At the Tokyo Game Show event in Japan this week, Capcom announced that it will release a competitive online shooter for the PlayStation 4 and PCs featuring settings and storyline elements from its popular Resident Evil series.
Powered by the Unity engine, Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps scales back the complexity that defines many online shooters in favor of “quick, intense matches in compact battle zones themed from historic Resident Evil environments.”
Related: Resident Evil 2 remake officially underway at Capcom
Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps includes several online multiplayer modes, allowing players to take on opponents either alone or as a team. Each playable map is filled with tactical positions that players can claim for height-adjustable cover. The game also offers a number of unique gameplay variations, including a “One Life Match” mode that gives players one chance to eliminate the competition with no respawns.
Along with standard gun-and-grenade loadouts, players are equipped with an arsenal of weaponry featured throughout the Resident Evil series. Umbrella Corps additionally introduces its own set of supplemental combat options, ranging from spiked boots to arm-mounted shields.
Players can also expect to face hordes of AI-controlled zombies in every match, adding a new wrinkle to the competitive shooter formula. Umbrella Corps offers equippable weapons and items specifically suited for encounters with mutated enemies, including a melee axe and a “Zombie Jammer” that temporarily repels undead foes.
Umbrella Corps is Capcom’s latest attempt to merge Resident Evil’s survival horror gameplay with mechanics inspired by third-person shooters. In 2012, the publisher released Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, a multiplatform shooter co-developed by SOCOM: Confrontation creator Slant Six Studios. While the result sold more than two million copies across all platforms, it faced a largely negative reception from critics and series fans. Developer Slant Six Studios later closed its doors in 2013.
Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps will be priced at $40 when it launches digitally for the PlayStation 4 and PC platforms in 2016.
