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

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.

Resident Evil Village launches later this week on May 7, on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Google Stadia. There's certainly a lot of anticipation surrounding the latest entry in Capcom's iconic horror saga, as it continues the adventures of Ethan Winters while introducing a gruffer, more dangerous Chris Redfield to contend with.

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.

For everything you might have missed in the second limited demo, head over to our full Resident Evil Village Castle walkthrough guide for more.