“Resistance is our take on online multiplayer survival horror. You really get the sense of survival horror with friends,” Fabiano says. “As a Mastermind, you get the chance to play as a sort of dungeon master. I think fans will love the fact that you can play as iconic bioweapons or creatures from the series and take down the survivors.”
The Dungeon Master element of the mode is easily Resistance‘s most innovative addition to the series, something we’ve surprisingly never seen before in Resident Evil despite the fact that the franchise’s baddies are usually puppet masters working in the shadows against the protagonists. It’s only natural that Capcom would eventually let the players pull the strings in survival horror scenarios of their own design.
“We took inspiration from a number of different things,” Fabiano says. “I’m glad you picked up on the dungeon master comparison. It’s a good way to describe it. Either that or having you feel like you are playing the part of game designer yourself.”
I played the mode at NYCC 2019 and came away intrigued with this new take on Resident Evil multiplayer. Like past asymmetrical 4v1 titles, your enjoyment of the mode will likely hinge on the Mastermind’s skill and how he tactically uses the tools at his disposal. Fortunately, the controls aren’t too difficult to pick up after one or two matches. You’ll quickly get used to switching between multiple cameras to track the survivors’ progress and plant traps in the rooms ahead. Predicting how the team of survivors might act in different situations is the real joy here.
Of course, Resistance‘s success will come down to the players and whether they’re ready to adopt a new kind of Resident Evil experience. The fact that it doesn’t completely abandon the survival horror elements for stripped-down shooter gameplay definitely bodes well for the mode. It’ll also be interesting to see just how creative players get with the Mastermind role. And could the PC modding community take to Resistance‘s Dungeon Master gameplay and turn it into its next great sandbox?
We’ll find out when Resident Evil 3 and Resistance release on April 3 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
