Resident Evil 2 Director Requests ‘Not Scary’ Version of Requiem

The latest survival-horror sensation, Resident Evil Requiem, is currently dominating the charts, shattering sales milestones while earning universal acclaim from critics. Amidst this success, a legendary figure from the franchise’s past has a specific request for the developers. Following the March 10 reveal of upcoming DLC, Hideki Kamiya—the visionary director behind the original 1998 Resident Evil 2—took to social media with a tongue-in-cheek plea. In a post on X, Kamiya humorously urged the Requiem team to introduce a “not scary mode” in a future update.

Rather than dodging ravenous ghouls in a nightmare-inducing medical facility, Kamiya proposed a much more whimsical iteration of the game. He envisioned a “cuddly” version “where the zombies become adorable, blood splatters are swapped for cherry blossom petals, and the score transforms into an upbeat, feel-good melody,” he remarked. This would allow players to focus entirely on the combat and puzzles without the psychological toll. “I really want to play it, but it’s so terrifying that I can no longer sleep alone, so I just can’t bring myself to do it… Spare a thought for people like us,” he joked.

As the man who helped define survival horror, Kamiya’s timidity might seem surprising. This is, after all, the developer who introduced the world to skinless Lickers and the relentless Mr. X. However, this isn’t his first time admitting a low tolerance for modern scares. Back in October 2024, he shared a similar sentiment about Hideo Kojima’s legendary P.T. demo: “I really want to revisit it… it was such a thrill… but playing it alone is just too much.”

A year later, in September 2025, he even mused about developing his own project in the vein of P.T., albeit with major caveats. “If a P.T. revival is off the table, Kojima-san should create something in that style,” he wrote. “If he won’t, perhaps I should… although I’m not a horror fan, so it wouldn’t actually be horror… plus, I don’t have any ideas anyway.”

To be fair to Kamiya, Resident Evil Requiem is unapologetically visceral. The game is packed with stomach-churning imagery, from literal gallons of gore to massive, multi-legged monstrosities and a industrial thresher that grinds the infected into a grisly pulp. While an official “sanitized” mode seems unlikely, Kamiya might find solace in the modding community. The famous “Shrek mod” is already gaining traction, swapping out the terrifying, hulking “Chunk” for a smiling yet equally dangerous Scottish ogre.

Source: Polygon