Resident Evil Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi says that Leon Kennedy's choice of weapon in the upcoming ninth entry in the horror series was a conscious decision to make players question whether the returning protagonist is doing okay.
In an interview with DenNicoFamiGamer that's been translated by GamesRadar+, Nakanishi discusses how Leon is returning as a much older man than when we last saw him.
The team at Capcom were very conscious of the fact that he would have been through a lot of changes. Not only would aging mean he now exudes "hot uncle" vibes thanks to "a design that would make anyone’s heart throb," but also a "ruthless anger."
"Leon is making a reappearance in this game, and this is the result of us digging deep into the idea of 'what type of person would Leon grow into? What would he be thinking?'," Nakanishi says. "This Leon has been fighting for a long time; he has a world-weary attitude, and exudes a ruthless anger."
This change in Leon's personality has led to the team deciding to change his main mode of fighting. In Requiem he wields an ax as his main weapon, and this is an outward symbol for the internal changes that have happened within the character.
"A symbol of this [change in attitude] is that in this game Leon uses an ax as his main mode of fighting," Nakanishi continues. "This game's Leon fights by swinging his bloody ax in a way where you might start thinking 'What's wrong with you Leon?' while playing. That is what we're aiming for."
