Capcom has unveiled the latest Resident Evil game at this year’s Tokyo Game Show - and it’s probably not what you were expecting.
Biohazard: Umbrella Corps (or just Umbrella Corps outside of Japan) is a competitive online third-person shooter set in the Resident Evil universe.
Umbrella Corps seems to be channeling more of a Call of Duty vibe than anything from previous Resident Evil games, focusing far more on shooting other people online than it does survival horror. The debut trailer shows off both third and first-person shooting mechanics, cover shooting, melee weapons, players taking on hordes of zombies, and zombies being used as “human” shields.
Umbrella Corps is set to be released early next year for £24.99/$30 USD as a download-only title for PC and PS4.
March 22nd 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of the original Resident Evil, and it’s a bit of an odd choice to celebrate it with the release of a game that pretty much departs from the series’ traditional formula. However, there is are remakes of Resident Evil Zero and Resident Evil 2 in the works, so fans of the old-school Resident Evil games can have those to look forward to.
It’s also not the first time that Resident Evil has explored genres outside of traditional survival horror, either. The Gun Survivor and Umbrella Chronicles games were on-rails shooters, and the much-maligned Operation Raccoon City was also a third-person shooter. Still, after Resident Evil 6 received a lukewarm reception from critics and players, while Resident Evil Remastered was received to widespread praise, it seems clear that fans yearn for a return to more traditional survival horror gameplay. What this means for the prospects of Umbrella Corps is uncertain, but you can expect more than a few people to question whether Umbrella Corps is a game that needs to be made and what, if any, audience it serves.
The most recent release in the franchise was Resident Evil Revelations 2, which our own Nic Bunce wrote a review of back in March. In his review, he stated that while there were some flaws in its presentation and combat, it still plays pretty well and has some more amusing moments than previous Resident Evil games.
“Resident Evil Revelations 2 is a competent and entertaining little game to play, and it’s well worth your time if you’re looking for a more light-hearted survival horror, with a couple of decent jump moments and a dollop of tension,” said Bunce in his review. “We’re not talking pant-wetting terror by any standards – instead think of it as the Shaun of The Dead of theResident Evil franchise in terms of scare-to-laugh ratios.”
You can check out the trailer for Umbrella Corps below.
