Resident Evil 4 VR should be a slam dunk. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more beloved game to bring to VR, especially as the Resident Evil franchise already has a good track record in the medium with Resident Evil 7, and the trailers look incredible. But recent developments have fans disappointed, as Oculus owner Facebook has apparently stepped in to censor the game.
But this isn’t about the extreme violence and gore present throughout, but sexual content. When I first saw this story, I scratched my head: I remembered Resident Evil 4 being a game about fighting a tiny evil dude dressed as Napoleon and spin-kicking pitchfork-wielding parasite-infected villagers. What on Earth could they mean?
It turns out the content Facebook has objected to is Leon Kennedy’s dialogue, in which he flirts with women. As per TheHappyWarrior, VR Leon is keeping it strictly platonic, with the game excising any conversations between him and Hunnigan, Ada, and Ashley that have even a hint of flirtiness. Supporting character Luis has received the same treatment.
It’s a bewildering choice, particularly because the game has been re-released on every format under the sun without a whisper from even the most ardent social justice commentator. Fans aren’t pleased and despite this being a minor change in the grand scale of things, this new version is lesser than the original.
There are credible rumors of a full-on Resident Evil 4 remake in production at Capcom, so if you want to step back into Leon Kennedy’s shoes and blast some Ganados, maybe it’ll be better to wait for that.
Resident Evil 4 VR will be released exclusively for Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets on October 21st.
