Does Resident Evil Work In VR?

Resident Evil 7 was one of the big surprises at this year's E3, as was the reveal that it's being made from the ground up for VR. Ben Reeves and I just got a chance to try out the demo using PlayStation VR and decided we would discuss our experience and what we think of Resident Evil's new direction.

Jeff M: So Reeves, you're a bigger Resident Evil fan than I am, but I'm familiar enough with the series to know how big of a departure RE 7 is going to be. What do you think of the new perspective and tone, as a fan?

Ben: I dig it. At first I was a little put off because it feels like it's just trying to capture some of the fervor behind P.T., but after playing it, I realize that it still feels like Resident Evil. Even better, it feels like old-school Resident Evil, where you're wandering through an environment and collecting items and then using those items to solve puzzles or unlock new areas. I had fun with the demo.

Jeff M: That's surprising – I definitely got the P.T. vibe from it more so than Resident Evil. It is a very limited demo, though, and isn't actually from the game. It's just setting a tone. I agree about the item use, however; that felt like Resident Evil, and had a different vibe for what were basically simple environmental puzzles. However, it actually felt like you were exploring a creepy house and peeking in cupboards and behind doors, instead of just clicking on things in hopes of finding a usable item like in most Resident Evil games. Ultimately there weren't any threats, which I think is going to be what makes or breaks the experience in terms of it feeling like Resident Evil. But the real noteworthy feature is the VR.

Ben: Yeah, the VR really helped sell the experience. Obviously, it's super easy to freak someone out in VR, and I was worried about the demo just being a collection of jump scares, but it was a little more refined than that. I noticed a ghost at one point when I was playing and that was actually pretty cool. And at another point, I turned around and a mannequin had moved, which was pretty creepy. I didn't find that stuff nearly as unnerving when I was just watching you play on the monitor. What did you think of the use of VR?

Jeff M: I had the exact same reaction. I watched you play through the demo first, and was pretty underwhelmed by it – it kind of seemed like P.T. Lite in terms of creepiness. However, I was struck by how different the atmosphere felt in VR; it was much more ominous, and felt a little claustrophobic. You can't discuss a VR experience without using the word "presence," but I was really surprised by what a difference it made. But do you think the experience is enough to hang a new numbered entry in the Resident Evil series on?

Ben: No, not that alone. Thankfully, the actual game sounds like it's going to be more fully featured. It's not going to be a walking simulator. Capcom hasn't talked about it yet, but the game is going to have combat of some kind, and there will be puzzles too, so I think it could be a lot of fun – assuming all that stuff comes together. Are you a Resident Evil fan? Are you at all excited for this game now?

Jeff M: I'm a fan of some of the older Resident Evil games, and I was left intrigued by the demo. The elements that weren't incorporated into the demo – the combat and more intricate puzzles – are huge question marks that I think will make or break the experience, especially when it comes to Resident Evil's legacy. I'm not big on VR, but I was pleasantly surprised – for all the talk about how no one has figured out how to do first person controls in VR without making the player nauseous, I felt just fine playing it. The loss of visual fidelity bothered me (the game looked a lot better when I was watching you play on the television screen), but I'm interested in seeing how it turns out. One more question: Did you think the demo was scary? There wasn't really a whole lot going on in that house.

Ben: There wasn't too much in the house, but I thought the demo was pretty creepy. But again, that's mostly because I was in VR – I don't think the demo would have seemed nearly as intense if I had been playing on a normal television screen. That said, I'm not sure I'm all that interested in playing the full game in VR. If I have a headset when the game comes out, I'll probably spend a few hours in it, but mostly I'm looking forward to just playing a good Resident Evil game again.

Jeff M: Yeah, Capcom still has a lot of work ahead; it has to craft an experience that's intriguing and scary even without VR, and still retain enough of the elements that players expect from Resident Evil. It won't be easy, but I'm interested to see what the developer has up its sleeve. But you know what the scariest part of the demo was? Putting on that headset after you wore it. How much gel do you put in your hair?!

Ben: That's not gel! It's glue, so good luck getting it off.

For more on Resident Evil 7, check out our answers to Five Big Questions about the game, or watch our Test Chamber of the non-VR version of the demo.