Resident Evil 7 Dev Talks About Creating Scary Situations And Instinctive Fear

Resident Evil 7 is almost here, and it seems to be a return to the horror roots of the franchise, that defined it and helped it become so successful and big in the first place. And one of the reasons that the game can do that, one of the reasons that it can be plausibly frightening, is because it seems like the developers have a good handle on understanding exactly what makes things scary.

“You need to create situations that combine aspects of shock and surprise with the instinctive fear we all feel for the unknown,”producer Masachika Kawata said in an interview with Official PlayStation Magazine (via PSU). “Dark rooms that make you fear the possible enemies lurking within, shock scenes like creatures suddenly bursting through windows… Each little moment adds up to a really good, scary experience.”

All of which is fairly true- it’s not just about jump scares. The little things, the slow burn of psychological fear and disturbance, can be far more effective in scaring the player than anything else can ever be. It’s good to see Resident Evil 7 attempt something like that.