How was the Raccoon City police headquarters in Resident Evil 2 Remake formed

Head north from Capcom’s headquarters in Osaka, along the Tosabori River, and after about 20 minutes you’ll see a unique red brick building with a dome. That is Osaka City Central Public Hall, one of the city’s most beloved buildings and also the inspiration for the Raccoon City police headquarters (RPD) in Resident Evil 2. This iconic area has been recreated. appear in the 2019 remake of the game and the article will recount the design process of this area.

Step into Osaka City Central Public Hall, a building built in 1918 and an important cultural center of the city, and you’ll find glossy floors, massive pillars, detailed patterns and ceilings. It has a church vibe – it’s architecturally similar to what Leon and Clare saw when entering the main hall of the RPD. The difference is that Osaka City Central Public Hall doesn’t have the bloodstains and distant groans of zombies.

Capcom’s Resident Evil 2 Remake is a super remake for the new generation. It retains the soul of the original PlayStation released in 1998, but uses modern technology to bring excitement and novelty. The key to the remake’s success lies in the new RPD building – the setting is familiar, but the atmosphere is completely different.

“Our goal was to retain the feel of the original building, but add realism and scale,” said Resident Evil 2 director Kazunori Kadoi. “I’m confident that players will respond positively to this, and I don’t feel pressured by the success of the original game.”

While the main hall of the original is just a pre-rendered flat image, and the new building is fully 3D rendered, both create a sense of mystery and horror – the feeling that this is not real. safe haven as players expect.

Kadoi explained that the architecture of the police headquarters, both in the original and in the remake, was inspired by the reborn Gothic style. Popularized in the West in the 1700s, this architectural style attempts to be an attempt at reincarnation of medieval Gothic style – particularly in religious buildings. The main lobby of the RPD feels like a cathedral, and could completely turn into a church if there were more rows of seats.

Culture shock

This headquarters has a rather unique design when it comes to showing an American city through the lens of the Japanese. If it were designed by a Western studio, the headquarters would probably resemble the familiar police headquarters of the government. We need to face reality: How many police stations do you know of that have a marble statue of the goddess right behind the front desk?

This statue is something Kadoi feels the need to bring back, as are the monstrous stuffed animals in Sheriff Iron’s office. In the remake, the statue is larger and brighter thanks to the moonlight coming in from the glass windows in the ceiling. “I want to bring the statue and the stuffed animals to the new headquarters,” Kadoi said. “But at the same time, I also wanted to make changes to make the gameplay more interesting, and make the headquarters feel more realistic.”

Kadoi explains that, due to advancements in graphics technology and higher expectations from players, the setting in the game must now be more believable than before. When you first started playing Resident Evil 2 in the late ’90s, you wouldn’t wonder why the police station was such an old building full of puzzles. But now, according to Kadoi, players are more curious, and that makes everything in the headquarters have a story as well as a cause.

“The building in the center of town isn’t always the police station,” notes the tourist flyer that players can pick up in the game’s waiting room. “Actually, it used to be an art museum. Many highlights such as the quaint clock tower and the goddess statue in the main hall remind us of a bygone era.” This idea is complemented by oil paintings, old statues and artifacts you can find around the headquarters – they are often in storage and covered with dust-proof tarps. Everywhere you look you will find hints of the building’s past.

“The RPD lobby has some weird stuff, like mysterious tunnels that you don’t usually see in a police headquarters,” continued Kadoi. “So I think making them part of an attraction space like a museum or gallery will convince players more.” Of course, the unlocking system that revolves around playing cards is still quite strange, even with such an old building, but it does not bother players too much thanks to the history of the building.

Another key design element in the new headquarters, despite changing the angle of view to the back of the shoulder, is maintaining the sense of insecurity created by the dead angle cameras in the original version. “Creating a space where you can’t see what’s coming is part of the dead angle camera system in the original game,” says Kadoi. “But in the remake, we used shadows and shadows to create a similar feel, as well as the direction of the sound to help you realize there’s something on that side, but you don’t see where it is. .”

Light source

One of the stark differences between the 1998 and 2019 headquarters is the light source. Almost every part of the 1998 edition headquarters was illuminated. But in the remake, a lot of corridors and rooms are darkened, forcing you to use a flashlight. This makes exploring more intimidating, especially when you’re turning corners in the dark. Regarding this aspect of design, Kadoi said the two main keywords for artists are “darkness” and “dampness”.

“We wanted to create the feeling that something was lurking in the dark,” continued Kadoi. “This gives players the feeling that something mysterious is waiting for them in the corner.” You can feel this design philosophy, whether in a flooded hallway, or when there are sparkling effects when shining a flashlight into a pool of blood. These effects also showcase the power of RE Engine’s natural lighting effects.

When playing the game, players will have the feeling that the building is designed with elements of survival horror. The number of narrow corners and windy corridors in the game is much more than in an actual building. However, this does not detract from the realism of the scene thanks to the realism of the graphics and the manipulation of light and shadow.”

A less obvious, but equally important, design element is the setting around the late ’90s. Overall, this element is pretty subtly integrated, even if they’re a bit off. Toned down Leon’s stylish double bangs (very popular in the 90s). “The most obvious example is computers,” says Kadoi. “They were the big screens that were very popular this decade. In addition, the game also has some other small details describing the context of the game.”

Fan favorite place

There are many reasons that make the RPD building such a great setting. The way it’s built around a center helps you gradually define the map as you play. Beautiful architecture with gloomy light. Feeling familiar once you’ve played the first part. The peaceful moment was suddenly broken by zombies climbing through the window. Or the moment beyond your expectations when the zombies appear in the main lobby, the area considered safe of the game. Not to mention, Tyrant’s terrifying presence.

When asked why the police headquarters is a favorite place for Resident Evil fans – and what makes it special, Kadoi replied: “The police headquarters is the place we see a lot of in the movies. , so it’s very real. But they weren’t commonly used in games at the time Resident Evil 2 was released. I think the important thing is that the police, who are supposed to protect the citizens, are turned into zombies. There is something special and ironic about this.”

By PC Gamer