Part 5: [PS Classic] The Origin of the Survival Horror Hit: Resident Evil: Director's Cut

To commemorate the release of the PlayStation Classic, PS.Blog Staff conducted an interview with various game creators for titles included in the PlayStation Classic. Among those games is Resident Evil: Director’s Cut. PS.Blog conducted an interview with original staff member Kazunori Kadoi.

The contents of the Japanese interview are translated into English below. The English translation has been written by Alex Aniel. Please note that this interview is not authorized by either PlayStation or Capcom, and should be used for reference purposes only. The original Japanese webpage can be found here. All images in this translation have been taken from the original PS.Blog.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

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In order to portray true fear, you do everything that you can

I asked about this a bit earlier, but you said that foreign people are now an indispensable part of the team. Have their opinions been implemented into the game as well?

For example, from the perspective of a Japanese person, there's somehow this tendency to make character motions and costumes more anime-like. For this project, we're really focusing on the idea of realism. An anime-like approach may not seem particularly out of the ordinary for our Japanese staff, but out foreign staff would often say, "That doesn't look realistic."

Even for things like clothing, if the colors seem too anime-like, then people overseas may find it unrealistic. We recently announced that the original outfits would be brought back in the remake as classic costumes, but there were also people among our foreign staff who felt they didn't look real. That said, if a game looks too realistic, then that can be boring as well, so we've decided to pursue a balance.

As someone who has been involved with many games in the series, what do you think makes Resident Evil the game it is?

The assumption is that once you begin playing, you will experience true fear. If you don't try your absolute best to create a scary experience, then you can't really experience a sense of true fear. You don't just stop at "This is probably fine," you decide to go further and decide to make something even scarier. If you don't constantly follow that MO, then your game will turn out to be very pedestrian.

Also, Resident Evil is about releasing something magical, as well as not veering off of the game's universe. Not making characters too powerful. All of these are traits shared throughout many entries in the series. Things like hacking and slashing zombies to death with a sword and killing them with one hit are decidedly things that do not belong in the series.

However, without the different directions Resident Evil has gone down, then there could be no series. Resident Evil today isn't something just one person decides and creates; it's the product of staff members at Capcom sharing their opinions as they all create the game. I think Capcom's direction and atmosphere as a company is what makes Resident Evil the game it is.

Finally, do you have anything to say to those looking forward to the remake of "Resident Evil 2"?

The "Resident Evil 2" remake is indeed based off of the original, but we've put forward the highest level of effort to ensure the content is distinct yet befitting of a latest entry in the series. I think the timing of "Resident Evil: Director's Cut" on PlayStation Classic lines up with the release date of "Resident Evil 2" perfectly, so I hope people are able to enjoy those Resident Evil elements that make both games so fun and interesting.

Within its more than 20 years of history, the "Resident Evil" series has always pursued new forms of horror. The origins of that horror can be enjoyed in "Resident Evil: Director's Cut," while "Resident Evil 2" (remake) is a recreation of the original using modern technology. I want people to play these two games, which are the embodiment of horror both new and old, and appreciate what makes them so charming.