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Why Resident Evil 7 Scares the S#*T Outta Us!

Why Resident Evil 7 Scares the S#*T Outta Us!

January 2017 is a surprisingly busy month for games. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone , Dragon Quest VIII , Yakuza 0 , Gravity Rush 2 , Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter , and Tales of Berseria are all showing up this month. But, there’s one game that might rise above them all. January marks the debut of Resident Evil VII , an installment in the series that’s doing all kinds of new things.

Resident Evil VII is Capcom’s opportunity to do something different. A year after the series’ 20th anniversary, we’re getting what seems to be the equivalent of a total reboot. It’s been five years since a numbered installment, and instead of a thriller relying on unsettling creatures caused by viruses and experimentation, it seems like we could have a more traditional and mysterious horror game. It also seems like it could be the best game we’ll get this month, if not this whole year.

What’s important is the story. Resident Evil VII is different from previous games. We have an ordinary civilian in what looks to be a horrific situation. We’re returning to a single, sprawling mansion, as in the original Resident Evil . There’s an unnerving Baker family. There’s a missing wife. This seems like it could be more subtle and nuanced than some previous installments, with a more personal and human connection.

This is complemented by the new perspective. Resident Evil games have been third person experiences. We’ve always been supervising a situation filled with people who have combat experience. In Resident Evil VII , we are seeing through the eyes of someone who, at least from what we know so far, isn’t too different from us. It seems like an ordinary man in an extraordinary situation. To see that firsthand is a potentially powerful thing.

Why Resident Evil 7 Scares the S#*T Outta Us!

Then, there’s the PlayStation VR element. Sony’s been trying to offer different sorts of opportunities with its headset. There are quite a few companies out there with horror games and experiences, but we haven’t had that really big scare and score yet. Resident Evil VII could be it. We’ve already seen Capcom going out of its way to make the VR experience better, based on some feedback from events. This is the first major, third-party horror game for the peripheral. A lot of early adopters could end up going for and appreciating this game because it caters to their contraption.

Resident Evil VII has a lot of potential. Capcom is taking some risks with this title, but they all seem like calculated ones. The new perspective. The atmosphere inspired by games we didn’t get. The return to horror, rather than more active and thrilling encounters. Not to mention, the PlayStation VR support. Those are all potentially good things that could lead to it being January’s best game.

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