As most of you may know already, Capcom is once again attempting to win its fans back over with their next installment to the Resident Evil franchise — Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. While the loyal, hardcore Resident Evil fans may be saving their money for this game, I do not think that this upcoming sequel will revitalize the franchise’s tarnished reputation. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is taking a significantly different approach to its gameplay, which may feel a bit alienating for fans of the previous entries in the series.
Capcom has released several gameplay trailers, and I was rather curious as to why the gameplay has gone from an action/third-person shooter/survival game, to a pure horror game. The videos show us what is happening from a first-person point of view, rather than the third-person view that fans are used too, and plunges the player into one area, which is basically a house. It seems that players are going to be spending most of their time walking around and hiding whenever a creepy noise is heard.
Sound like Resident Evil to you? Not really.
The ultimate question is this: will it save the franchise?
After the lukewarm responses to Resident Evil 6, Capcom has failed to bring itself back to its former glory days. I am seeing a lot of similarities between this new gameplay and other horror games, such as Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and Slender Man. So maybe Capcom is hoping to boost sales by playing copycat? Or maybe they recently decided to take on a different approach to the series?
It’s hard for me to decide, but I haven’t seen a Resident Evil game get much buzz since Resident Evil 4. This game could be hit-or-miss, which is dangerous for a franchise that’s so close to dying off. It could work, but at the same time, Capcom is taking a huge risk with the change in direction. I hope it works out.
