Part 3: [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.

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I want you to experience the origins of Resident Evil through PlayStation Classic

Have you gone back to "Resident Evil: Director's Cut" now that it's been included in PlayStation Classic?

Basically, I play through past Resident Evil games on a regular basis. However, because I've been playtesting the games since they were developed, the enemy placements are firmly ingrained in my mind, so they're not scary to me whatsoever. I do forget every now and then, and end up getting my character's foot bitten and being surprised by that. *laughs*

Did you have others playtest the game as well?

We've had people both inside and outside of Capcom playtest the game. We even had people in the business or administration departments, who don't actually play games, try it out. From our point of view, it was fun watching them play. *laughs* It won't surprise the developers to see the zombie dogs pop in through the window, but it'll be shocking for first timers. The game has a lot of moments that leave a lasting impression.

People were shocked, just as we hoped. I'd see their reactions and laugh to myself while saying, "good, good." *laughs* From "Resident Evil: Director's Cut" all the way to the present, the fun in seeing this hasn't changed much. Of course, I'm very happy when I see people who enjoy the games on social media talking excitedly about the Resident Evil series.

What do you personally believe makes the Resident Evil series such a big hit?

I think it's because there hadn't been a game that really took the horror aspect seriously prior to Resident Evil, and also because of the graphics. For "Resident Evil: Director's Cut," it was realistic to be able to control 3D characters in a variety of camera angles, which was rare for games back in the day. I think it's important for horror to contain elements of realism, which the series has expressed properly.

Please tell us what you want people to particularly have fun with when playing "Resident Evil: Director's Cut" on PlayStation Classic.

If you play the game now, you might get a sense that the graphics are a product of 20 years ago, and the controls might seem highly restrictive. However, players should be able to get used to it right away, allowing them to enjoy the game and the elements in it that you wouldn't find in a modern game.

Seeing those graphics today, they will look very rough, but that should lend to its creepy factor. I want players who are trying it for the first time to understand that this is the origin of Resident Evil. I think people who are even just a little bit familiar with English will find the lines and voice acting I talked about earlier to be strange, but one of the fun points of the game.