Resident Evil 7 may be a VR horror-fest, but it will also feature combat: Producer

Capcom’s upcoming sequel to Resident Evil has made many waves in the gaming community. The games isn’t out yet, but various gameplay videos from E3 and Gamescom seem to hint at a game that’s been designed from the ground up as a VR, horror experience.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Resident Evil series (you must be really young), the game started out as a survival-horror game but later evolved to something more akin to a survival-action fest. Hacking through Resident Evil’s versions of zombies, abundant quick-time-events and boss battles are par for the course now.

Resident Evil 7’s return to the series’ horror roots has some fans a bit consternated, others excited. To be clear, I’m in the latter camp. The atmosphere in the trailers is amazing and I can really see myself being drawn in. In fact, there’s a distinct Slenderman vibe to the game.

The game’s producer, Masachika Kawata, has promised some combat elements , however. He says that fans shouldn’t expect a combat experience anything like the prequels, but it is present.

As one gamer put it, Resident Evil 7 has a very Alien: Isolation feel to it. When you think about it, that makes perfect sense. The demos we’ve seen show your character being dogged by a really scary lady with a lantern, and most of the gameplay seems to revolve around avoiding her gaze. Alien: Isolation was very similar, but involved yourself and a Xenomorph. That game too, focussed more on playing hide-and-seek than on combat and it did a very good job of it too.

If Resident Evil 7 is anything like Alien: Isolation, I can’t help but feel excited for the game.

In other news, the remastered Resident Evil 4 is headed to PS4 this month. Resident Evil 7 is slated for a 24 January release date.