Resident Evil Village is just a day away from worldwide release and is earning spectacular reviews across the board especially for its horror elements which are, quite frankly, dialed quite high up in the game. However, it has come to light that the horror settings in the game are still not as high they could have been.
In an interview with Axios Gaming detailed by VGC, game producer Tsuyoshi Kanda said that RE Village’s team didn’t want to frighten off players as some feedback for the game’s predecessor, Resident Evil 7, was that it was “too scary to play”.
This led to Capcom creating a slightly less horrifying title with the tension dialled a teensy bit down which resulted in, as Kanda puts it, a game that “anybody can feel comfortable jumping in and playing.” However, Kanda had no qualms admitting that people finding RE7 too horrifying was something of a compliment to him and the developers as that something they were striving for.
In terms of creating and building fear in the game, Kanda and team went for a fundamentally different approach for RE Village as compared to RE7. While RE7 puts players in a series of Baker Mansion’s most claustrophobic spaces, Village’s relatively open environments create tension differently.
“For Resident Evil Village, we took an entirely different approach with the openness of the village and players not knowing what might be lurking beyond the trees,”
“Something we also always have to pay attention to is the tension curve. We also find that people grow immune to fear if they’re consistently pitted up against a tense situation or environment.”
Kanda
Additionally, RE Village takes advantage of these short-lived peaceful moments to prevent players from becoming desensitized to the horror. According to the Kanda, the save rooms in many RE titles are a great example of this as it is only in these rooms that players can just chill for a second and take a deep breath, knowing they are safe.
While some horror-junkie gamers might be disappointed by this revelation, it’s essential to note that Resident Evil has never been about jump-scares or outright frights. The series has brought its fair share of horrifying moments but those have always been judiciously balanced with puzzle-solving and exploration which is what makes the series so great. So, new titles in the series becoming more action-oriented shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
Resident Evil Village will be available for PC, PS4/5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on May 7.
About Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil Village is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom. It is the sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and the tenth major installment in the Resident Evil series.
The story begins with Ethan Winters and his wife Mia living happily in a new place, free from their past nightmares, a few years after the horrifying events in the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 7 biohazard. Just as they are starting their new life together, they are once again struck by tragedy. When Captain Chris Redfield of the BSAA attacks their house, Ethan has to go to hell again to get back his kidnapped daughter.
No Comments on RE Village Horror was Scaled Back as Fans Found RE7 “Too Scary”