Resident EvildeveloperCapcomhas had a field day advertising for the latest games in the franchise. ForResident Evil 7: Biohazard, they created a themed escape room to build up hype. TheResident Evil 2remake got an interactive promotional video titled “The Choice is Yours” to encourage fan engagement. Advertising forResident Evil 8: Villagetook the form of cute puppet shows consisting of the village’s Lords trying to prove they’re not scary.
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While the Lords may have had limited success proving their harmlessness, the commercial itself was incredibly successful in drawing interest. Now for theResident Evil 4remake, they’ve continued the tonally dissonant advertising withan adorable anime. The three shorts clock in at a little under three minutes combined, butCapcomhas managed it with plenty ofEaster Eggsfor fans of the original.
4Danger Prone Ashley Graham
The most enduringResident Evil 4meme has to beAshley Graham’s total ineptitude. As a 20-year-old college student with no formal combat training, it’s a bit unfair to expect her to hold her own against an island full of monsters. That being said, having to look after her is a major pain for Leon. He has to make sure she’s safe from enemies, because if she’s kidnapped or killed, that’s a game over. Unless, of course, she’s kidnapped in a cutscene, at which point Leon needs to traverse another large section of enemy-filled territory to catch up with her. Usually, he does this just in time to see her get taken somewhere else.
In the anime, Leon asks Ashley to stay close to him, and then it cuts to a montage of her somehow being imperiled. It was nice to see Capcom acknowledge the frustrating frequency with which Ashley needs saving. They clearly put a lot of thought into the issue since the new Ashley is a much more well-rounded, competent character.
3Leon Does Not Practice Gun Safety
Afterwhat he went through in Raccoon City, Leon’s justified in being a little paranoid. In this case, he’s very right to be. That being said, the guy really does not want to put away his gun. In the originalResident Evil 4, Leon would walk with his gun out and finger on the trigger constantly, even when he thought he was alone or with friends.
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While it’s not quite as silly looking when playing him in third person mode, watching the anime Leon blissfully bumble into the village with his gun out is very funny. The comic effect is compounded by him thinking he can simply walk weapons drawn up to one of the presumably friendly locals and ask if they’ve seen Ashley. The new Leon seems much more secure and allows his gun to get more quality time with its holster. When he does have it drawn outside of battle he keeps his finger on the trigger guard. He also shows a lot more technical skill with his gun, utilizing the Center Axis Relock technique when enemies come too close.
2They Cannot Get A Helicopter
When the objective of a game is to escape an area, the game’s creators really can’t allow the characters to get their hands on a helicopter before the story they want to tell is over. In the original, Leon’s handler, Hunnigan, sends a helicopter to extract him and Ashley but then loses contact with it. She says she assumes it was shot down by parties unknown and then immediately sends another helicopter. The second helicopter shows up in time to save Leon when he’s in a tight spot. Mike, the pilot, communicates with Leon over the radio and is instantly too charming to survive aResident Evilgame.
Having sealed his own fate by being a side character who was actually friendly,Mike literally crashes and burns within minutes. Leon is quite broken up about it, for Leon. Now in the modern game, the first helicopter doesn’t crash but is simply unable to land because of the weather. Mike’s helicopter, however, is taken down in an even more brutal fashion because Capcom knows how to hit fans where it hurts. They can also recognize when the games have a contrived story mechanic like the unlucky helicopters. In a truly out-there spoof, the anime’s Ashley and Leon ask a man to make them a helicopter. Before they can see its completion, they are attacked by villagers and sent flying into space. The man somehow greets them there with the finished helicopter, but as they reach it, it explodes. Honestly, it’s only a little more ridiculous than the actual events of the game.
1The Crows Fear Leon
The short opening that plays in every episode of the anime shows Ashley and Leon encounter and escape from lots ofdangerous creatures from the game, like the wolfish Colmillos and Del Lago, the mutated salamander who became a sea monster. However, Leon and Ashley are not the only ones on the run from crazed killers. Those birds that fly away when our heroes appear onscreen aren’t simply startled. Rather, they recognize Leon for what he is: A remorseless bird serial killer. Or as Leon would surely refer to himself, a murderer of crows.
As a gameplay mechanic, slaughtering every crow Leon comes across is a given. Birds have loot and Leon needs all the help he can get. Look at it from an outsider’s perspective, and it’s clear that Leon truly has no regard for avian life. Betweenshooting down crows for the shiny thingsthey’ve stolen (that’s the game’s explanation for why birds are loaded) and stealing every chicken egg he can get his hands on, Leon S. Kennedy truly has it out for our feathered friends. They’re right to flee.
