Why Offering a Third-Person Mode for Resident Evil Village Meant so Much to Me

A DLC for the latest Resident Evil game is not surprise, and the Winter’s Expansion will drop October 28th, 2022. There are several new offerings such as the Shadows of Rose story where you play as Ethan’s daughter when she grew up, and a multi-player Mercenaries, where many people can live out their Lady D fantasies. I never played a Resident Evil game; however, I do have the Resident Evil 2 Remake installed on my PlayStation, ready to play any day that I finally muster the courage. I also fully intend on purchasing and playing the Resident Evil 4 Remake next year. So, my heart is ready for the franchise, but I’ve balked 100% on the 7th and 8th iteration of the franchise. Why?

First-person horror.

Moving Resident Evil to first-person was a brilliant way for Capcom to keep this 25+ year old franchise fresh. It provides a different perspective, and quite frankly, and more horrifying way to experience the genre. With that acknowledgement aside, I am a bit of a wimp. I do not like jump scares, or just flat out being scared. Real life is scary enough, why put my mind through this again in gaming?

Thanks to my friends at Boss Rush, I finally tried my very first horror game–SOMA. And yes, it was in first-person, too. The mystery of the story is what pulled me through some absolutely terrifying moments, and at the end, the rush of adrenaline kinda…felt nice. It was then I looked into some more horror games. I purchased a new release, Ikai, and as I mentioned before, Resident Evil 2 Remake.

SOMA was an exception to my general rule–I don’t generally like playing in first-person perspective. Not only do I play horribly, but in a horror setting, it sets my nerves on fire. If something happens to my character in third-person, I can easily reason out that he/she/they are getting their head ripped off, not me. In first-person, it’s hard not to go to bed with nightmares of having my head ripped off. This is why I could not stomach Outlast. I could not do it. So, I turned on a Let’s Play that had funny commentators on the screen to take me out of the paralyzing sense of fear.

This leads me back to Resident Evil. I also watched Let’s Plays of Resident Evil VII and Village. I shudder at the thought of walking through that old house while being chased around by the Baker family. Jack and his chainsaw coming right at me? Hell, no.

When the Winter’s Expansion promoted a third-person mode, I immediately considered purchasing the game, willing to experience Resident Evil Village all on my own. Not only does it pull me out of the experience “one level” where I can clearly see myself controlling Ethan, I also found Ethan Winters to be a likable protagonist, and would love to “see” him in action more.

I feel Capcom now offering two very different ways to experience a horror game is clever. And although I’m sure I’m in the minority, perhaps this will open the window to a few people that have held back on the game. There are folks out there that get dizzy when shooting and running around in first person.

I’m not sure why Capcom did this, and if it took a lot of time and resources to do add third-person–but I am grateful. So, on October, I am ready to put on my big girl pants and save Rose.

Does anyone have a preference when playing a horror video games? Does first-person make things more scary? Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.

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Source: PlayStation, Capcom

Featured Image Source: Capcom