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Resident Evil returns with its seventh installment. By: Mario Ayanami.

The saga that popularized the horror genre in the world of video games 21 years ago is finally back: Resident Evil. Available starting January 24 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, the game promises to make us forget all the bitter disappointments caused by its recent installments. Whether through brainless spin-offs (Umbrella Corps, Operation: Raccoon City) or unsatisfying sequels that had nothing to do with its essence, the franchise seemed to have lost its way until last year, during the celebration of its two decades, Capcom revealed its plans for the future. Will they manage to reclaim their place as the kings of virtual horror?

RE VII: Biohazard will tell the story of Ethan Winters, an ordinary man with no combat experience whatsoever (unlike all the previous protagonists), who, after receiving an ominous phone call, desperately searches for his wife in the fictional town of Dulvey, Louisiana. However, she had died three years earlier… If this reminds anyone of Silent Hill 2, we don't blame them. His journey will lead him to an abandoned mansion belonging to the Baker family, the main antagonists, whose core members bear a strong resemblance to the villains of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

We already got a taste of its gameplay in a demo initially released only for PS Plus users, titled Beginning Hour. Here you took control of an unknown character whose goal is to escape the house. Along the way, he finds a VHS tape containing footage from the crew of a paranormal TV show doing a special on "the haunted house in Dulvey." In their conversation, they drop details about the place: a supposed abandonment three years earlier by the Bakers, with special emphasis on the son, Lucas, who is referred to as a "bad seed." It won't be long before a crew member goes missing… and ends up dead in the house's basement. In the final scene, the silhouette of a mysterious man is seen… The footage ends there. As for our protagonist, there are different endings depending on your actions, though in most of them you're ambushed by Fred Baker, the patriarch of the house. In the true ending, you manage to escape, but the police don't believe a word of what you say you saw.

Another demo was released for KITCHEN, made exclusively for the PS4's virtual reality device: the PS VR. Here, the cameraman from the show mentioned above is tied up in the kitchen, where he witnesses one of his colleagues being decapitated by a woman who ultimately ends his life as well.

At first, the game was criticized for bearing no resemblance to previous entries, instead coming across more like a clone of P.T., the Silent Hill game that will never see the light of day. From horror full of zombies and B-movie acting, we move into psychological territory, the claustrophobia of being a prisoner of maniacs. Another major change is the first-person perspective, so popular in today's horror games. Many fans expressed their discontent, but let's remember that in 2004, the series changed radically with its fourth installment and to this day remains one of the best games in history. With that track record, Capcom earns the benefit of the doubt.

As for its connection to other RE characters or events, that's still not entirely clear, but the participation of old icons has indeed been confirmed. This title has definitely stirred up a lot of anticipation, bold enough to rethink its entire gameplay mechanics. There's hope that the fear will flow again just like it once did whenever the name Resident Evil was mentioned. At the very least, we can be sure of one thing: it will be better than the new movie starring William Levy.