The original Resident Evil looks great from first-person perspective, which sure makes Resident Evil 7 seem less bonkers

By Brenna Hillier

Resident Evil 7’s perspective is a sore point for some series fans, but just look how well it works with the classic games.

Resident Evil modder Rod Lima has been fiddling around with Resident Evil HD Remaster, which as you no doubt recall is the early 2015 remaster of the 2002 remake of the 1996 original.

In the video above you’ll see the fruits of his efforts: it’s the original Resident Evil, bar the shiny updated graphics and features, but played from a first-person perspective – just like Resident Evil 7. It looks great, and makes us wonder if this is something Capcom itself played around with when starting the ball rolling on what would eventually become Resident Evil 7 – which is getting great reviews, by the way.

What makes this interesting is how playable the first Resident Evil seems to be in this foreign perspective, even though camera is often seen as essential to a game. Resident Evil 7’s shift to first-person has not been uncontroversial, with some fans crying foul on this seemingly dramatic gameplay change – whether they’re champions of the old fixed camera, or the over-the-shoulder view seen in more modern Resident Evil titles.

While it’s certainly true that both fixed and third-person cameras are conducive to creepy atmospheres, so is first-person view – as many modern indie horror games, and later Silent Hills demo PT, aptly demonstrated. You can’t blame Capcom for wanting to give it a go, and Resident Evil 7 retains much of what made the franchise great while moving the camera to the protagonist’s eyeballs.

Anyway, if you’ve been feeling a bit sore over Resident Evil 7’s camera, maybe seeing one of the classic games making it work will help ease your worries over the new one. Same old game (only better, hopefully), new shiny wrapper.