Capcom’s upcoming Resident Evil 2 Remake has been the talk of the town lately, as more details surface revealing that the game is more a “redesign” than it is a remake. As such, Capcom has gone to some serious lengths to redesign all facets of the game, and that includes both Leon Kennedy and Raccoon City. At San Diego Comic-Con, Capcom touched further on this by discussing why Leon looks so young in the remake, while also discussing the newly remade Raccoon City.

Revealed by Capcom’s Kellen Haney, Leon looks younger this time around to truly focus on how much of a rookie the future hero is at the start of the game, easing into his role as the events of the title propel him forward. “Compared to later entries, the goal was to give him more of a fresh-faced rookie look in contrast to the hero that he becomes later on in the series,” Haney revealed in a recent PlayStation Blog post.

Famous for having one of the worst first days on the job in history (they cancelled his welcoming party and everything), a lot of thought was put into how Leon’s new, yet classic, look would work with modern photorealistic graphics. As a result, the team created a physical version of Leon’s costume, using photogrammetry technology to scan his clothes into the game and added minor details and changes afterwards.”

Haney then began to talk about Raccoon City, and how the team wanted to refashion the city in such a way that it played off a person’s fears. “For the city itself, the team put a major focus on two concepts that permeate throughout the game: A sense of wetness, and playing off a fear of the dark,” Haney wrote. “Using the powerful RE Engine, the team has been able to achieve their goal of creating a sense of dread through these visual cues. The events ofˆResident Evil 2 take place on a rainy day in Raccoon City, causing puddles and flooding in parts of the city, while others areas are covered in the grotesque aftermath of clashes with the undead and other terrors lurking in the gloom.”

In addition to the discussions about the Resident Evil 2 Remake characters and Raccoon City, details for the game’s collector’s edition were also revealed at SDCC. They can be seen here. Resident Evil 2 Remake arrives on January 25, 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

So, thoughts on Leon Kennedy’s new look? Do you prefer a more grizzled look for the hero? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!