It’s been twenty years since the original ‘Resident Evil’ (or ‘Biohazard’, in Japan) first graced our televisions and virtually invented the survival horror genre of video games way back in 1996. In the two decades since it’s release, we’ve seen the ‘Resident Evil’ franchise revisited and reinvented time and time again as it jumped from survival horror to the action adventure (with mild horror) genre, and even saw it take some odd spinoffs like an online multiplayer (‘Resident Evil Outbreak’ and ‘Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City’), a rail gun shooter (‘Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles’), and even a top down mystery horror game (‘Resident Evil: Gaiden’). This year, on the twentieth anniversary of the franchise that started it all, Capcom has revealed plans to bring the ‘Resident Evil’ franchise back to it’s terrifying horror roots with the all new ‘Resident Evil 7’!
The trailer, which premiered this week at E3 2016, has already shown that fans of the franchise are in for a much scarier experience than the last few action heavy entries in the series have offered. The fans have spoken, and Capcom has done what many were beginning to think would never happen… they made ‘Resident Evil’ scary again! Check out the full trailer from E3 below!
So what do we know so far about ‘Resident Evil 7’? Not too much unfortunately. We don’t know where the game is set, beyond that it appears to be taking place in a derelict mansion that is very reminscent of The Spencer Estate from the first game. We do know that the game is set after teh events of ‘Resident Evil 6′, which at least gives us some idea of where we are with things. We don’t know who the games’ protagonist will be, but we do know that the game appears to be stepping back from the traditional third-person over the shoulder camera view that the main games in the series have always utilized, and giving us a much more immersive first-person camera view. The game will feature a very photorealistic visual style, so if you’re playing using the new Playstation VR system it will be like you are in the game experiencing all of the terror firsthand.
Not quite sold yet on the horror that we can look forward to in ‘Resident Evil 7’? Take it from the Playstation Blog–
“Capcom is able to achieve a shocking degree of visual fidelity thanks to the new and fully VR compatible proprietary in-house RE Engine. Last year’s “Kitchen” tech demo for PlayStation VR was in fact built on this new engine as well. With the RE Engine plus industry leading audio and visual technologies, you experience every abhorrent detail up close and personal in Resident Evil 7. Compatibility with PlayStation VR escalates the unsettling feeling of presence to a level that horror fans have never experienced. No Resident Evil you’ve ever survived can prepare you for this.”
Capcom’s ‘Resident Evil 7’ is set to release on January 24, 2017 for the PC, Playstation 4, PLaystation VR, and Xbox One gaming consoles. If you have a Playstation 4, you can download the “Resident Evil 7 Teaser: Beginning Hour” demo on PlayStation Store today!
Jordan is a Toy Columnist & Staff Writer here at ScienceFiction! Journalist, Musician, Toy Collector, and Overall Awesome Guy! For more on Jordan’s thoughts, toys, and wacky adventures, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
