Resident Evil Village is now only a couple of months away and is expected to bring players back to the first-person survival horror experience first introduced in Resident Evil 7. Given that Resident Evil Village will be the latest numbered entry after four years, its release is highly anticipated by its huge fanbase, given that it will continue the stories of Ethan Winters and Chris Redfield.
Several days ago, Capcom confirmed that the Japanese version of Resident Evil Village would differ from the North American and European versions. This announcement caught the attention of many fans, and some were wondering whether the version they will be getting will be vastly different from the rest in terms of story and gameplay. Luckily, Capcom detailed all the differences from the various versions of Resident Evil Village, and here is a quick breakdown of the Japanese and Western versions of the game and the reason why there is a difference in the first place.
One important thing to keep in mind is that while the Japanese and Western versions of Resident Evil Village will differ, it does not apply to the game’s story and gameplay. This means that all versions of Resident Evil Village will tell the same story and have the same game mechanics, so there will be no secret storylines or endings exclusive to one version unless Capcom changes its mind. Having said that, the major difference between the Japanese and Western versions of Resident Evil Village will mostly center around the gore factor.
According to Capcom, the Japanese version of Resident Evil Village will not contain any decapitations, and blood will be shown less. Of course, Resident Evil’s veteran fans would know that due to the nature of the game, beheadings and other forms of decapitation are nothing new to the series. However, due to the regulations outlined by CERO, which is Japan’s rating system, the Japanese version of Resident Evil Village will be a much tamer experience than its Western counterparts. Additionally, it is worth pointing out that Resident Evil Village in Japan will have two separate versions labeled as Z&D, though Capcom did not reveal their differences as of this writing.
Another important thing to take note of Capcom’s announcement is that Resident Evil Village will feature “no scenes that CERO prohibits.” As mentioned earlier, CERO is Japan’s rating board, similar to North America’s ESRB and Europe’s PEGI. At the moment, the exact scenes that may not end up in the Japanese version of Resident Evil Village remain unknown. However, if CERO does prohibit certain scenes it will unlikely be those that contain major plot points, given that it would be unfair to Japanese fans.
Regarding the restrictions that CERO could impose on Resident Evil Village, it is likely that these scenes would not be cut out of the game entirely. It is worth remembering that the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2 also faced the same hurdle. In the game’s RPD section, Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield stumbles upon the police station’s security room with a gate on the other side closed shut. Shortly after, players will hear the desperate screams of police officer David from the other side, and Leon or Claire will attempt to open the gate to rescue the officer. This particular scene will certainly be remembered by most players, given that David, who was only able to get his upper body out from the gate, found his lower half decapitated by zombies.
In the Japanese version of the game, the scene wasn’t cut from the game but is instead toned down, and David’s body wasn’t decapitated. In this instance, both versions still depicted his tragic death, but the difference lies with the level of gore and blood shown. Likely, this will also be the same approach that Capcom will use in certain scenes from Resident Evil Village to appease CERO’s limitations while still offering players the full experience. Nonetheless, just how different certain scenes will be between the Japanese and Western versions will remain a mystery until Resident Evil Village releases.
Interestingly enough, the Japanese versions of Resident Evil having a tamer level of gore compared to its international versions weren’t always the case. During the first Resident Evil game in 1996, the Japanese version included the gorier version, and the North American and European releases contained the toned-down version. As time went on, regulations imposed by various rating boards have changed since the first Resident Evil. But players in Japan shouldn’t really worry about missing out on anything plot or gameplay-related on their version.
Resident Evil Village is releasing on May 7 for the PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series consoles.
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