Resident Evil Village was balanced around Resident Evil 7 being "too scary to play"

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That doesn't mean Village won't be scary or tense, though

Resident Evil Village
(Image credit: Capcom)

Resident Evil Village was balanced based on feedback that Resident Evil 7 was "too scary to play."

In a new interview with Axios Gaming (and first reported by VGC), Resident Evil series producer Tsuyoshi Kanda explains how they designed Resident Evil Village based on feedback from Resident Evil 7. "When we develop a new Resident Evil game, our goal is not always to make it scarier than the previous title, but find a balance to deliver a scary but fun experience for players," Kanda said.

"Some of the feedback we received regarding [Resident Evil 7 was] that it was too scary to play. In one regard, that’s exactly what we were striving for, so it’s a huge compliment for us," the producer continued. "But at the same time, it’s always our goal to create something that anybody can feel comfortable jumping in and playing, so we eased up on the tension curve [in Resident Evil Village] relative to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, so that players aren’t in constant fear."

It's an interesting series of comments from Kanda. Resident Evil 7 was absolutely terrifying, especially in the opening few hours when you're tasked with entering the Baker house and then escaping the murderous Jack Baker. This doesn't mean that Resident Evil Village won't be "scary" however, as Kanda then goes on to talk about the "openness" of the village itself, and how the player would be tense at not knowing what's lurking behind trees and buildings.

If you're eager to check out the village before it launches this Friday, you can do just that with the multiplatform demo. The demo itself, which lets you explore both the village and Castle Dimitrescu in half hour chunks, is available on all platforms (except Stadia) until the final game launches later this week, so there's still time to check out a little preview of Resident Evil Village before it's with us.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.