Much of Capcom's upcoming Resident Evil 7 is shrouded in mystery. In many ways, it feels like a brand new series, with new characters, setting and its first-person viewpoint.
Now, new details about the game have arrived via a leaked ESRB rating, and it provides a number of clues as to what players can expect when Capcom's latest horror title arrives.
Some minor spoilers for Resident Evil 7 below!
As almost anybody who has played Resident Evil before could probably guess, Resident Evil 7 is set to get a "M" for "Mature" rating from the ESRB. In the process of rating a game, the ESRB makes a point to note the more extreme elements from a game that qualify it for receiving a certain rating. These notes often spoil certain elements of the game, and that much is the case with its rating of Resident Evil 7. Though the listing for the title has since been removed, eagle-eyed fans of the series (via GamesRadar) managed to capture the post before it was gone. Here's what it revealed:
"This is a survival-horror game in which players assume the role of Ethan, a man searching for his missing wife in a derelict mansion. From a first-person perspective, players explore the environment and use pistols, shotguns, flamethrowers, explosives and chainsaws to kill mutant creatures. Combat is accompanied by realistic gunfire, screams of pain, and exaggerated blood-splatter effects. As players progress through the story, cutscenes can depict instances of gore and intense acts of violence: a character's arm dismembered by a chainsaw; a man's leg taken off at the knee with a shovel; a character impaled through the face with a shovel. Some areas also depict mutilated corpses with exposed organs/viscera. The words "f---" and "s---" are heard in the dialogue."
The game is rated "M" for blood and gore, intense violence and strong language. The content summary's note of first-person combat is an important point, as players have yet to get a glimpse of the game's combat in action. Both the free-to-download demo of the game for PS4 and a second demo that recently made the rounds at various press events fail to include combat, so it's nice to get a more concrete explanation for what options will be available to players when it comes to fighting off the undead, or as the ESRB describes them, "mutant creatures."
Fans also get details as to the actual plot of the game. Capcom has kept its lips mostly sealed when it comes revealing core plot details, but now, we know fans will be playing as new character Ethan as he searches for his wife. Ethan is also the star of the game's latest demo. A woman named Mia in the demo makes tapes for Ethan, not knowing if he will ever see them, so it seems possible that Mia could be Ethan's wife.
Or it's all simply misdirection on Capcom's part. It seems clear Capcom is looking to keep the majority of the game's mysteries under wraps until release. Thankfully, fans won't have to wait too long. Resident Evil 7 is scheduled to release Jan. 24, 2017.
