One of the most talked about reveals at E3 2016 is Capcom's Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, which has gone back to the franchise's roots of being a horror game while moving away from the familiar third-person view into a more intimate first-person experience.
The franchise will also be taking its first dip into virtual reality, as Resident Evil 7 will be fully compatible with Sony's PlayStation VR headset.
Capcom has also released a playable demo for the game titled Resident Evil 7: Beginning Hour. Different endings and secrets have been found in the demo, with multiple routes hinting that such a system would be in place for the main game once it is released.
The demo was a downright creepy experience, and unlike the rest of the franchise, it did not include any zombies at all. Capcom has noted that the demo is not part of the full game, but it did set expectations on what gamers can look forward to from Resident Evil 7.
In addition to the absence of zombies, replaced by a randomly appearing ghost girl in the demo, there is also none of the high-powered weaponry that has been a staple of Resident Evil titles. According to the game's producer Masachika Kawata, the demo — with its drastically different look compared to the predecessors of Resident Evil 7 — was made to focus on the atmosphere that the new game will provide. Gamers who loved the new treatment of the franchise as teased by the demo should then look forward to more of the same from Resident Evil 7.
Kawata also mentioned that the survival horror genre will be very much alive in Resident Evil 7. While there will be gunplay involved in combat, there will also be situations when players may find it better to choose evasion, or to use items in a different way against enemies.
Kawata added that the decision to shift to a first-person perspective for the game is driven by Resident Evil 7's return to horror, and such a perspective will drive home the horror element by putting players up close and personal with all the things going on in the game.
Will Resident Evil 7 have ties with the storyline of past titles in the franchise? Kawata joked that one of the connections is that there will be herbs in the game, which is one of the long-standing items in the franchise. Kawata said that the game will be taking place within the Resident Evil universe, but with such a massive departure from how previous games were made, he is urging players to approach Resident Evil 7 with a new outlook.
Resident Evil 7 will be released on Jan. 24, 2017 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Fans of the franchise are already looking forward to the game's release, but until then, there are still many secrets and cryptic messages in Resident Evil 7: Beginning Hour that need to be figured out.
