If you watched the Resident Evil Requiem gameplay shown during Capcom’s showcase, you may have noticed that the zombies in the new chapter feel different from usual. They are still walking corpses, of course, but this time they appear more active and aggressive. They mimic behaviors from their previous lives and, in some cases, even speak or use weapons.
In an interview with GameSpot, game director Koshi Nakanishi confirmed that zombies in Resident Evil Requiem are indeed different and less predictable than those seen in earlier entries.
“When making a Resident Evil title, the question of how to present zombies is always something that comes up in discussions,” Nakanishi explained.
You want to have some variety, but at the same time, if you make too many changes, it doesn’t feel like a zombie anymore, so there’s always that element or that challenge of designing enemies for a Resident Evil title. In this setting, you’re dealing with a lot of zombies who literally just became zombies momentarily or a while ago. It’s pretty fresh.
Nakanishi also clarified that these new behaviors will have a real impact on gameplay, especially during sections focused on Grace Ashcroft, which lean more toward survival horror.
“Part of that fear experience is not knowing what the enemy is going to do when they approach you or when you see them,” he added. “If you just had a standard zombie, you probably by now have an idea of what a zombie’s going to do. But if you had these zombies here that retained some of their memories or behavior from their previous life, then there’s more of a mystery element. You’re not exactly sure what they’re going to do.”
In other news, Resident Evil Code: Veronica Remake is reportedly deep in development, with a possible release window set for the first half of 2027.
