Resident Evil Creator Hideki Kamiya Urges Capcom to Add a Non-Scary Mode
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Resident Evil co-creator Hideki Kamiya is dead serious about wanting a non-scary mode for modern survival horror games, arguing that Capcom developers have grown completely numb to how terrifying their titles are.
Hideki Kamiya wants everyone to know he was entirely serious when he asked Capcom to tone down the terror in Resident Evil Requiem. In a recent interview with Video Games Chronicle, the original Resident Evil 2 director explained that modern game developers have grown completely numb to their own work. Because high-fidelity graphics allow creators to render hyper-realistic horrors, the teams at Capcom simply do not realize how genuinely terrifying their games look and feel to players who are not regular horror fans.
Kamiya admitted that even his curiosity to see the return of Leon Kennedy in Raccoon City was not enough to help him push through the frights of Requiem. He has repeatedly pitched a lighthearted alternative mode to producers like Takeuchi-san, suggesting simple adjustments like replacing blood with cherry blossom petals, swapping dark lighting for bright rooms, and putting paper bags over enemy heads. Unsurprisingly, his requests usually get met with confusion and disbelief from developers who insist the games are not that extreme.
While a cozy spin-off starring Leon on a peaceful fishing trip probably will not happen anytime soon, Kamiya's critique highlights an interesting accessibility gap in high-end single-player games. As studios push for maximum immersion and cinematic photorealism, players who love puzzles and storytelling but hate pure horror are often left behind. With Capcom gearing up for a Code Veronica remake next, horror fans will get plenty of scares, but Kamiya will likely be sitting this one out.
Virginia Glaze reported on these remarks for IGN South Africa, capturing how industry veterans sometimes struggle to enjoy the very genres they helped shape when production values reach modern cinematic heights.
Tags: Resident Evil, Capcom, Hideki Kamiya, Horror Games, Gaming News
Original article: IGN South Africa