The Ideas That Didn’t Make It Into Resident Evil 2

Capcom developers have discussed several design ideas and concepts that didn’t make the final cut of the recently-released Resident Evil 2 remake. During a round table conversation about the development of 2019’s remake of the 1998 survival horror classic, a topic arose relating to scrapped ideas with some of them suggesting Resident Evil 2 could have played out quite differently.

For instance, the iconic fixed camera perspectives of the original were initially going to make a return in the remake. Playing 1998’s Resident Evil 2 on PlayStation feels like looking through the lens of security cameras dotted all throughout the game with no player control over their own point of view. This camera design was tested for the remake along with the over-the-shoulder perspective that Capcom opted for in the end. There was even the possibility that players could switch between the camera setting they preferred, however as one developer stated, “we were thinking of the fixed camera as a sales point, but the other cam was great, so we didn’t need the two types.”

In addition to this, Capcom also considered a first-person mode for aiming. A new enemy, the “Condemned”, went through temp design and animation and was intended as a truly horrific jump-scare creature. A cable car ride through the mountains and a car sequence were also cut. Meanwhile, the alligator chase and G2 fight were originally more elaborate but had to be simplified for the final game.

Ultimately, the developers were grateful for the time they were given to experiment with these ideas, even if they never completely materialised. Resident Evil 2 was a massive success for Capcom, and currently sits at 90 on Metacritic. We loved it in our review, saying, “while it is still too soon to see if 2019’s Resident Evil 2 will become the first thing people think of when they hear RE2, it’s almost irrelevant, as this remake has achieved such a high level of survival horror bliss on its own merit.”