biohazard the umbrella chronicles

BIOHAZARD The Umbrella Chronicles was the first on-rails shooter developed for the Nintendo Wii. The game features abridged re-tellings of BIOHAZARD 0, BIOHAZARD 1 and BIOHAZARD 3, along with a new scenario.

PLOT

Besides the re-telling of BIOHAZARD 0, BIOHAZARD 1 and BIOHAZARD 3 the game features the brand new scenario Dark Legacy.

This story plays out alongside the scenario Umbrellas’ End, where Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield appear to finally defeat Umbrella.

Unknown to them, Albert Wesker is also there to destroy Umbrella.

FEATURES

BIOHAZARD The Umbrella Chronicles features abridged re-tellings of the early titles in the series with an ease of gameplay not available in those previous versions. The on-rails movement allowed players to only concentrate on the destruction of the enemies and environments in order to score higher points at the end of each chapter and checkpoint which were used for weapon purchase and upgrades.

A great number of additional files were scattered throughout the game, shedding more light on the events which transpired up until then within the series. Giving the player a much clearer vision of the BIOHAZARD universe.

DEVELOPMENT NOTES

CAPCOM announced the development of a Nintendo Wii exclusive BIOHAZARD title at E3 2006.

The Umbrella Chronicles was originally going to play in a similar style to BIOHAZARD 4, while interpreting abridged versions of classic BIOHAZARD titles. This was later changed to a first-person perspective to allow an easiness of gameplay for the Nintendo Wii player base. Cavia was brought onboard due to their involvement on BIOHAZARD Dead Aim, CAPCOM was looking for an experienced BIOHAZARD vendor.

The environments from BIOHAZARD 0 and BIOHAZARD 1 were used in their original art styles, just re-rendered in full 3D compared to their original titles. Unfortunately, the environments used for the BIOHAZARD 3 scenario were taken from the BIOHAZARD Outbreak series, predominantly the Underbelly and End of the Road scenarios. This is curious since the BIOHAZARD 2 environment of the R.P.D. was also taken from the Outbreak series with extra areas re-modeled to complete HUNK’s scenario.

ATTACHMENTS

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

DEVELOPER Capcom Production Studio [X?] / Cavia

GAME ENGINE Unknown [Presumably in-house Capcom Toolset]

DIRECTOR Yasuhiro Seto / Hiroaki Kotake

WRITTEN BY Yasuhiro Seto / Haruo Murata

ORIGINAL RELEASE PLATFORM Nintendo Wii