The original Resident Evil 2 was released during a much different era, the late 1990’s to be exact. For the upcoming remake, Capcom decided it would be best to maintain that same period setting in all its glory. The fact that the Resident Evil 2 remake is set in the 90’s won’t be glaringly obvious. But for those with keen eyes, there will be a few clever references to spot.

Resident Evil 2 Embraces the 90’s

Speaking with Polygon, Capcom producer Tsuyoshi Kanda specifically addressed the Resident Evil 2 remake’s 90’s throwbacks. Fans can expect to see plenty of landline phones and chunky CRT monitors rather than smart phones and flatscreens TV’s. There’s also one example in particular which acts as a minor update to the original: Claire Redfield’s motorcycle.

As Kanda explains:

“One interesting aspect is that Claire is set up as a biker. She rides into Raccoon City on a motorbike. In the original game, it’s a generic motorcycle design. But for the remake, we actually worked with Harley-Davidson to put the 1998 model of the Night Train in the game.

So she specifically rides a bike that was put on sale that year. Not saying everyone who plays will say, ‘Oh, that’s a Night Train!’ Like, you may or may not be aware of that. But that’s a detail that really rings true for people who are familiar with motorcycle history. That’s the kind of detail we can use to really push the idea that this game was happening 20 years ago rather than now.”

Kanda also teased how Capcom produced an original grunge rock-style song (complete with lyrics) for the remake’s soundtrack. The song will echo 90’s bands like Nirvana or Pearl Jam and will play during the remake’s end credits.

The Resident Evil 2 remake launches on January 25, 2019 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. For more on the remake, check out its recent TGS and Gamescom trailers.