Fans of the Resident Evil franchise have been left desiring what they consider to be a “classic” Resi game for some time now.
While Resident Evil 4 changed up the control scheme and adopted a more linear, action based approach, the core focus on horror and suspenseful gameplay remained.
This was pretty much abandoned in Resident Evil 5, and completely thrown out of the window by 6, which was basically Gears of War (with zombies).
Luckily, it seems Resident Evil 7 will take us back to the franchise’s roots in survival horror. Masachita Kawata, executive producer on the title, confirmed in a recent interview that the next instalment of the game will go back to a focus on horror as the franchise returns to its roots, reports Crossmap.
On the criticism surrounding the focus on action, he said:
Since there’s been more spinoff titles, I can see how it can be perceived in such a way. And of course I believe that we should produce titles that bring out the horror. I’m thinking about it and also preparing for it.
Capcom have previously acknowledged the disappointment of fans after the likes of Resident Evil 5 and 6, so it’s hardly surprising that they’ll finally be stepping up to deliver some classic zombie horror action once again.
We know precious little about the new game beyond the odd quotes here and there, but perhaps 7 will attempt to learn from the upcoming remake of Resident Evil 2 – a game many consider the high point in the franchise.
Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.