Stripped down to the absolute essentials, the newest trailer for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard aims for slow-burn creep out rather than all-out horror.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (or Biohazard 7: Resident Evil) is nearly here, which means two things. One, the amount of trailers will go up, and two, the kinds of trailers shown will change. The closer and closer something gets to release, more and more of the actual game must be shown. The marketing does this to attract more people to the game by showing the most enticing elements and moments. The effect it has, possibly unintentionally, is being the most honest about what the developers and publishers believe they have created, which is arguably even more important than what they actually made.
Which is what makes this Resident Evil 7 trailer, released this morning, curious. It is comprised of slow, methodical shots of the abandoned plantation home that has comprised the setting of the game’s demos and previews. A narrator slowly unravels, turning grovely, snarling, over the definition of home and family. This feels antithetical to the other short YouTube advertisements released over the last couple of months, which were loaded with jump scares, rapid editing, and chainsaw-based violence. What it indicates, perhaps, is a confidence in their original mission statement – take Resident Evil back to its horror roots.
And, you know, the Resident Evil 1 mansion music doesn’t hurt.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard releases on January 24 around the world, and January 26 in Japan, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
