It seems somewhat perverse to celebrate Resident Evil’s 20th anniversary with a team-based shooter – the furthest point along the series’ slow lurch away from its survival horror roots. But here we are: announced by Capcom at the Tokyo Game Show, Umbrella Corps is an online FPS of distinctly contemporary stylings.
The competitive, third-person Raccoon City springs easily to mind. But Umbrella Corps’ trailer shows a shooter that takes the vertiginous tack of contemporary online shooters like Titanfall and Advanced Warfare. The shadowy palette doesn’t exactly inspire, but a possible unique element comes in the form of the hook players use to mantle to higher levels of the map – which doubles as a claw to embed in your enemy’s fleshier bits.
Titanfamiliar, too, are the AI zombies who roam amidst the two competing teams of players. They not only smooth the flow of battle but offer a strategic advantage to those who want it. Players can seize the undead for use as (in)human shields.
Umbrella Corps will be out sometime in 2016. It’s been confirmed for PS4, with no mention of PC yet. Will you be sorry if it doesn’t stumble over here?