Returning to its roots, Resident Evil has reclaimed its rightful place among the top horror games with Biohazard.
Resident Evil has been a longstanding household name in video game horror. After the introduction of the first title in 1996, the series has had a continual presence within the genre. While Resident Evil was there at the beginning, not all of their moves have been historically well received.
When Resident Evil 6 was released in 2012, it moved the series away from a more traditional survival horror genre and into the action-adventure territory. As third person shooter, RE6 had players battling from an entirely new perspective. Players and critics alike met the game with mixed reviews and divided opinions on the game’s shift from the series’ tone and gameplay style. Capcom themselves labeled the title as a “dramatic horror” rather than “survival horror”, and while it was a commercial success, RE6 left many players wanting.
After listening to player responses to RE6, Capcom rethought the gameplay, environment, and the immersion experience, help to bring Biohazard away from its predecessor’s pitfalls and into a new world for Resident Evil games. Enter Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, a true return to form. Capcom has taken great lengths to bring the series to its survival horror roots in this RE6 sequel, and it shows in the reviews. The hero of RE7 is not some well armed super soldier, he is a regular guy trapped in a terrifying situation. RE7 is brilliantly designed to balance atmospheric tension and jump scares with compelling storytelling. That terror is ever present in this game; in every room, down every hallway, around every tight corner. Yet, despite that, the story coaxes players through the games plantation labyrinth.
Much like the original title, RE7 not only returns players to the survival horror style of the series but also helps to shake up horror gaming more broadly, urging gamers to think on their feet and under pressure, in order to survive. Unlike past RE games and other survival horror titles, Biohazard gives players very little room to stop and smell the roses. The game’s puzzles are designed so that they require keen observation of the world around you, all while being chased around by murderous baddies, of course. While exploring the eerie and decrepit Baker house, you must think while you act, making decisions on the fly which often seem counter to your instinctual reaction.
Players are encouraged to think for themselves, there are no easy answers or special abilities to hack your way through. Even when you are given a gun you may realize that even though you may have bullets left, sometimes no amount of shooting will help you. In RE7, sometimes the only solution there is, is to run. Stacking the odds against the player makes everything more tense. The everyday kind of protagonist leaves you feeling vulnerable while the games grimy environments and uneasy atmosphere make you feel uncomfortable. It is all tied together to create a terrifying immersive experience.
The harrowing ambiance in Biohazard is only intensified if you play using VR, exclusively for PlayStation VR (at least for the first year). Even without the VR component, the quick thinking and camera action required by players can leave sensitive stomachs reaching for the pause button. With the addition of VR, the Biohazard installment helps to bring players truly into fear-inducing situations. Tensions already run high when playing RE7, making it difficult to solve its puzzles under pressure; however, with VR, players are one step closer to actually experiencing those situations and brings the term immersive gameplay to a whole new level.
With well-developed storylines, ambiance, puzzles, graphics, and new tech integration, Capcom has gone well beyond the needs of a successful sequel in Biohazard. Hopefully, RE7 will not only help to shape future Resident Evil games, but also pave the way for further immersive VR use outside of the series.
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