How VR elevates an already formidable horror game



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Resident Evil 7 is one of the best horror games of recent years, and its VR support is still, more than four years later, exclusive to PSVR. We go back to 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 sweet spoilers for Resident Evil 7 follow below


Resident Evil 7 and VR Horror

Let me start by stating that I am a horror nerd. I love the challenge of a new horror game. There is something so raw and exciting about being terrified and that’s why I love horror games in particular. With the rise of virtual reality, horror is more likely to really shine. That’s why I jumped into PSVR on day one and waited for a real showcase of its horrific potential.

I’m driven to play VR horror games in search of the answer to a simple question: can this game scare me more than ever? The launch of Resident Evil 7 VR in 2017 answered this question dramatically.

With virtual reality now solidified as a well-established platform, we have the ability to be spooked by developers to levels we could not have imagined until when the first Resident Evil game was released in 1996. After the release brilliantly spooky showcase of Resident Evil Village and the internet’s collective obsession with the great vampire lady, I began to reflect on my terrifying experience with Resident Evil 7 in VR and what it might mean for the future of the world. series.

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Resident Evil 7 was a huge departure for the franchise as a whole. Much like Resident Evil 4 changed the camera angles for a more personal approach, Biohazard put you in first person, as close to those molded, grotesque bakers as possible. After all, it was a giant side step for the series. Not in terms of quality, but in terms of the roots. It was the return of Resident Evil, the survival horror game and games that attempted to have excessive and unnecessary macho action.

After Resident Evil 4, the next two main entries in the series were chosen for bolder and bigger action sequences. Resident Evil 7, on the other hand, was much more focused, providing a more streamlined and primitive experience. As series producer Masachika Kawata said in an interview with us ahead of the game’s launch., they hoped to “have a more intimate experience that allows for greater immersion”. They have more than succeeded.

Read more: How Capcom is bringing ‘Resident Evil’ to VR for the first time

Adding VR into the mix was like holding a magnifying glass to the horror genre as a whole, magnifying everything. The tension, the scares, the action and the incredibly detailed environments have come to life like never before. The Baker Mansion itself feels like a character when you’re invested within its walls.

So what makes Resident Evil 7 and its VR mode so terrifying? As the first game made with the RE engine, Resident Evil 7 is a very beautiful game. Even the inevitable visual compromises made in VR have very little impact on its beauty. In fact, seeing things in VR allowed me to see a lot more detail that just wasn’t as pronounced when watching a flat screen TV.

Everyone is aware of this infamous table scene with the Baker family. The difference it makes when it’s not just Ethan, but you, the player as well as, getting some kind of horrible rotten meat stuffed in your mouth really increases the intensity and disgust.

Not only that, but every confrontation is transformed. I’ve been playing the game since without VR and the scares, fights, and key high-tension moments are, while still powerful, just a little flat (pun intended) without VR in comparison. Boss fights gave me goosebumps, especially with Marguerite in her four-legged form.

Having to physically look around with your head to locate where she could crawl all over the walls was incredibly haunting. When you hear those 3D audio sounds to let you know she’s behind you and you have to look over your shoulder, it really sends a chill down your spine; I don’t ever want to do this again.

Marguerite resident evil 7

The times when nothing happens are probably the parts where VR makes the biggest change, strange as that may sound. There were two occasions in my first game where I literally paused the game and had to stop because of just unbearable tension.

This happened by wading through the water in the introductory section and crawling through the black vent of the abandoned Annabelle ship. The atmosphere alone is what made these sections so terrifying.

The silence, not knowing if or when something was about to happen, was too overwhelming for me. Since I’ve played my fair share of horror games before knew that something was probably going to happen. Every time I took off the helmet, took a deep breath and asked if I was ready to dive back in.

The discomfort of being in RV with water up to your neck is something that cannot be explained, you have to live it. As someone who was already afraid of tight spaces, it was a real nightmare. The bubbles of rancid water in front of you as you desperately try to keep your head above were disgusting. And then after all that, guess what? NOTnothing come. You give up and keep going. But the weight of not knowing in virtual reality, I almost couldn’t go on.

If you haven’t already and love horror, you just need to experience Resident Evil 7 in VR. Despite the fact that it only uses the DualShock 4 and no motion controllers, no other horror experience has come close for me. It completely terrified me and I wish I could experience it again for the first time.

And now I want Capcom to win. I would love for them to scare me more than ever before. I want to see Lady Dimitrescu 9 feet and this wonderful Resident Evil Village castle in VR. They haven’t confirmed VR support (yet), but I really, really hope they will.

I am ready to be frozen in place and ask for a stay again.

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