Why 'Resident Evil' is embracing horror again

Brett Molina | USA TODAY

While explosive and action-packed, it was difficult calling the last two chapters of Capcom horror series Resident Evil scary.

The franchise's developers seek a different approach for Resident Evil 7 — available Tuesday for PC, Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One — scaling back on the action and scope in favor of something more intimate, and potentially far more terrifying.

“We’ve been getting a lot of fan feedback over the years that people have wanted more survival horror from Resident Evil, said Resident Evil 7 producer Masachika Kawata. “So it was a good time to change things up.”

To intensify the fear, developers ditched protagonists with combat or military experience for an "everyman" in Ethan Winters, who travels to Louisiana after receiving an email from his wife missing for three years. Ethan eventually finds himself trapped in a mansion looking to escape.

The new game also introduces a fresh perspective, a big change for the horror franchise. The 2005 game Resident Evil 4 introduced a third-person view from over the main character's shoulder. That change in camera view turned Resident Evil 4 into one of the most influential games of its time, as other franchises including Xbox action series Gears of War and the Batman Arkham series adopted similar over-the-shoulder perspectives.

In Resident Evil 7, players soak up the terror through a first-person view. Combined with the choice to play in virtual reality, it offers an experience more “intimate and confined,” says Kawata.

“It eliminates that separation when you see something happening to the character,” he says. “You are the character, and you don’t have a choice but to look for yourself what’s around that next corner, or what will happen when you perform an action. Everything just becomes more in-your-face and personal.”

Resident Evil is the most popular franchise for Japan-based video game publisher Capcom, also behind the popular fighting game Street Fighter. Sales of Resident Evil have reached 71 million copies to date, and the series has even spawned its own wave of movies starring Milla Jovovich, including the latest flick Resident Evil: The Final Chapter out Friday.

As Resident Evil shifted away from pure horror to action, it ceded ground in the space to games such as Electronic Arts' Dead Space, which opted for more horrifying sequences. Last June, fans were buzzing during Sony's PlayStation media event at the Electronic Entertainment Expo when Capcom introduced a demo called “Kitchen,” a slice of the new Resident Evil, portraying a far more frightening experience.

“While the focus may be a lot more on horror, there is still action and familiar elements that fans will enjoy,” says Kawata.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.