Be it horror movies, haunted houses, horror games or large arthropods, those who know me well know that I am a person more prone to flight than fight when I get scared. So when I made the decision to download the demo for Resident Evil 7, one can pretty much piece together the types of emotions I must've been feeling. To put it short, the game was so claustrophobic and immersive that you feel as though the walls are going to kill you instead of the creepy old man whom I've taken to calling Fernando, due to my recent viewing of Narcos.
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So what makes this a must buy among horror games? Well I'll tell you based on my experience playing the demo thus far. Many fans of the series are in for a good case of continuity and a potential return to what made Resident evil an iconic zombie slayer video-game. There are monsters, blood, disease, supernatural elements, claustrophobic settings and of course limited ammo.
The monster in the demo is encountered based on the path you choose throughout the game. At first glance, it may also seem unfair to maneuver around the monster when you are unarmed because you start by only carrying a terribly lit flashlight. Except, depending on your sequence of choices in the game you make, you are capable of finding a gun and limited ammo, only after you meet the creature. You can't kill it afterwards though, because it disappears after you leave its den. Trust me, I've tried.
The new first person perspective also doesn't detract away from the experience but instead feels more inviting and immersive to what it seems like the potential path the game may be headed. It feels way more story driven and less action-based because of the cinematic sequences and the minor elements they added to the game. There is more than one ending to the demo upon which my friends and I only encountered the "bad" and "infected" ending. Based on those descriptions, you can garner that we didn't "win". I can tell you now that we didn't and we were unable to achieve the "good" ending despite our many attempts.
Finally, while the game Outlast did not invent the horror genre, it was also interesting to see many similar elements from that game made its way into this series. Instead of collecting batteries, you collect an assortment of items that again unlock new pathways or items to be used to advance the plot in some way. Those who've played Outlast, Amnesia: Dark Descent or any other First-Person Horror Survival genre for that matter will find many similar elements within the game. The one, universal feature that remains however is that no matter how many times you can walk the same hallway a hundred times, you never feel alone.
To recap, Resident Evil 7 seems to be headed towards a more story driven and personal experience based on the features displayed within the demo. The claustrophobic and atmospheric tension in the game creates the perfect suspenseful feeling that preps you for jump-scares when you least expect them to happen. While the game may feel different for veteran Resident Evil fans, both newbie and veteran players alike will find something in the game that would keep them engaged. If you're interested in buying the game, it comes out on Tuesday, January 24th.
