Resident Evil modders and the biggest fighting game channel on YouTube join forces to remedy a 26-year-old April Fools' joke
The creators of a Resident Evil randomiser mod have collaborated with the biggest fighting game channel on YouTube, Maximilian Dood, to bring players the fabled Akuma Mode for the original Resident Evil 2, fulfilling a 26-year-old gag.
It all started off as a simple April Fool's joke back in 1998, when the gaming magazine EGM2 tricked readers into believing that it was possible to unlock the Street Fighter character Akuma in Resident Evil 2 as long as you completed the game as both Leon and Claire with nothing but a handgun and a knife and achieved an A rank in every single scenario (via GamesRadar).
Unfortunately, this simple task did not reap the proposed benefits, and it left many Resident Evil 2 players confused and upset about the lack of Akuma. But it did cement this cruel joke into urban legend status, left to a life as an unattainable myth. Or it was.
Snipzu, Captain Kashup, and Zkys3dge, the modders behind BioRand, the Resident Evil randomiser, announced on Twitter that this is no longer the case: "After 26 years, the rumors finally came true. In collaboration with @maximilian_, we're delighted to present to you the AKUMA MODE!"
While Orca's been hard at work on RE4R's and CVX's randos, the rest of team has also been working on something of their own.. After 26 years, the rumors finally came true. In collaboration with @maximilian_, we're delighted to present to you the AKUMA MODE ! pic.twitter.com/WLqtegFgUkMay 9, 2024
They also showed off a short video of Akuma fighting zombies in the original Resident Evil 2, you can see him using Shoryukens and Gohadokens against crows, lickers, giant alligators, and more.
You can check Akuma Mode out for yourself on its ModDB page, but it only works for Resident Evil 2 Sourcenext PC version with Classic REbirth (patches for PC ports), so make sure you have the latest version installed.
The team has also been working on fixes for small issues, like running the exe in admin mode, or the game crashing when players are in Kendos Gunshop. Otherwise, it all seems to be going smoothly, with the modders even announcing that they are working on updates for the mode: "Akuma Mode is, for now, not randomized," BioRand modders say in a Tweet. "But we're planning on doing that as soon as possible, as well as adding him as a full-fledged character in BioRand itself whenever we can."
As if solving the 26-year-old joke wasn't enough, this mod also lets you see an alternate ending, providing you manage to find and defeat all the guest stars who have been turned into zombies. While this mod hasn't been translated to the remake just yet, you can prepare to appreciate Akuma from all angles with this fantastic mod that adds over 1,700 camera angles to the Resident Evil 2 remake.