The first-person point of view. The slow-paced, psychological horror. The departure from fast-paced action. New locations and set of characters.
These radical changes in the new Resident Evil 7 game were welcome departures for the series, citing the game's mission to go "back to form". After being received with critical acclaim, there were no questions about the game's quality. The only question for fans is: How does 7 fit into the vast, entangled and complicated lore of Resident Evil?
Worry not, as the game is very much a Resident Evil. Scattered everywhere in the game are small and subtle nods to previous games, as well as big and direct ties. To those who hasn't played the game yet, SPOILERS AHEAD!
Albert Wesker Is Back
Albert Wesker was the series' long-running main antagonist. He had a hand on every evil the game had. Thankfully, he was finally terminated in Resident Evil 5. But even upon death, his evil casts a long shadow. In Resident Evil game, during the final battle, someone will throw a weapon to defeat the final boss. The weapon's name: Albert-01R handgun.
Is That Chris Redfield
That someone who lobbed the gun was a SWAT member who called himself "Redfield". There were only two Redfieds in the series and the male one was Chris Redfield. He looked different from the previous games, though.
Under The Umbrella Corporation
Perhaps the biggest connection yet to the main lore is the appearance of Umbrella Corporation's logo on the side of the helicopter Redfield was riding. Yes, the Umbrella — the red-and-white mark of evil. The same evil mega-corporation that was single-handedly responsible for all the disasters in the series. Although in RE7, the logo was uncharacteristically blue. The megacorp was closed down in Resident Evil: Code Veronica, so it is yet unknown what this new Umbrella's role is. Surely it means something, right? We will find out in the sequel.
Notes And Writings
For sharp-eyed players, they could notice some subtle nods to previous games. In the Baker's living room, one can find a book called The Unveiled Abyss, written by Clive R. O'Brian, the director of BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance) in RE Revelations.
Another one is an article next to the shotgun written by Alyssa Ashcroft, a writer for Raccoon Press who also appeared in Resident Evil Outbreak.
To go ultra-oldschool, there's a painting on the main entryway of the house of the Arklay Mountains. Sounds familiar? Yes, the Arklay Mountains where the first Resident Evil took place.
Resident Evil 7 is now out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
