At the 2016 E3 convention, the playable teaser for the new Resident Evil game, Resident Evil 7 or Resident Evil Biohazard, was revealed to be open to all players. Long-time fans of the franchise, along with excited newcomers, were ecstatic to experience the promising teaser, but those who had played the previous installment remained cautiously optimistic.
Following the strong performance and sales of Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil 6 was a huge disappointment to those who had played all the games in the series thus far. Resident Evil 6 struggled with sales after the developers made a strange choice to depart from the legacy of Resident Evil as a survival horror game, instead creating a shooter action platformer with campaigns. This was not well received by loyal fans, nor new gamers, damaging the credibility of Capcom and the series as a whole.
Long-time players in the survival horror genre, after the disaster of Resident Evil 6, were dealt another blow after the 2014 Silent Hill game, Silent Hills, was unceremoniously cancelled. Silent Hills had released its own playable teaser that enraptured gamers starving for a true survival horror experience.
The Silent Hill games, like Resident Evil, have their own legacy and loyal fanbase, so the cancellation of the game cut a deep wound to the horror-gaming community. Thankfully, the new, playable teaser for Resident Evil 7 shows that Capcom have finally pulled their heads outta their asses and returned to the creepy, suspenseful experience for which the franchise is famous.
Dust covers everything, old, eerie pictures hang from the walls, disemboweled animals decorate an adjoining room, as the player attempts to escape. After discovering a VHS tape, one is then subjected to the story behind the grainy tape at the start of the demo.
The film, which is shot found-footage style, reveals the house was previously going to be used in a TV ghost show until the men in the VHS tape found themselves helpless as things took a murderous turn. The tape then takes on a Blair Witch feel and ends on a suspenseful, cliffhanger note, right before the player returns to the task of trying to escape the murder house.
While there are plenty of jump scares in the demo, they are well placed, taking full advantage of the creepy atmosphere that is well-crafted by the developers. The ending, while scary, both excites and terrifies the player, who will be hungry for more.
Also, for any fans still nursing the wounds of the cancelled Silent Hills game, you can take solace in Resident Evil 7 and get ready to satisfy your survival horror fix. Capcom looks to have created a love child between the well-known Silent Hill atmosphere and the fast-paced action of Resident Evil 6. Hopefully, the finished product will live up to the hype generated by those who play the demo.
Overall, the Resident Evil 7 playable teaser is pretty amazing and I strongly encourage you to play it for yourself, whether you’re a survival horror enthusiast, or just a horror movie fan. Although I am kind of the paradox of a gamer and a serious chicken, I still had a good time and my hope was restored for the Resident Evil series, which is great.
I was extremely disappointed with Resident Evil 6, but this new installment looks to be reminiscent of what made Resident Evil famous, and what made us fall in love with the series in the first place. The latest installment will release in early 2017. For those of you brave enough to play it, Welcome to The Family.
