Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is the next numbered chapter in the long running survival horror series from Capcom. GamingBolt recently had a chance to sit down with Series Producer Masachika Kawata and we asked him some questions we’ve had about the hotly anticipated game.
"I wouldn’t necessarily call it the most difficult resident evil game. What I will say is I think it is the best camera to offer the highest level of immersion in a survival – horror environment."
Are you going to tell the story in the form of chapters or is it going to be one continuous ride with no breaks in between?
This time around it’s just one streamlined story.
How long will the final game last? Will it be around 10–12 hours like previous games?
We are looking around 15 hours of gameplay but that obviously depends on how the player plays.
I know that green herbs and health indicator are returning but what else is returning from the original game?
If you’re looking at classic elements from the original Resident Evil you’ll have the universal item box which is making a return. You’ll also see classic items like the key picks and the crank will be making a guest appearance as well. We retired the typewriter this time around and we replaced it with a cassette player. So it’s taking a mild a step forward.
Do you think playing in first person mode will make Resident Evil 7 the most difficult Resident Evil game ever?
I wouldn’t necessarily call it the most difficult resident evil game. What I will say is I think it is the best camera to offer the highest level of immersion in a survival – horror environment. I think that even if the camera perspective changes, long time fans will pick up the title when they’ll realize that there are elements of familiarity there.
Can you get into this game without having played the previous Resident Evil games? Will new players be able to understand it?
We think there will be relatively no issue with jumping in for the first time. We did definitely designed the game not from the players’ perspective but from the characters’ perspective that they’re walking into the situation not knowing that much. So for the player I think it’ll definitely be easy to jump into it with minimal information.
What Japanese horror did Resident Evil takes its inspiration from, if any?
It’s interesting that you would ask that. I guess that probably comes from the fact that some of the things that people may have experienced playing from playing the demo. But we do want to iterate that the demo and the main game are completely separate from each other. If you play the game fans will definitely feel that “Oh, this is very much the next installment in the Resident Evil franchise.” I wouldn’t necessarily say that it’s focused around Japanese horror, but we did definitely made an effort to make sure that this would be familiar from a global scale.
"We do stress that this title definitely emphasizes more on the horror side. But at the end of the day it is still entertainment, so we try to include as many unique elements as possible that people will enjoy."
Resident Evil has always been known for its humor and funny dialogue at times, is that returning in Resident Evil 7?
We do stress that this title definitely emphasizes more on the horror side. But at the end of the day it is still entertainment, so we try to include as many unique elements as possible that people will enjoy. This time around the main character interacts quite heavily with the Baker family. Each member of the Baker family is quite unique, and they do have their own very distinct personalities. And that really comes through in the dialogue as well, so we feel that that would be a great way – an additional way to enjoy the game just to see how the player and family members interact.
The puzzles that are familiar to long time fans of Resident Evil games will be returning in Resident Evil 7. How different will they be this time around?
I think compared to previous puzzles the players are going to have to think a little bit further for the puzzles but rest assured we aren’t going to include these insanely obscure puzzles that you see in the demo. We feel as though there’s a good balance in terms of the puzzle that you see in the main game.
For Resident Evil 1 fans why should they be excited to play Resident Evil 7?
Resident Evil 7 is very much returning back to the roots of survival horror. So for those fans who really enjoy that element of not knowing what’s right around the corner, really having that sense of fear and that atmosphere, this is definitely a title for them. It very much resonates with what Resident Evil 1 offered.
How are you balancing gun combat versus running away or hiding in intense situations? In other words how combat heavy is this game?
Honestly, you’re not going to see too much of a difference in terms of the level of combat you’ve seen in previous Resident Evil games. You’re going to be pitted up in situations where you’re still going to have to fight. You’re going to get a nice arsenal of weaponry. So that element you’re not going to see too much of a difference. The one thing I do want to point out though is the fact that the weapons aren’t going to be that easy to find. So until you find them and have that advantage you’re probably going to be running around considerably a lot more.
"As long as the players wallet allows it I think having the player play on the PS4 Pro really is the ideal environment someone wants to experience the game in."
Can you talk about customization or the progression system in the game?
We can see it in there, but we can’t say anything at this moment.
Any previous characters be returning for Resident Evil 7?
I don’t know.
The PS4 Pro has awesome details and it looks amazing. What are your thoughts on the consoles enhanced GPU and what kind of improvements it brings?
As long as the players wallet allows it I think having the player play on the PS4 Pro really is the ideal environment someone wants to experience the game in. On an additional note playing it on the PlayStation VR is also a great way to immerse yourself in the environment.
How are your team managing the motion sickness in VR mode?
This is something that we have a lot of collaborative effort with Sony. We feel like we were able to reach a point where both Sony and us were quite happy with the results. We were able to make a lot of different adjustments. For example we made sure the camera doesn’t move on its own when trying out the game in PlayStation VR. Some other things that we did was having a lot of player customization options. Like when it comes to player movement, making sure that you do realize it’s a very subjective experience playing the game in VR.
We made sure we were able to offer as many options for the player to try out and figure out, “this is the optimal setting for me to enjoy the game in the VR world.” We definitely took a lot of extra measures to make sure that the player doesn’t have these motion sickness issues.
Will it run at 1080p 60fps on PS4, Xbox one S, and PS4 Pro? And will it support HDR?
Yes. (HDR support on PS4, PS4 Pro and Xbox One S).
As a developer, what is your overall take on the PS4 Pro and other iterative consoles like Xbox Scorpio?
When it comes to new hardware, I think that the biggest takeaway is just making sure that it’s not just one party that is excited about this product. It really has to be a mutual interest on both the manufactures side, publisher side, consumer side, and only when everyone is on board and everyone’s excited for the product does it allow the opportunity to expand the game industry and the user base. Because otherwise it’s just a lot of extra effort on our side.
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