Once considered as one of Capcom's most popular franchises, Resident Evil has been reduced as an afterthought for most gamers. With Resident Evil 7: Biohazard receiving some early praise, the franchise has a chance to restore its legacy.
In its heyday, Resident Evil was the king of survival horror games. The first game of the series entitled Resident Evil, brought survival horror to mainstream audiences. It was widely considered as providing the template to which all succeeding survival horror games used to follow. Up to this day, elements from Resident Evil are still being used by modern games. And according to an interview Masochika Kawata, the game's producer, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard will also provide something different like what the first game of the series did for games.
When asked which Resident Evil game will Resident Evil 7: Biohazard will be most similar, Masochika Kawata said that his team is making a conscious effort to channel the essence of Resident Evil. "Resident Evil 1, not the remake... because it was the first time that they were making something, so we're capturing that same feeling. For example, when you remake something, the main goal is to refine it, to build on what's there. For RE1, it's about making something new," he said.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard will be vastly different from previous entries finally leaving the action focused entries of the past games. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard will instead focus on escape, immersion, survival and pursuit. There will be no investigations, no rescue operations and terrorist attacks that the previous games had. The main objective of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is to escape and survive. Resident Evil will also be the first game to be played completely in first person perspective in which the Playstation 4 version can be played in full using the Playstation VR.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard will also feature a new cast of characters who has connections to the other characters of the series. Old elements of the series like medical herbs, resource management and puzzle solving will make a return.
The Resident Evil series is no stranger to innovation in the video game industry. Besides the original Resident Evil which popularized the survival horror genre, Resident Evil 4 is the template for which third person action games follow. Its introduction of the over the shoulder perspective for shooting and aiming is a feature that most modern games still apply. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard will attempt to do the same by providing a new perspective and gameplay elements to players. And with Capcom's past achievements, there's a good chance they will deliver.