Capcom Producer Explains How They Managed To Keep RESIDENT EVIL 2 Set In The 1990s

It seems that with every bit of information we get about the Resident Evil 2 remake, the more we wish Capcom had decided to do something like this earlier. The game is a re-telling of the original story but it also manages to keep most of the elements that made the original game a classic.

Not only that, but the developer has also made sure that the remake's story takes place in 1998— which is the very same year the original Resident Evil 2 was released, as well as the same year the in-game story took place—which definitely keep everything the way it was back in the day.

In a recent interview with Polygon, Capcom Producer Tsuyoshi Kanda revealed that they have added a few interesting details that help set the Resident Evil 2 remake in the late 90s in a way that is accurate to the time when the original game was released.

"One interesting aspect is that Claire is set up as a biker. She rides into Raccoon City on a motorbike. In the original game, it’s a generic motorcycle design. But for the remake, we actually worked with Harley-Davidson to put the 1998 model of the Night Train in the game", explained Kanda.

"So she specifically rides a bike that was put on sale that year. Not saying everyone who plays will say, ‘Oh, that’s a Night Train!’ Like, you may or may not be aware of that. But that’s a detail that really rings true for people who are familiar with motorcycle history. That’s the kind of detail we can use to really push the idea that this game was happening 20 years ago rather than now".

When it comes to details for the game, the developers at Capcom were really aiming for accuracy. While some changes may not be too noticeable, they are very nice details that help players keep that suspension of disbelief throughout. And that's another thing they had to worry about, since going for accuracy also means that they couldn't add things that didn't exist 20 years ago.

"You have to be careful with the set dressing that you don’t start adding objects that wouldn’t exist in the ’90s, like more modern technology. It’s still the time of desk phones and CRT monitors", added Kanda

Another interesting detail is that the developers created a grunge song for the game, which was some of the more prominent music genres of the time.

"We created a song with lyrics. It’s intentionally got a grunge rock feel to it. So if you turned on the radio in the late ’90s, the kind of Pearl Jam/Nirvana-type stuff you would have heard back then, that was what we were aiming to achieve with this song. It’s actually the end credit song. So it’s not in the game itself, but when you finish it, the music that plays is keeping you in that timeline".

Capcom is definitely taking this seriously, and it's great news to know that they are doing their best to keep things as faithful as possible for the Resident Evil 2 remake. They have already done a great job in the graphics department, and gameplay-wise the game is obviously a step up when compared to the original. All we can do now is wait for the game to release in January and see for ourselves what Capcom has done with the game.

The genre-defining masterpiece Resident Evil 2 returns, completely re-built from the ground up for a deeper narrative experience. Using Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine, Resident Evil 2 offers a fresh take on the classic survival horror saga with breathtakingly realistic visuals, heart-poundingly immersive audio, a new over-the-shoulder camera, and modernized controls on top of gameplay modes from the original game.