Zombies can use chainsaws in Resident Evil 9, Capcom explains with Day of the Dead movie logic

Capcom has a very interesting take on zombies in Resident Evil 9 that channels some of the movie logic found in Romero's 1985 horror classic.

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Resident Evil games are heavily influenced by all forms of horror media, and in its multi-decade span, the series has redefined what terror actually is. But like all media--especially a gestalt one like video games--the Resident Evil franchise takes cues from the greats that came before it, and in this instance, Capcom's latest Resident Evil 9 once again borrows from the master of the undead himself, George Romero.

In a recent interview with Game Informer, Resident Evil 9 game director Koshi Nakanishi confirmed the zombies in RE9 can use tools and even chainsaws to attack players. Capcom offered an explanation, and it might sound familiar to horror fans: The zombies still have memories from when they were human, so they remember how to use things like chainsaws. It's a lot like how Bub the zombie remembered how to shoot a gun in Day of the Dead.

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Nakanishi explains, as per the interview:

"In this game, the zombies can actually use tools. They have retained some of their memory pre-turning into a zombie.

"Being able to use tools is something the zombies can do here, and with that being the case, it made sense for all the zombies to also be able to use a chainsaw. Going from there, if one enemy with the chainsaw is defeated, it makes sense for the other zombies to pick it up and to be able to use it.

"And so from there, it went to,'"Well, if that's the case, then of course, you as the player also want to use it.'

"That's kind of how that line of thought naturally progressed and resulted in Leon being able to wield a chainsaw in Resident Evil Requiem."

Capcom typically puts their own unique spin on the more prominent horror tropes; for example, Resident Evil Village was basically Horror Movie: The Video Game, as we explained in our review, and previous games like Resident Evil 7 were also influenced by films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, with the Bakers resembling the Sawyer family from Tobe Hooper's iconic 1974 film.

Resident Evil 9 releases February 27, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.