In Resident Evil spin-off Project Resistance you can play as Mr. X

After the breakthrough global success of Monster Hunter World, the tasteful handling of Mega Man’s return and the course correcting for Resident Evil – which, in the remake of 2, artfully managed to blend Resident Evil old and new, resulting in perhaps the greatest series entry yet – we now have this. A team-based shooter that leans heavily on asymmetrical play, and pushes the Resident Evil formula to odd extremes.

And, having played Project Resistance for a couple of hours, I can say, hand on heart, that it’s by no means a bad game – even if it does initially conjure up grim flashbacks to the miserable Operation Raccoon City and Umbrella Corps (and of course Resident Evil Outbreak, which is a slightly kinder comparison). You can sense a slight nerviness about Project Resistance at Capcom, and the reveal is accompanied by a number of caveats.

Project Resistance Gameplay Overview Watch on YouTube

First, that word ‘project’ in the title is there for a reason. This is a prototype, being made in the RE Engine by an internal team alongside the Taipei-based NeoBards Entertainment, a studio that previously worked with Capcom on Onimusha Warlords. It’s a project that, they’re openly saying, might never even make it to release – there’s a closed beta running from October 4th to October 7th on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One later this year, after which opinion will be gauged and a decision made as to whether there’s enough here to justify pushing through to release.

And there’s also the desire to see where Capcom can push Resident Evil. “We need to keep making new stuff,” says producer Matt Walker. “If we keep rehashing old stuff, we’ll die out.” So yes, Project Resistance offers a new concept for the Resident Evil series, though it’s a concept that you might be loosely familiar with. You’re one of four people who wakes up in the depths of a dark Umbrella Facility, becoming aware of a remote mastermind who’s pulling the strings (and spawning the zombies).

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It’s survival and escape – both foundations of the Resident Evil series – but delivered in a 4v1 set-up that’s more Fable Legends or, to give an example of a game that actually did make it to launch, Dead by Daylight. And, in the context of Resident Evil, it works – and, quite often, it works very well.