Axe you nicely
As we near the launch of Resident Evil 4, Capcom has released the first episode in a series of (very) short anime (mis)adventures detailing the events of one Leon Kennedy and his journey through the strange, European countryside — For your approval: Leon and the Mysterious Village.
Produced by Nippon Animation and stylized in a colorful & sunny style, not unlike the cheery work of Hayao Miyazaki and classic “globalized” anime shows of the ’80s, episode one “Looking for Ashley” sees Leon stumble across a strange town occupied by a party of friendly locals. It works out incredibly well for our young hero, as you can imagine. But why waste your time reading about it when you could simply be watching it. Are you sitting comfortably?
It would be a safe assumption that we will see other anime shorts during the Resident Evil 4 launch period, and nobody would blame you for having the strange feeling that we’ve been here before. In one of the best marketing campaigns in gaming history, Capcom supported the launch of 2021’s Resident Evil Village with a delightful series of shorts featuring puppet variations of that game’s main villains. (And boy, I really miss those puppets). Clearly, Capcom has decided that the “creepy cute” aesthetic is the way to go when it comes to promoting its flagship survival horror franchise.
We’ll be sure to post all of the Leon and the Mysterious Village episodes here on Destructoid as they premiere. Resident Evil 4 launches March 24 on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms.
