![]() ![]() Resident Evil 7's approach to first-person perspective was even further augmented and popularized by its integration of VR gameplay, leading it to be often lauded as the scariest video game of all time. RE7 was the mainline series' first foray into first-person perspective, which seemed like a considerable risk for a series that appeared to be losing its footing at the time, but people collectively agreed that it was the series' return to form. Suddenly, Resident Evil looked more like an action-oriented "shoot 'em up" series to many, with people claiming that the series was losing track of its survival-horror roots. Still, it also led to a polarizing inflection point for the series. Resident Evil 4's over-the-shoulder perspective (which inspired countless games to this day) was a proven net success. It leveraged this perspective to lean into the notion of "survival horror." The format followed in each mainline proceeding game in the series until Resident Evil 4 famously shook up its formula. While Capcom initially wanted Resident Evil to be played via a first-person point of view, it instead opted for a format in which each room had different angled third-person "shots" to navigate characters through. Its original title debuted in 1996, throwing players into a cramped mansion full of monsters with tank controls and a birds-eye point of view. ![]() The question is, when it comes to specific instances like the first-person point of view (FPV), is it more effective when employed by one medium over the other?Ĭapcom's Resident Evil series is a great case study of the varying usage of perspective in genre video games. Think about a chase scene in a horror movie: do you find it scarier to watch the events unfold as if you're a third-party onlooker? How about through the eyes of the victim? Or perhaps, as Hitchcock's famous shower scene has demonstrated, maybe even the killer's perspective is most effective? Point of view can make or break the most vital aspects of horror. There's something to be said about just how much the perspective of a story can impact its effect on audiences. ![]()
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