While at E3 2016, one game that was high on our priority list was the upcoming Resident Evil 7 VR (virtual reality) game, and I had a chance to sit down with the demo this week.
First, let me start off by saying that this is not part of the full game being released next year, which will feature a different main character. The VR experience is a prelude of sorts that provides the experience of what the game will be like without giving away any story information. However, unlike other showcased titles that only feature VR modes, Resident Evil 7 will be fully playable from start to finish with or without the VR headset, so if you’re hesitant to make the leap to VR, you will still be able to enjoy the game when it’s released.
I have to admit I was a little nervous waiting for my turn to strap on the headset. This being my first jaunt with VR, I didn’t know what to expect. But let me just say, as someone who has been playing video games his whole life, this was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It was truly immersive, as if you’re really standing in this terrifying world and not looking at a TV screen. Maneuvering around the environment of Resident Evil 7 is a very fluid experience, with the controller allowing you to walk and perform actions, while the headset responds to your head movements to move the camera around. And in a change for the series, this demo and the full game will feature a first-person perspective.
I start off the demo in a creepy old house that looks abandoned. I find myself alone in a room with a TV that only has static on its screen. This is a lot more unnerving than I expected. We’ve all played survival horror games before, but now I’m physically looking behind me and I hear all kinds of weird noises around the house. I can’t stress enough how cool it feels to be “inside” of a game like this. It amped up my responses and really made me feel like there were things right behind me that I couldn’t see.
I’m tasked with getting out of the house, which sounds easy enough. I check out the TV—there’s a VCR but no tape, so I figure it’s time to search the house. This is when things get super creepy. As I’m about to leave the room, I hear something out in the hallway. After opening the door, I stick my head out and physically turn it from side to side to see if the hallway is clear. Walking through the house, it feels like you are playing a part in a movie, complete with jump scares and all.
Eventually, I find the videotape that I’ve been looking for, so I head back to the room with the TV. Once I play the tape, I’m transported through the TV into the video, making me a part of the video I was just watching. If this is any indication of the final product, not only is this a survival horror game, but a psychological thriller as well, which is pretty cool.
Within this video, I take on the role of a cameraman on some type of ghost hunting show. The host, the producer, and myself are outside of a house getting ready to go in. The door opens, we walk in, and I realize that this is the same house I was just in, but at a different time. Through conversation, I learn that this is a farmhouse that was abandoned after the family who owned it disappeared.
Then, in true horror movie fashion, while I’m getting footage of one of the guys, the other disappears behind us. Great, now I have to investigate this place. Without giving too much away, we make our way through the house until we find a secret passage. Slowly following the path, we come across an opening in the floor with a ladder going down. It looks to be a dirt floor basement. The host of this show tells me to go first and check it out. Of course. The VR headset moves around very naturally, and not only do I physically look downward to peer into the opening, but as I descend the ladder, I am able to survey the room by turning my head from side to side.
Needless to say, what I find down there isn’t pretty. Suddenly color bars and static flash in front of my eyes, and I’m back in the present. From information gained within the video, I can now locate the secret passage in present time, so I use it to find a way out of the house. That is when the demo ended, which made me sad because I could have roamed around for hours.
After finally getting the chance to check out VR for myself, I think the PlayStation VR headset would definitely be a fun item for gamers looking for that immersive experience. Being thrown right into a game’s world really lends itself to an experience like Resident Evil 7. Is it worth the hefty price tag of $399? In my opinion, it all depends how other titles will make use of the technology after the PlayStation VR headset and accessories are released on October 13th, 2016.
If you want to check out the non-VR demo for Resident Evil 7 for yourself, it’s currently available to download for PlayStation Plus subscribers. For those of you looking forward to the full game, Resident Evil 7 will be available to play on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC when it’s released on January 24th, 2017.
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