Some players don’t seem to understand the horror in survival horror.

According to the director of Resident Evil Requiem, the option to switch to third-person view has been available from launch (unlike Resident Evil: Village, where it was added later) because players found the first-person perspective in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard too frightening. When the game launched in 2017, it abandoned the third-person style seen in Resident Evil 4, 5, and 6. Koshi Nakanishi, who directed Resident Evil 7, didn’t work on Village, but has returned to helm the upcoming ninth entry, Resident Evil Requiem.

Even though he was the one responsible for moving the series into first-person, this time Nakanishi added the ability to freely switch between first- and third-person modes. In an interview with GamesRadar, Nakanishi explained that the reason for this choice is that some players found Resident Evil 7’s perspective too intense to handle.

“Looking back at Resident Evil 7: Biohazard’s first-person perspective, I implemented it as a way to make the game more immersive and scary than ever before. I think most media and players would agree that it was an incredibly scary game. However, it may have been too scary for some. I think some people couldn’t handle it and either couldn’t finish the game or didn’t even start it. That’s something I look back on, thinking I want to make sure people can enjoy the game. If you start the game in first-person perspective and find it too intense, third-person perspective offers a way to step back from the horror, making it easier to handle by presenting the character as an avatar of yourself,” Nakanishi said.

Resident Evil Requiem follows Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst investigating a series of mysterious deaths in Raccoon City 30 years after it was bombed during the events of Resident Evil 3. According to Nakanishi, Grace differs from earlier protagonists as she has little combat experience, meaning players will watch her learn and grow throughout the game.

Resident Evil Requiem launches on February 27 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC.

Source: VGC