Resident Evil 7 is a throwback to its horror roots. And it damn well delivers the thrills.
According to Masachika Kawata who spoke to Kotaku, the main ingredient in this terrifying recipe is the switch from a third person view to first-person.
“We felt that a switch to first person perspective would heighten the immersion and bring the player closer to this horror, making everything feel more personal,” Kawata said.
Capcom took this a step further with Resident Evil 7’s Virtual Reality mode. Combining the first-person view with VR immerses the player and provides for a highly thrilling experience. But naturally, these weren’t the only tactics used to make the game scary.
“Thematically, we aimed for something more intimate, rather than having some large scope. We wanted to go back to having players explore a single location with a lot of depth.” said Kawata.
Capcom downscaled the world by creating a claustrophobic, isolated atmosphere. The world where monsters invade your personal space in a tight hallway, making you feel undeniable anxiety. This contrasts the high action open spaced slaughter that we’ve experienced in previous Resident Evil titles.
Resident Evil 7 puts you in the shoes of Ethan; an ordinary, average man with little to no previous combat experience. Since Ethan is a more grounded, realistic main character, you are invested in his plight. The horrifying things that happen to him are scarier than when the superhero-like characters in the series are in trouble.
Did you find Resident Evil 7 scary? Let us know in the comments below.
