1. Return to the "Roots" -
Lately Resident Evil has been a series about action. Although 4 was still closer to it's original horror survival style, Resident Evil 5 buffed up the main character Chris, had him go on an action packed shooting adventure, and gave him the ability to punch giant rocks with his fists. The game expanded on the systems created for RE4, added in a second playable character, and also introduced co-op to the main story. While not all may like the changes made in 5, it was still fun for what it was, and Resident Evil 6 turned up that action even further. It too was a really fun co-op experience (if you gave it a chance), and it's story was very cinematic in nature. On top of that, there's also the more "arcady" modes of Resident Evil such as The Mercenaries, and Raid Mode. While Mercenaries is a game about killing enemies within a set time limit to gain the highest score, Raid mode is more of a shooter RPG mix about killing enemies, getting better weapons in loot drops, and unlocking new abilities. Both modes are pure action, and are great for co-op as well! But this isn't really what Resident Evil started as, and RE7 aims to fix that.
Rather than being an action game, Resident Evil 7 is locking us in an old creepy house filled with monsters, and asking us to survive. No longer can you run through the world guns blazing, but instead you have to progress with the fear of the unknown, and do whatever it takes to actually survive. Although games like Resident Evil Revelations 1 and 2 brought some of these elements back to the series, RE7 is the first time they went full horror survival in quite some time, and this time it is actually true horror.
2. The Family -
"The Family" (which most likely isn't the same "family" mentioned in RE6) is a group of disturbing hillbillies that live in this old house you're locked in, and they are freakin crazy (to put it lightly)! There's multiple members to this family, and each one is terrifying in their own way. The thing is though... These people aren't your average deranged country hicks, but rather they are deranged country hicks that cannot die! From what we've seen so far, they are immortal (most likely due to the new virus going around), and they will stop at nothing to get you. Decide to set one on fire to get away? Yeah, good luck with that. Instead of burning to a crisp, they'll just keep coming at you as their flesh falls from their body and hits the ground... And THEN kill you. These people are not to be messed with, and often it'll be better to run than to stand and fight. Of course that is easier said than done, as they can apparently crash through walls, and jump out from behind almost any corner to scare the heck out of you! You'll never know where they are, and they really will stop at nothing to get you. They're also completely crazy... Did I mention that? Seeing the "dad" saw through his son's arm with a knife just because he feels like it isn't something normal people do. Although, I'm sure you knew that... I hope...
3. The Monsters -
Wouldn't be Resident Evil without monsters would it? Besides having to put up with the family, this house is loaded with who knows what! From the demo and trailers we have so far only seen one type of monster, but that doesn't mean there aren't more out there to surprise us. As for the one type we have seen? They are no push overs. These things are bullet sponges, that will lunge at you, and kill you fast. The demo had you trying to outrun the thing, while using body bags to knock it over, but a few hits from it and you would be dead instead. The good news is, although it may not die normally, you can dismember it to prevent it from swinging it's arms at you, or moving, so it's not like they are completely invincible. Even so, these things are pure horror that could pop up at any moment, and if you run into one it may be best just to turn around and run away (and hopefully not into a member of the family instead).
4. Video Tapes -
Hidden throughout the house are old VHS tapes that can be played on any VCR you come across. While the main game has you play the role of a man searching for his wife, these VHS tapes take you to another moment in time, and put you in the shoes of someone else. It's pretty safe to assume that most of the other characters you play as won't get a happy ending, but their viewpoint will provide insight to what is actually going on. These sections of the game seem to be pure horror, and have no escape outside of finishing the tape. In some of the few we've seen so far, characters had to hide from members of the family as they hunted their pray (you), while in others they met their gruesome end instead. What we will all be seeing and doing in these tapes is mostly a secret for the time being, but they might be one of the freakiest parts of the game.
5. Using Real Meat -
Did you know Resident Evil 7 uses REAL meat? Yep, it's true. This is a fact I might have been better off not knowing, but it does add to the realism of the game. Apparently RE7 uses a lot of 3D scans for actor's faces and what not, but it was announced they also went a step further. Rather than just creating all of the monsters from scratch, the dev team paid a visit to a meat processing plant, and actually used REAL meat. Yes, that's right. They took real, dead, ground up animals, slapped the bloody mess onto models, and created our new enemies. So, when you think of the monsters I mentioned in number 3, also think of how "real" they actually are. (Needless to say, the real meat was used for more than just the monsters, so there's something else to
6. First Person -
Resident Evil 7 is the first mainline RE game to use a first person point of view, and that alone really helps build up the fear. When playing games in third person, you can almost always see what is around your character, and it often gives you some kind of sense of security; however, when you limit that view to what is directly in front of you, then you never know what is lurking behind. Mixed with the shaky camera, darkened vision, and other graphical effects -- this view point really helps build the tension, making the sense of dread much worse. Sure third person games can be scary too, but first person opens a whole new world of jump scares, and more.
7. Virtual Reality -
As many may know, RE7 will be playable fully from start to finish in VR... And it is a nightmare! It may be hard for anyone who hasn't experienced VR to understand this, but VR really does mess with your brain. Although you know what you're seeing is fake, your brain relies on your senses of sight and sound to tell it what is real or not, and because of this it can be tricked. Playing a game like Resident Evil 7 in VR can easily put you into your "panic" mode, and make everything seem so much worse than it actually is. While you may be able to run through the entire game on a TV without getting scared even once, putting on a headset might cause you to stand in the first room unable to take your first virtual step forward. It's a truly strange experience, and even if you know what is to come, your brain can't help but tell you to "GET THE HECK OUT!" Resident Evil 7 looks to be freaky enough, but Resident Evil 7 in VR will be the ultimate test. I seriously don't think I can handle it, but I'm still going to try.
Well there you have it! My top seven reasons why RE7 scares me, yet I still want to play it! Really, although each of these things freak me out, I'm also excited to experience all of them for some strange reason. Again, I'm not sure how far I'll actually get into this thing, but it's worth a shot! This game's release date can't get here soon enough...
