Resident Evil 7 will be released on 2017 for PlayStation and Xbox One, but the greatest expectations are aimed at the full PlayStation Virtual Reality version. This edition will be part of the series Resident Evil, which is an entertainment franchise in survival-horror video games.

The game was announced a couple of months ago at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2016, an event hosted and organized by the Entertainment Software Association to introduce users new and upcoming products from the video game industry, including goods and services created by hardware and software developers.  More than 50,000 people attended this year’s edition, and Resident Evil 7 was announced at the press conference hosted by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Resident Evil 7 was announced at the press conference hosted by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Photo credit: Resident Evil
Resident Evil 7 was announced at the press conference hosted by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Photo credit: Resident Evil

Resident Evil: The history

Among the most popular horror video games, Resident Evil has been rated with the highest scores in video games rankings since its first edition, released in 1996 until “Umbrella Corps,” the version published last year. It was developed by Capcom, a Japanese developer and publisher known for creating Street Fighter and Monster Hunter, some world-famous titles.

Since its creation, Resident Evil has achieved more than 50 million units sold, and its success among gamers have been enormous. Initially, the game was developed for PlayStation, but then Capcom decided to start producing the game for non-Sony consoles to broader the market.

About 20 editions, versions or expansions of Resident Evil have been released and the term “survival horror” was a new genre created upon the storyline of this favorite video game.  Plots in Resident Evil involve zombies and monsters, who exist as the result of a virus created by an evil corporation, so characters must battle against these forces.

What to expect on RE 7: Biohazard? 

Gamers will experience some interesting differences in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard since the video game has to be played from a first-person perspective. The user will have access to weapons to fight the enemies in each level, although weapons are not supposed to be the primary feature of the game. Developers confirmed the existence of different artifacts and objects to make more dynamic the gaming experience.

New characters were announced as well as the stage of the initial storyline, which will be a rural mansion in America. This edition leaves the fighting trend behind to use more atmospheric, scary scenes. The comments of people who tried a demo from the game described the following scenario:

“It took place in an old, dilapidated house with smashed windows and broken floorboards. A frightening woman chased me inside the building, and there was little to do but desperately search for an escape route. I would throw myself through doors and frantically look in each room, hunting for something — anything — that could serve as a weapon. Before long my pursuer would draw near however, spewing threats in a ghoulish voice,” Nick Summers told after playing the game at Gamescom, a gaming festival in Germany.

That scene was part of “Lantern,” one of the mini-games or secret scenes hidden in the game.

Teasers, Trailers, and Demos

Two months ago the developers released a playable teaser called Beginning Hour. In this demo, the main character also needs to escape, and he can interact with objects and artifacts in the house, where he seems to be trapped.  The character finds the story of the house: A missing family, rumors about the mysterious son, a TV crew who is recording a paranormal show about the house and the death of one of the producers.  The ending of the teasers depends on how much the player interacted with objects.

However, Beginning Hour is not part of the final game but rather an initial experience to gamers who wanted to explore the technology and the ambiance of the Resident Evil 7 edition.

Expectations are high for this gore and intense game, and the VR feature may be the missing piece to put back Resident Evil into the most creepy and scary video games of all times.

Source: Engadget