PARIS: The ninth instalment of the zombie-blasting Resident Evil franchise set for release this Friday builds on the game series' 30-year legacy of chilling horror and high-octane action.
Available on PC as well as the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and Switch 2 consoles, the latest in publisher Capcom's flagship property goes back to its roots, drawing players into a story that will unveil a dark conspiracy in the fictional US town of Raccoon City.
With dozens of games, remakes and spinoffs under the series' belt, "it was time... to go back to a very well-known setting", game director Koshi Nakanishi told AFP in August.
More than 200 people worked on developing Resident Evil Requiem, which stars new protagonist FBI agent Grace as well as Leon Kennedy, a fan-favourite action hero.
Creators alternated between oppressive first-person sequences, meant to underscore the characters' vulnerability, and third-person action scenes.
Meanwhile, the story progresses from a police procedural to the series' usual fare: a grand cover-up of a dangerous virus that transforms people into zombies.
The format has done well in the past, with more than 180 million copies of Resident Evil titles sold since 1996 according to Capcom – making it by far the publisher's most lucrative franchise ahead of stablemates like Street Fighter or Monster Hunter.
Resident Evil is also returning to the silver screen with a feature film from American director Zach Cregger set for release in September. – AFP
