Resident Evil 7: Release Date, Trailer, Gameplay and Latest News

2017 games, horror games, survival horror
The new Resident Evil aims to take the series in another different direction.


Evil Returns

The Resident Evil series (Biohazard in Japan) started in 1996 and was planned to be a remake of the horror role-playing game Sweet Home, before the developers decided to have the game set in its own world. After its success, many subsequent games and spin-offs were made (including an amazing remake). Resident Evil 4 moved the franchise from survival horror to action-horror, creating a divide among the fan base.

After the disappointment of Resident Evil 6, with critiques of its conflicting tones and storylines in its four campaigns, Capcom has decided to change gears again, now aiming what seems to be first-person psychological horror – creating an experience more similar to Silent Hill than previous games of its own franchise. Although the demo does not feature content from the full game, it does establish what the tone of the final game will be like. Let’s take a closer look at the newest incarnation of Resident Evil and see what we can dig up.       

Resident Evil 7 Gameplay

The television can be used to travel back in time.

Developed using a new engine called RE, made specifically for this game, Resident Evil 7 will be the first main installment in the series to be played from a first-person view and will not include characters from any of the previous games. In many ways, the game feels like a reboot, but will actually be a continuation of the previous titles (although not directly). In the game, you will take the role of a new character that has no prior experience in dealing with terrifying situations, making you easier to be killed.

The story will take place somewhere in the American south, in an isolated farmhouse. The demo takes place in a separate house, but still set in the southern region. No other details regarding the setting is known as of yet.    

Green Herbs from earlier games will return. In previous installments, they were used to restore a small amount of health. If mixed with other herb types, you could gain back more health. Other herbs had additional effects, such as removing poison from your character’s body or increasing overall health points. 
The new RE engine itself supports high-definition photorealistic assets. With the technology of today’s generation, Resident Evil 7 will have very detailed environments and characters. The engine also seems to support off-screen asset changes, as evidenced by the moving mannequins and sudden pop-ups of your attacker after certain triggers (answering the phone or unlocking the back door).

In some ways, Resident Evil 7 feels like a remixed version of Sweet Home and the early scrapped builds of Resident Evil 4, mostly due to its haunting atmosphere and seemingly paranormal horror approach. 

Resident Evil 7 Release Date

Some changes in the present can affect the past.

The game will be released on January 24th 2017 for PC, Xbox One, and PS4. The PS4 version will include exclusive VR support.

Who Is Developing Resident Evil 7?

The basement cannot be accessed in the present.

The game will be developed and published by Capcom, who published all the previous games and developed most of them. Development started sometime in early 2014 and consists of roughly 120 developers with Koshi leading the team.

Resident Evil 7 News

Random ghost girl sightings have been reported.

For the first time in the series, the game will use both the Resident Evil and Biohazard titles under one name. Accordingly, this is supposed to be a clue to the game’s plot.

The narrative design will be done by Alum Richard Pearsey, who previously worked on F.E.A.R and Spec Ops: The Line. This is the first time in the series that a westerner is working on one of the games’ main installments.   

To promote the game, Capcom has started a new Ambassador program. The program is a useful promotional tool where people can actively share their fandom for the series on their personal blogs or social media pages.

An image of the game’s herb assets were displayed, along with a gold coin asset. This had led to speculation that the game may feature some kind of buying/selling system, although this is not confirmed. 

Resident Evil 7 Trailers

A couple of noticeable items, such as the dummy finger, serves no purpose.

The trailer for Resident Evil 7 shows gameplay of the demo intermixed with new CGI scenes. With the music, the trailer seems like Resident Evil 7 will be a paranormal horror adventure, which would be unusual for the franchise. However, developers have stated the game will not be this, making it all the more curious what they have planned for this game. 

A second trailer, this time demonstrating gameplay, showcases a woman who is trapped below the southern mansion and must evade the capture of a mysterious man roaming with a lantern. In the end, the woman is captured by the sudden appearance of ghost girl.  

What do we know about Resident Evil 7 so far?

You cannot actually escape the house – you will be captured no matter what.

Resident Evil 7 will be a major change for the series, like Resident Evil 4 before it. The game will be directed by Koshi Nakanishi, who previously directed the first Resident Evil: Revelations. The developers are aiming to return the series to its survival horror roots and are looking back to Sweet Home for inspiration (which also inspired the original game) as well as other contemporary first-person horror titles.   

Resident Evil 7's demo uses a very similar concept to the plot of Capcom's earlier game Sweet Home. 

Any info on price?

This man can be temporarily avoided by facing your back against the walls.

Resident Evil 7 will sell for $60 on launch date with a deluxe edition aiming for $80 on PS4. You can download the demo on PS4 for free.   

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