For the past month, Game Rant has been counting down the best PS4 and Xbox One horror games leading up to Halloween. Now Halloween is upon us, and we are ready to unveil our top pick for the best PS4 and Xbox One horror game: Capcom's Resident Evil 7.
Resident Evil 7 makes some bold choices for the franchise, dropping the third-person view in favor of a first-person viewpoint. While this change proved to be hugely controversial at the time, it goes a long way in making the game more immersive and scarier than other games in the series. And while the perspective has changed, Resident Evil 7 actually plays very similarly to classic Resident Evil games, with a focus on exploration, puzzle-solving, and avoiding direct conflict with enemies whenever possible.
Avoiding enemies in Resident Evil 7 is much easier said than done. The Baker family are especially vicious in Resident Evil 7, relentlessly pursuing protagonist Ethan Winters throughout their plantation. Each Baker family member is virtually invincible as well, with their bodies adapting to all the trauma Ethan manages to inflict on them as he fights to save his wife Mia and make it out alive. This leads to some of the most gruesome and memorable boss fights in Resident Evil history.
Resident Evil 7 earned critical-acclaim when it first launched, and while sales were slow to start, it has since become one of the best-selling games in Capcom's long-running survival-horror franchise. While it takes its cues from games like P.T., Resident Evil 7 really perfects the first-person horror formula, offering a one-of-a-kind experience that can't really be found with any other game.
Luckily for horror game fans, Capcom looks as though it will be replicating Resident Evil 7's success with the next game in the series, Resident Evil 8. Currently aiming for next-generation platforms, Resident Evil 8 sees Resident Evil 7 protagonist Ethan Winters exploring a mysterious European village. The new game will have all kinds of new monsters and threats for Ethan to overcome, while also making some improvements on Resident Evil 7's gameplay formula.
The risks Capcom took with Resident Evil 7 have paid off big time, revitalizing the classic survival-horror franchise for modern audiences. It will be exciting to see what Capcom will be able to accomplish with Resident Evil 8, and while fans wait for the new game, they can revisit the horrors of Resident Evil 7. Hopefully the upcoming PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles have plenty more high-quality experiences in store for fans of the horror genre.
Resident Evil 7 is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.