Law And Disorder

How Capcom reimagined the iconic RACCOON CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT.

- Andy Kelly

Drive north from Capcom’s headquarters in downtown Osaka, along the Tosabori River, and in about 20 minutes you’ll see a unique red-bricked building with a domed roof. This is the Osaka City Central Public Hall, one of the city’s most beloved buildings and part of the inspiration for the Raccoon City Police Department in Resident Evil 2. This iconic setting, which fans count among the series’ best, was confidently reimagined in the 2019 remake, and this is the story of how it was designed.

Enter the Central Public Hall, which was built in 1918, and is an important cultural center for the city, and you’ll find polished floors, towering pillars, ornate detailing, and a vast church-like ceiling—the same kind of grand architecture Leon and Claire see when they escape the zombie-ravaged streets of Raccoon City and enter the RPD’s impressive main hall. All that’s missing are the blood splatters and groans of distant zombies.

Capcom’s long-awaited Resident Evil 2 remake is a masterclass in updating an old game for a new audience. It retains the spirit of the PlayStation original, released in 1998, but uses modern technology to make it feel genuinely new and exciting. An important part of the remake’s success is the newly realized RPD building—a setting that’s just recognizable enough to feel like the same place, but much more evocative and atmospheric.

“Our goal was retaining the feel of the original building, but also to increase the sense of scale and realism,” says Resident Evil 2 remake director Kazunori Kadoi. “I was confident players would respond well to this, and I didn’t feel any particular pressure to live up to the original game.”