"Castle" (tentative) is the term given to the first stage in the Resident Evil 4 (biohazard 4) development cycle, after an earlier and unrelated BIOHAZARD 4 evolved into Devil May Cry.
This game was being developed by Production Studio 4 alongside Resident Evil and was announced in 2002 as part of the CAPCOM Five agreement.[1] In the West it is otherwise known as the "Fog" or "Mist" version, and is recognized as such by developers.
Plot
This version's premise was to feature Leon S. Kennedy infiltrating a European castle belonging to Oswell E. Spencer as part of a larger US-STRATCOM assault. Coinciding with this assault is an attack by Albert Wesker's Hive/Host Capture Force (HCF) on the estate, who unleash new bacteria-sized virus into the fight. Both forces are destroyed during the attack. While Leon escapes death, he is infected by the virus.
Over time Leon was to discover the origins of the Progenitor Virus. In the backstory, it was found in the corpse of an ancient human by archaeologists exploring the castle, and gave Spencer the ambition to begin his virus research.
Elsewhere inside, a female partner character and her B.O.W. dog were also to explore the structure.
One of the most notable areas shown in this version was a flying airship.
Gameplay
In keeping with Hideki Kamiya's suggestions for the "Stylish" BIOHAZARD 4, "Castle" uses 3D settings rather than the pre-rendered backgrounds used in older games.
Development
A Japanese magazine publicizing the 'Castle version'
Castle was first unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show's Spring 2002 Expo, with Hiroshi Shibata attached as the Director. The story was written by Flagship writer Noboru Sugimura,[2] and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis writer, Yasuhisa Kawamura.
In November 2002, Resident Evil 4 was announced as one of the "Capcom Five", a Nintendo-exclusivity agreement devised to aid the console manufacturer's failing sales.[1]
Gallery
Images
Videos
Further notes
- The Fog-like creature is officially dubbed as the "Black Fog" by the developers.
- Leon's left arm was to be infected at some point, to prevent the infection from spreading Leon would wrap a belt around his arm.
- Wesker and the H.C.F. Were to play a huge role in the story as it was a direct sequel to Resident Evil CODE:Veronica with Veronica's writer Noboru Sugimura attached to the project also.
- Noboru Sugimura, responsible for the "girl and dog" scenario, also wrote the draft scenario for Haunting Ground. While this was made by a different Production Studio team, it could be that ideas were passed by on an unofficial capacity.
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Capcom's Fantastic Five. IGN (November 13, 2002). Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
- ↑ "Im Gespräch mit Shinji Mikami" (in German). Play (CyPress GmbH) (05/2001): 27. May 2001. "Mikami: Ja, Flagship hat die Story dazu geschrieben. Mehr über Teil 4 werde ich aber nicht verraten (lacht). / Yes, Flagship wrote the story for it. But I won't reveal anything more about part 4 (laughs).".
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