Capcom's latest showcasing of its forthcoming Resident Evil Village - due out on May 7 for PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and PC - was complemented by a surprise that few of us saw coming. We know there is a strong possibility of a Resident Evil 4 remake being announced in the future, perhaps in the months after Village's release - but before that, we get to go shooting our way around rural Spain in virtual reality.
Yep, the classic action game that is 2005's Resident Evil 4 is coming to VR - specifically on the Oculus Quest 2. Exactly when it's out remains a mystery for now, but Oculus has announced that further details on the VR release will follow on April 21, at the Oculus Gaming Showcase.
The VR announcement was made separate from, but kind of alongside, a 20-minute Resident Evil showcase that mainly dug deeper into the content of the forthcoming Village. You can watch in full on YouTube.
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Resi 4 isn't the first time a game in the survival-horror series has gone into the realm of virtual reality, as 2017's natively first-person Resident Evil VII: Biohazard was playable with a VR headset. Nevertheless, it's surprising to see Capcom (in collaboration with Oculus Studios and Armature Studio) commit to a more-immersive, first-person take on the classic, what with it being a pioneer of the over-the-shoulder, third-person genre. How will it play with that perspective switched? We can't wait to find out, frankly.
Also revealed in Capcom's showcase was an additional mode for Village - Mercenaries. It's a mode that Resi veterans will know all about, having featured in Resident Evils 3 to 6 - though it wasn't present in VII. A high-tempo, arcade-style challenge mode, (The) Mercenaries is included with the main game at launch, and Village's director Morimasa Sato says that this version will include some "Village twists" to the familiar formula.
"The first change is that we've added a shop," Sato said during the Showcase. "You can access the Duke's Emporium between areas" to get new weapons and upgrades. He added that we "can expect this side-game to be as fast-paced as previous instalments". Weapons can be customised, and newly added abilities allow players to modify certain stats, such as movement speed, defensive guard, and bullet damage. This mode's final stages, says Sato, will become "extremely difficult", so using all the added features is a must.
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A demo for Resident Evil Village will be available to PlayStation 4 and 5 users on April 17, with a second on April 24, covering the Village and Castle areas respectively. These will be timed experiences, capped at 30 minutes. On May 1, these demos will appear on all platforms with the time limit increased to an hour.
In related Resident Evil Village news, the game is said to form the middle part of a trilogy (the conclusion being the inevitable Resident Evil 9), and the randomisation of enemies will ensure that each playthrough of the game is different.
Featured Image Credit: Capcom, Oculus StudiosTopics: VR, Resident Evil, Resident Evil Village, Capcom