Capcom is taking Resident Evil 7 to a new place within the series, but we would still like to see some familiar gameplay functions remain intact.
It’s an exciting time to be a Resident Evil fan! In addition to recent side series’ tinkering with an episodic format to great effect and glowing reviews for Resident Evil 7 going up yesterday, it appears that Capcom finally hears what fans want and are willing to give it to them.
The action shooter phase might finally be gone for good, especially with all these remasters of classic games and a remake of Resident Evil 2 on the horizon. But let’s focus on what we have now; a brave new look forward in Resident Evil 7.
A first-person survival horror game, it’s clear that Capcom has slowed things down, putting more of an emphasis on the surreal and horrifying over zombie mutation shoot-bangs that the past two mainline games focused on.
Still, while we look forward to the new things Resident Evil 7 has to offer, we’re hoping that there are plenty of series traditions to adhere to. There are core tenets to the Resident Evil franchise that make it great, so we hope to see some of the following involved in the story or gameplay mechanics for this brave new look forward.
Umbrella Corporation
When you take the entire series’ story arcs and characters into consideration, the entire reason we have zombies, super mutants, global destruction, and even dead presidents, is because of Umbrella Corporation. If it weren’t for the meddling of nature by the Spencer family, as well as the tinkering of the Progenitor virus by Dr. Marcus with the use of leeches, we wouldn’t have the T-Virus that caused the Raccoon City Incident in the first place.
The Umbrella Corporation is the foundation of all the problems that have plagued the Resident Evil franchise, with its tentacles wrapping itself around the problems of this game’s world through various ways. Whether it’s influencing governments, funding research for weaponizing Bio Organic Weapons, or just trying to take over the world, this series would be nothing without Umbrella Corporation.
That’s why I’m hoping that the villains of Resident Evil 7 are somehow linked, funded, or organized by someone at Umbrella. It helps aid the ongoing narrative of the franchise and adds further depth beyond a protagonist’s search for their missing wife.