Resident Evil 7 is one of the best horror games of recent years and its support for VR is still, four years later, exclusive to PSVR. We take a look at the title, analyze what makes it work so well in VR and imagine how great Resident Evil 8: Village could be with VR support.
Some light spoilers for Resident Evil 7, follow below
Resident Evil 7 and VR Horror
Let me start by saying that I am a terror nerd. I love the challenge of a new horror game. There is something so raw and exciting about being terrified and that is why I love horror games in particular. With the advent of VR, terror is more likely to shine for real. That’s why I jumped to PSVR on the first day and waited for a real showcase of its horrible potential.
I am driven to play horror VR games in search of the answer to a simple question: can this game scare me more than I ever had before? The 2017 release of Resident Evil 7 VR answered that question in a spectacular way.
With virtual reality now solidified as a well-established platform, we have the ability to scare developers to levels that we could only have imagined when the first Resident Evil game was released in 1996. After Resident Evil Village’s brilliantly scary showcase and collective obsession from the internet by tall vampires, I started to think about my terrifying experience with Resident Evil 7 in VR and what it could mean for the future of the series.
Resident Evil 7 was a big change for the franchise as a whole. Just as Resident Evil 4 changed the camera’s angles to a more personal approach, Biohazard put you in the first person – as close as possible to those molded and grotesque Bakers. After all, that was a giant side step for the series. Not in terms of quality, but in terms of roots. This was the return of Resident Evil, the survival horror game, and far away with games that tried to have an unnecessary exaggerated macho action.
After Resident Evil 4, the next two main entries in the series were for bolder and bigger setpiece action sequences. On the other hand, Resident Evil 7 was much more focused, offering a more stripped down and primitive experience. As series producer Masachika Kawata said in an interview with us close to the game’s release, they hoped “to have a more intimate experience that allows for greater immersion”. They more than succeeded.
Read More: How Capcom is bringing ‘Resident Evil’ to VR for the first time
Adding VR to the mix was like holding a magnifying glass for the horror genre as a whole, amplifying everything. The incredibly detailed tension, scares, action and environments came to life like never before. The Baker mansion itself looks like a character when you are invested within its walls.
So, what makes Resident Evil 7 and its virtual reality mode so terrible? As the first game made using the RE engine, Resident Evil 7 is a very beautiful game. Even the inevitable visual compromises made in VR have very little impact on how beautiful it is. In fact, seeing things in VR allowed me to see a lot more details that were not so evident when looking at a flat screen TV.
Everyone is aware of that infamous scene at the dinner table with the Baker family. The difference it makes when it’s not just Ethan, but you, the player also, getting some kind of horrible rotten meat stuffed in your mouth really increases the intensity and disgust.
Not only that, but each confrontation is transformed. I played the game without VR and the scares, fights and key moments of high tension are, although still powerful, seem a little hollow (pun intended) without VR in comparison. Boss fights gave me the creeps, especially with Marguerite in her four-legged form.
Having to physically look around with her head to locate where she might be crawling across the walls looked incredibly scary. When you hear those 3D audio sounds to let you know that she is behind you and you have to look over your shoulder, it really sends a shiver down your spine; I never want to do that again.
The times when nothing is happening are probably the parts where VR makes the biggest change, however strange it may seem. There were two occasions on my first move when I literally paused the game and had to stop because of the simply unbearable tension.
This happened when wading through the water in the introductory section and when crawling through the gap in the darkness on the abandoned Annabelle ship. The atmosphere alone is what makes these sections so scary.
The silence, not knowing if or when something is going to happen, was very oppressive to me. Since I played my fair share of horror games before I just you knew that something was probably going to happen. Each time I remove the headset, I took a deep breath and questioned whether I was ready to return.
The discomfort of being in VR with water up to the neck is something that cannot be explained, it needs to be experienced. As someone who is already afraid of tight spaces, it was a real nightmare. The rancid water bubbles in front of you as you try desperately to keep your head up were disgusting. And after all of that, guess what? Nnothing it happens. You just give up and go on. But the absolute weight of don’t know in VR it meant that I almost couldn’t go on.
If you haven’t already and you like horror, just try Resident Evil 7 in VR. Despite the fact that it uses only DualShock 4 and not any motion controllers, no other horror experience has come close to me. It completely terrified me and I wish I could try it all again for the first time.
And now, I want Capcom to get over this. I would love for them to scare me more than I’ve ever been scared again. I want to see all 2.7 meters of Lady Dimitrescu and that beautiful castle from Resident Evil Village in VR. They haven’t confirmed VR support (yet), but I really hope so.
I am ready to be frozen on the spot and begging for an extension again.