Resident Evil is a series of video games that does not need much introduction in the video game world. The very name carries a sense of weight to it, and if you've brushed up on your video game history you will know that Resident Evil is one of the first video game series to ever bring forth the fear of the undead to the 3D world. Despite the graphics being blocky and rough, it brought forth the horror of biochemical terror and was one of Capcom's first ventures into the world of polygons after spending so much time constricted to pixels. Given its long history, Resident Evil has gone through a myriad of changes, and it seems its latest installment, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, has come back bringing a new feeling of fear to the players.
If you're familiar with how the games usually play, it's clear that they've gone through quite the changes. Resident Evil 1 to 3 were games that stuck to the same formula: tank controls, awkward aiming, and the fear of the undead as well as other mutated creatures coming to get you as a result of biochemical testing deep underground from some mansion in the woods. Resident Evil 4 took a different direction, including more action while still keeping a sense of horror to it, even being considered the best Resident Evil out there. Resident Evil 5 and 6 followed the same type of playstyle, but the sense of horror was near nonexistent in both games. Resident Evil 7, however, decided to move into yet another different direction. According to The Guardian, the changes include a few things like different setting, a big change in a lot of the characters and a new, forboding feeling, but perhaps the biggest change that almost completely changed the way people see the game is the transition from a third-person point of view to a first-person point of view.
When Resident Evil first came out it was one of the first games, if not the first game out there to invent the survival horror genre, and according to Forbes, Resident Evil 7 may not have the best reviews, but it was clear that when they transitioned from third-person to first-person, they were sending a message. With an overall success from most of the reviews it received, the message Resident Evil said can only be synonymous with the creatures and monsters you face in it, and for the most avid Resident Evil fan, the message was clear: We can change. We can evolve. We are Resident Evil. We're bringing back survival horror whether you like it or not.
