Resident Evil Village dazzled horror fans all over the globe earlier this year, but the classic gaming franchise isn't done with 2021 just yet. However, with the release of the Oculus Quest 2 exclusive version of Resident Evil 4 VR releasing in October, concerns regarding censorship have now arisen regarding the game's original dialogue and text.
Now over 15 years old, Resident Evil 4 has been ported to a slew of other consoles since its original release. These releases have typically seen no real changes made to the original game, other than texture and model touch-ups and occasional unique control schemes, like when Resident Evil 4 came to the Wii. However, this latest information indicates that some of the game's classic lines have now been altered or otherwise removed.
Multiple sources have now reported that Resident Evil 4's dialogue has been altered according to the requests of Facebook, the producer of Oculus Quest headsets. According to the claims, originally reported by Peter Pischke of The Happy Warrior, Capcom agreed to the requests, and developer of the VR version, Armature Studios, made them accordingly. While the gratuitous violence and gore Resident Evil is known for is apparently untouched, several sexually-charged or flirtatious comments have been cut.
The report claims that key moments like main character Leon S. Kennedy flirting with Hunnigan over the video chat, commenting on her age, or Luis' comments on Ashley Graham's figure have been taken out. Ashley also no longer hits on Leon at the end of the game, cutting straight to their conversation regarding the mysterious Ada. According to the report, these removals were not due to any issues with the VR format, but purely because of their content.
While newcomers to Resident Evil 4 are unlikely to notice any conversational abnormalities based on the shared cuts, they'll probably stick out for fans of the original version. Game development and writing has changed a bit since Resident Evil 4's original release in 2005, with more thought given towards the entirety of its potential audience, as more female gamers are actively playing than before, which is presumably why Facebook felt the need to request the changes.
Of course, long-time fans may be quick to point out that Resident Evil 4, like the entries that came before it, included many cheesy one-liners and otherwise crude or crass comments made by antagonists and protagonists alike, both of a sexual and non-sexual nature. While the recent Resident Evil remakes have removed many of these elements, fans who were hoping that Resident Evil 4 would be converted for VR and otherwise left intact will be let down by this information. Only time will tell if the seemingly inevitable Resident Evil 4 Remake experiences the same fate.
Resident Evil 4 VR is set to release on October 21 exclusively for Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets.
Source: The Happy Warrior, Bounding Into Comics