the fear of the unknown, as an enemy that's invisible suddenly springs upon you and your team. Suddenly it's not about spotting the enemy ahead. It might be in front of you and you'd really have no idea. "You don't even need to have obvious enemies present in a scene in order to feel fear," Sasaki said.

The RE director went on to describe how this extends to sound design, and how "ordinary noises" suddenly might suggest enemy presence. "So when you hear something like the rustle of a rubbish bag being kicked out of the way, even though it might well have been one of your team members, your heart leaps as you wonder whether it's an enemy coming to get you," Sasaki explained.

Crossing Over 

First revealed at E3 2012, the game's three lead storylines, featuring Leon, Chris, Jake and their partners, will cross over as various pairings run across each other while they pursue their goals. From an online perspective, this results in friends suddenly being split apart and being paired with strangers across the world. Again, here you might expect safety in numbers - but Capcom has designed enemies that ensure even a group of four battle-tested heroes won't have it easy.

Enter: The Ustanak.

The Ultimate Garbage Disposal

The Ustanak isn't just a crazed behemoth that charges after you. It has a number of tricks at its command, mostly stemming from its techno-organic capabilities.

"The Ustanak can attach different devices to his right arm," Sasaki revealed. "One of the interesting ones is the apparatus he uses to grab and crush the player. During gameplay he will start taking out the players one by one, so what starts off looking as a four-on-one fight where the players have the advantage can quickly becomes a massacre. With his right and left arms and the cage-like device on his back, Ustanak can hold up to three players at the same time, leaving just one player left to fight him."

Sasaki went on to describe the encounter between the Ustanak, Leon, Helena, Jake and Sherry as one of "cops and robbers," as friends can race to save their partners once captured. The problem? Attempting to do that will place you within reach of the Ustanak - exactly where you don't want to be.
Good luck with that.

Source : feeds.ign.com