The Internet Is Split Over Resident Evil Village's Frightening Changes
"Resident Evil Village" is finally stalking its way to stores this Friday, and fans are chomping at the bit to continue the tragic story of Ethan Winters. While the game is sure to include plenty of creepy enemies and extreme violence, fans may be surprised to learn that the developer has lessened some of the scares. According to "Resident Evil" series producer Tsuyoshi Kanda, fan feedback changed the course of the latest installment in the series.
In an interview with Axios Gaming (via VGC), "Resident Evil" series producer Tsuyoshi Kanda explained that the goal for each sequel is to be more frightening than the last. However, player reactions to the horrific "Resident Evil 7" yielded some unexpected results. Some people were simply too scared to continue playing, which led to the "Resident Evil Village" team making a few adjustments to the game's fear factor.
"Some of the feedback we received regarding ['Resident Evil 7' was] that it was too scary to play," said Kanda. "In one regard, that's exactly what we were striving for, so it's a huge compliment for us. But at the same time, it's always our goal to create something that anybody can feel comfortable jumping in and playing, so we eased up on the tension curve [in 'Resident Evil Village'] relative to 'Resident Evil 7: Biohazard,' so that players aren't in constant fear."
Of course, the idea of a less-frightening "Resident Evil" game hasn't sat all too well with longtime fans of the series.
Fans aren't sure about a less-scary Resident Evil
On social media, fan reactions to Kanda's comments have been split. Some gamers have wondered what the point would be of dialing back the scares. Others have outright accused the "Resident Evil Village" development team of being "out of touch" with what fans want from the series.
Some fans have understood why Capcom would lessen the tension throughout the game. Twitch streamer M_proved pointed out that the company still needs to sell games, and may have been worried about the negative impacts of putting out a game too scary to play. One user actually claimed that "Resident Evil" series has "never really been scary," and argued that a "lack of ammo" is the only thing about the series that ratchets up the tension.
However, fans can rest easy knowing that the long-running survival horror series hasn't had its fangs entirely removed. According to Tsuyoshi Kanda, the recalibration on "Resident Evil Village" has allowed the devs to space out the scares in an interesting way. Kanda explained, "We also find that people grow immune to fear if they're consistently pitted up against a tense situation or environment."
To combat this, the developers have given the player moments of respite between sequences of intense horror, which in turn keeps the game feeling fresh. While fans who enjoyed the non-stop terror of "Resident Evil 7" might be disappointed by this change, it's good to know that "Village" will still have plenty of scares.