biohazard 8
BIOHAZARD 8 continues the story of Ethan Winters and the events of BIOHAZARD 7. This entry focuses on a broader balance between action and horror. It also changes the claustrophobic environments (seen in bio 7) for larger set pieces.
PLOT
After settling into his new life, Ethan and his family are attacked and kidnapped by a group of mercenaries led by Chris Redfield.
After a freak accident ends up flipping Ethan’s transport, he continues into Eastern Europe in order to find his wife and newborn daughter.
As Ethan arrives in an abandoned Village, he quickly learns that no one is safe there.
FEATURES
BIOHAZARD 8 continues the first person perspective which premiered in BIOHAZARD 7. The game is presented in an “open world” style. The main story does follow a linear path, with the exception that players can choose to explore more of the environment in order to find better weapons and ammunition. Exploration is heavily recommended by The Duke, who rewards you for exploring.
Village also continued the tradition of having the game’s story written by a westerner (Antony Johnston). Johnston’s most notable works in gaming include Dead Space, ZombiU and presumably, Silent Hill: Ascension.
DEVELOPMENT NOTES
It has been stated that Village began development three and a half years before it’s announcement in 2020.
Capcom wanted to expand upon the gameplay created for BIOHAZARD 7, one of the original ideas was to “open up” the game to have a bigger balance between action and horror. Inspired by the Ganado Village in BIOHAZARD 4, Capcom wanted to make the village itself a living, breathing character. The “tension curve” was also eased up compared to the previous entry. Capcom wanted to focus on the horror which lurks in the “openness”.
The enemies and locations were heavily inspired by classic Gothic horror. Originally, Capcom sought to create a Vampires vs Werewolves setting. However, the team decided that a more “real” approach to the enemies would work better within the world of Resident Evil. The best example was an early conecpt where Capcom worked with the idea of having Castle Domitrescu filled with witches lurking around the castle. The themes for each house was also taken from classic gothic horror themes such as simulacra, mermen and ghosts.
ATTACHMENTS
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
DEVELOPER Capcom Production Studio 4
GAME ENGINE RE Engine
DIRECTOR Morimasa Sato
WRITTEN BY Antony Johnston
ORIGINAL RELEASE PLATFORM Microsoft XBOX One / Sony PlayStation 4 / PC
