Resident Evil Survival Unit is a free to play strategy game developed by South Korean studio JOYCITY and published by Aniplex, all in collaboration with Capcom. The title, released in late 2025, is set in a parallel universe corresponding to the timeline of Resident Evil 2 and 3. The gameplay puts a unique spin on the franchise, adding base building, puzzles and real-time strategic defense to the usual horror mix.
However, despite their decision to add so many features that seem rather novel, the developers were determined to maintain the sense of fear and immersion you’d get by playing the classic horror series’ full-priced entries. As JOYCITY’s business lead Jun Seung Park explains in a recent interview with ThisIsGame, the company went as far as to measure the brainwaves of their focus test groups in order to get a more “objective look” into how scary the game actually is.
“We conducted a bio-signal-based focus group test, monitoring players’ brainwaves, eye movements and pulse to objectively measure their levels of tension and immersion. Even if we received positive responses through surveys, looking at actual bio-signals could lead to a different conclusion. Through this data, we obtained meaningful results that helped us adjust the fear levels and immersion,” Park clarifies (note that this is based on machine translation, so exact nuances should be taken with a grain of salt).
Bits of the somewhat surreal FGT can actually be viewed on JOYCITY’s official YouTube channel, where they posted a documentary interview with the playtesters. In the video, you can see what appears to be the brainwave measuring devices strapped to the testers’ foreheads.
Speaking about the fear factor of Resident Evil Survival Unit, Park also mentions that the team had to reference the original games in order to “capture the same unique feel on mobile devices.” Sound design in particular was very important to maintain the horror aspect of Resident Evil – as an example, Park cites scenes that use only the sounds of footsteps without background music to build tension. “At first, I was worried whether this kind of approach would be effective, but seeing how surprised and tense players got in these moments made me feel relieved,” producer Dongkyun Kye adds. As Park notes, “Capcom’s 30 years’ worth of accumulated know-how proved to be invaluable.”
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