The appearance of Jill Valentine in this game is based on Russian model Sasha Zotova. Carlos Oliveira is based on Middle Eastern model Benson Mohktar.
The altered look for Nemesis included a metal plate to protect his exposed heart, as he is supposed to be a tyrant, and a crooked nose added to his face, to give the horrific implication that Nemesis might have been formerly human.
The dodge mechanic, introduced in Biohazard 3: Last Escape (1999), makes a return in this game. Timing it perfectly allows you to enter slow-motion momentarily to let you shoot the attacking enemy.
For this remake, Jill's standard outfit was modified significantly to make it more realistic and more practical for combat (it was also taken from the beta version of the original game). Her original outfit from Biohazard 3: Last Escape (1999) was available as a pre-order bonus.
Carlos had his look significantly altered for the remake, looking more rugged and bulkier compared to the original. This change was based on the criticism that the original look for Carlos was too pretty and boyish for someone who was supposedly a guerrilla warfare soldier. The classic costume for Carlos was made available as a bonus for pre-orders.