The Dark Souls of Resident Evil

It definitely feels like a design split has occurred with regards to Capcom's long running Resident Evil franchise. While both approaches can be considered part of the survival horror subgenre RE7 and it's soon-to-be-released sequel have distinctly different styles when compared to the remakes of RE2 and RE3. Which of the these two lines of development better represent the IP? Let's dig in and find out.

Probably the single most noteworthy distinction between new Resident Evil and older/remake Resident Evil is the use of a first-person perspective.  It definitely has advantages in terms of emersion (particularly if one happens to have a VR headset).  In truth though the basis for this existed in rudimentary form as far back as Resident Evil Survivor 1 and 2 (followed by Dead Aim and the Chronicles games).  The big change here is FPS Resident Evil becoming the mainline series entries rather than just some spin-offs.

Looking back on Resident Evil Zero to 6, the gameplay was built up around a variety of third-person perspectives.  Starting with Resident Evil 4 the series began to adopt an over-the-shoulder viewpoint.  This obviously changed gameplay in fundamental ways.  It was no longer possible to use fixed camera angles to hide scares or create a moody cinematographic feel.  Another major shift was in the setting material.  Specifically, the zombies got smarter.  Instead of a bioengineered virus, the threat comes in the form of mind-controlling parasites.  Overall, the infected felt like they had more in common with John Carpenter's "The Thing" than the George Romero zombie movies that initially the inspired the franchise.  Once again, a shift has taken place; from RE6 to RE7.  Perspective, gameplay and the nature of the threat, have all changed.  The source of inspiration now feels like a mixture of found-footage horror films and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre."  So, how does Resident Evil Village fit into all this?  Not being released yet makes it hard to say, but because the engine is the same I can't help wondering whether it will be more like RE2 to RE3 or RE4 to RE5?  It's also possible the game will simply be superior all around in terms of quality.  At the very least it looks like what one would get if they were to combine Resident Evil with Dark Souls 3 (or possibly Bloodborne).

Of course personal preference ultimately being the deciding factor and, while I'm normally all for innovation, I have to admit that I enjoy the RE2 and 3 remakes more than RE7.  I guess I'm more on team Leon Kennedy than Chris Redfield.  Even so, I'm glad Capcom is exploring new ways to keep the franchise fresh.  As much as I like survival horror, the subgenre has a unfortunate tendency to stagnate.  Even new IPs like Dead Space and The Evil Within were pretty derivative.  There's an old saying that goes, "what's one man's trash is another man's treasure."  When it comes to horror, "what is scary to one person is prosaic to another."  Are werewolves and vampires a potentially refreshing new direction for the franchise?  We'll just have to wait and see.